Factors influencing professional skills among accounting students at Kwazulu-Natal Universities

Employers are increasingly concerned that most recent graduates lack professional skills. In addition, whether students pursuing accounting degrees in professionally accredited institutions are more financially savvy than non-accredited institutions is still being determined. In 1582 undergraduate accounting students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT), and Durban University of Technology (DUT) were surveyed using self-administered questionnaires. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 25 (SPSS 25). The results indicated that the majority of respondents were female. 72.6 percent of respondents are influenced by the South African Institute of Charted Accountants (SAICA) accreditation, whereas 95.2 percent of respondents with outstanding professional skills are influenced by non-SAICA accreditation. The study's findings disprove previous claims that accreditation has no bearing on students' abilities. Finally, the investigation contributes to South Africa-relevant knowledge.