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Certification Program Recognition
Certification programs recognize the CFA Program in two ways. First, some programs grant waivers from one or more of their exams, or from a work experience requirement. Second, some programs recognize the CFA Institute Continuing Education Program (CE) to satisfy requirements of their own CE programs.
Waivers in Certification Programs
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)The Organization
ACCA is a global body for professional accountants with 147,000 members in over 170 countries.
The Standard
To qualify as an ACCA member, one must complete a minimum of five of 14 exams.
The Waiver
CFA charterholders who seek to qualify as ACCA members are exempt from the Financial Accounting exam (Paper
F3). Thus the applicant is waived out of one of five mandatory examinations. To obtain the waiver, the applicant
must send an official CFA document (acquired after sending a request to
recognition@cfainstitute.org) and pay
ACCA's exemption fee at the early exam entry rate.
For more information, visit
ACCA's website.
Investment Management Certificate (IMC)
The Certification
CFA Society of the UK administers the IMC, which is made up of Unit 1: The investment environment and Unit 2: Investment practice. The IMC is currently held by more than 25,000 investment professionals. Upon completion of the IMC, candidates are qualified to apply for membership with the CFA Society of the UK.
The Waiver
To earn the IMC designation, applicants who have passed the CFA Level I examination are eligible to be waived out of Unit 2 of the IMC. In order to receive a waiver, an applicant must submit a successful application and pay a fee. For more information, visit CFA UK's website.
Please note
To obtain RDR compliance, only applicants who have passed CFA Level III are eligible for the IMC Unit 2 Waiver.
Specifically, those who need RDR compliance who have passed CFA Level I or Level II, but not Level III, are required to pass both Units of the IMC. However, this does NOT apply to applicants who are on track to completing the CFA designation and practice in the future.
For further clarification on your personal status, please contact the Regulator and Program Recognition Help Desk at recognition@cfainstitute.org.
Society of Actuaries (SOA)
The Society of Actuaries (SOA) is an educational, research and professional organization dedicated to serving the public and Society members. They offer three certifications: Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA), Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst (CERA), and Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA). The CFA Institute currently holds waivers for the ASA and CERA certifications.
The requirements to become an Associate of the Society of Actuaries are
- five exams on actuarial knowledge: Probability, Financial Mathematics, Financial Economics, Life Contingencies, and Actuarial Models,
- validation of educational experiences (VEE) in Economics, Corporate Finance and Applied Statistics,
- completion of the e-learning course: Fundamentals of Actuarial Science, and
- completion of the Associateship Professionalism course.
The CFA Institute Level I and II exams provide exemptions from the VEE requirement. Passing the CFA Level I exam qualifies for an exemption from the Economics portion of VEE. Passing the Level II exam qualifies for an exemption from the Applied Statistics and Corporate Finance portions of VEE. More information on the ASA certification can be found directly from the ASA Requirements Page.
The requirements to become a
Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst are
- five exams on risk analyst knowledge: Probability, Financial Mathematics, Financial Economics, Actuarial Models, Enterprise Risk Management,
- validation of educational experiences (VEE) in Economics and Corporate Finance
- completion of the Enterprise Risk Management Module,
- completion of the e-learning course: Fundamentals of Actuarial Science, and
- completion of the Associateship Professionalism course.
The CFA Institute Level I and II exams provide exemptions from the VEE requirement. Passing the CFA Level I exam qualifies for an exemption from the Economics portion of VEE. Passing the CFA Level II exam qualifies for an exemption from the Corporate Finance portion of VEE.
More information on the CERA certification can be found directly from the CERA Requirements Page.
The Institute of Directors Chartered Director (CDir)
The Organization
The Institute of Directors (IoD) is a UK-based organization that administers the Chartered Director (CDir) designation.
The Requirement
To acquire the CDir, an applicant must (1) pass an exam, (2) attend a developing board performance exercise and complete a self-evaluation form, (3) meet professional experience requirements, and (4) participate in an interview with two senior members of the IoD.
The Waiver
The IoD accepts the CFA charter as a professional qualification. Therefore the CFA charter shortens the professional experience requirement from 5 years to 3 years.
Continuing Education Recognition by Certification Programs
Recognizing the need for a lifelong commitment to learning, CFA Institute is a registered sponsor with the following regulatory organizations to offer continuing education credit for our conferences.
CFP Board
CFA Institute is registered as a sponsor of continuing education with the CFP Board. Select conferences have been accepted and CE credit has been granted by the CFP Board.
Earn CE credit
If you want credit for your CFP designation, you must request an attendance form at the on-site conference registration booth. Completed forms must be returned to the booth at the close of the conference. You will receive notification from the CFP Board once your attendance has been electronically reported, usually within three to four weeks.
Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC)
CFA Institute is a registered sponsor with the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) to offer CE credit for our CFA Institute Annual Conference.
Earn CE credit
If you want IIROC CE credit for attending the CFA Institute Annual Conference, you must request an attendance form at the on-site conference registration booth. Completed forms must be returned to the booth at the close of the conference. You will receive an e-mail from us once the IIROC has concluded their review, usually within one to two months after the close of the conference.
National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)CFA Institute is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit.
Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN 37219-2417. For more information regarding administrative policies such as complaint or refund, e-mail us.
Earn CPE credit
If you want credit towards your CPA designation, you must request an attendance form at the on-site conference registration booth. Completed forms must be returned to the booth at the close of the conference. You will receive an attendance certificate from us in the mail within three to four weeks.
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Interested in earning credit for another designation?
E-mail us your recommendations. Registration with these organizations is considered on a case-by-case basis.