UT Tyler Alum Named Top 10 Texas CPA Exam Candidate
UT Tyler accounting alum Rachel Boshers Norris of Longview (right) with her husband Harrison Norris last month at the TSBPA’s swearing‑in ceremony. Rachel was among the most recent top 10 candidates in Texas who achieved the highest cumulative scores on the CPA licensure exam while taking each section only once and completing all four sections within 12 months.
TYLER, Texas (January 15, 2026) – Rachel Boshers Norris of Longview, an accounting alum from The University of Texas at Tyler, was honored by the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy as one of the top 10 candidates in the state for outstanding performance on the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination.
This distinction is awarded to the 10 candidates in Texas who achieve the highest cumulative scores on the CPA licensure exam while taking each section only once and completing all four sections within 12 months. Norris was recognized during the TSBPA’s most recent swearing-in ceremony last month, where the state’s newest CPAs were officially welcomed into the profession.
“This is a remarkable achievement, and we are thrilled to see Rachel honored as one of the top 10 candidates in Texas,” said Dr. Veronda Willis, UT Tyler associate professor and graduate program director. “We look forward to seeing the impact she will make in the accounting profession.”
Norris holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from UT Tyler and currently works at PWC in Houston. While at UT Tyler, she was a member of the UT Tyler Honors College and served as a graduate teaching assistant and Texas Society of CPAs student ambassador. In the latter roles, she promoted the accounting profession and assisted other UT Tyler students in learning the accounting language.
“I owe much of my success to UT Tyler and the dedication of their faculty,” said Norris. “The personalized instruction and mentoring I received helped set me up for success with both the CPA exam and my career in public accounting.”
UT Tyler prepares students for success in the accounting profession through rigorous coursework, applied learning and faculty mentorship. Programs within the Department of Accounting, Finance and Business Law are designed to support students pursuing CPA licensure and careers in various sectors. To learn more, visit uttyler.edu.
With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 11,500 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.