Purpose: This quantitative study aims to examine the impact of accumulated knowledge of accounting on the academic performance of Cost Accounting students. Design/methodology/approach The sample consisted of 89 students enrolled in the Accounting program run by a business college in Kuwait during 2015. Correlation and linear least squares regression analyses tested the study's hypothesis. Findings: Results indicated significant impact of accumulated knowledge on academic performance, with and without controls for other factors. Practical implications: The findings provide administrators, academic advisors, accounting educators and researchers with a useful benchmark for the development of accounting curriculum, teaching plans and strategies and future academic research, and it forms the basis for comparative work aimed at the harmonization of international accounting education. Originality/value: The study provides empirical support for the theoretical prediction that quantitative accumulated knowledge in accounting has an impact on the academic performance of students, especially in Cost Accounting. Internationally, it provides a foundation for future comparative studies, potentially leading to the harmonization of international accounting education. Regionally, it attempts to fill some of the gaps in the regional accounting education literature. Locally, the study seeks to improve the performance of the accounting students in Cost Accounting within the college where data were collected.