CA Course Duration and Fees: The Full Cost Breakdown
The ICAI-side cost of the entire CA course — registration, exam fees and training programmes — totals roughly ₹85,000–1,00,000 spread over five years. Coaching is the real variable: ₹0 for self-study to ₹3+ lakh for full coaching at every level. Total typical spend lands between ₹1.5 and ₹4 lakh — a fraction of comparable professional degrees.
- ICAI fees (total)
- ≈₹1 lakh
- With coaching
- ₹1.5–4 lakh
- Duration
- 4.5–6 yrs
- vs top MBA
- ≈10× cheaper
ICAI fee schedule (approximate)
Fees as per recent ICAI schedules — verify current amounts on icai.org before paying:
- Foundation: registration ≈ ₹9,000 + exam fee ≈ ₹1,500 per attempt.
- Intermediate: registration ≈ ₹18,000 (both groups) + exam fee ≈ ₹2,700 per both-group attempt.
- Articleship registration: ≈ ₹2,000; ICITSS and AICITSS programmes ≈ ₹14,000 combined.
- Final: registration ≈ ₹22,000 + exam fee ≈ ₹3,300 per both-group attempt.
- Membership: admission and annual fees after qualifying.
The coaching decision
Coaching costs dwarf institute fees, so treat them as investments per subject, not defaults:
- Foundation: most self-study-friendly level; free lectures (including ICAI BOS sessions) cover it adequately.
- Intermediate: selective coaching for Costing, FM and Tax has the best returns; Law and Audit are self-study viable.
- Final: paid classes concentrate in FR, AFM and DT; ICAI's own material plus RTP/MTP remains the examinable core.
- Every repeat attempt costs an exam cycle (~4 months) — the most expensive line item in the whole course is time, not fees.
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Talk to usWhat is the total fee of the CA course?
ICAI's own fees across all levels total roughly ₹85,000–1,00,000. Including typical selective coaching, most students spend ₹1.5–4 lakh over the full journey.
Is CA cheaper than an MBA?
Dramatically — a top-tier MBA costs ₹20–30 lakh in fees alone, versus ₹1.5–4 lakh all-in for CA. The trade is money for time: CA takes 4.5–6 years against an MBA's two.
Are there scholarships for CA students?
ICAI's Board of Studies offers merit and need-based scholarships to registered students, and fee concessions exist for specified categories — check the current BOS scholarship announcement.