About Our Diversity Scholarships
The College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan Company is committed to bringing the best to the financial planner workforce and the people it serves through building and diversifying its ranks.
Our program awards up to 60 scholarships annually to qualified individuals seeking to complete the education requirement needed to attain CFP® certification and who are from an underrepresented population within the financial planning field, which might include differences based on gender, race, ethnicity, disability, and sexual orientation. For example, statistics from CFP Board's Why Diversity Matters: How Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Accelerate Business Success in Financial Services reveals only 3.7% of the more than 87,000 CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals in the United States are Black or Latino. Women are also underrepresented, at only 23%, while accounting for 52% of the overall population.
Each scholarship (valued at $6,550 per scholarship*) for CFP® certification consists of the following which scholarship recipients would complete within 2 years of starting the program:
- Required education (fixed schedule of seven Ondemand classes with regular touchpoints during each course)
- Exam Prep Review (choice of Live Online, OnDemand or available Onsite classes)
Our scholarships prepare awardees to sit for the CFP® exam two years after the start of the scholarship. Up to 30 scholarships will be awarded two times per year (totaling up to 60 scholarships annually).
Please note: Due to the fixed schedule of classes, course extensions are not available to Diversity scholarship recipients.
*Scholarship does not cover the following: optional print books or cost of re-enrolling in a course if the scholarship recipient does not pass the course on initial attempt.
Eligibility Requirements
Important Note: Students who are currently enrolled in a CFP® certification education program or CFP® certification education course through the College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan Company are not eligible to apply. Scholarship applications received from students who are currently enrolled will be automatically withdrawn.
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Must be a U.S. resident
- Must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution or the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree from an institution outside of the United States
- Must not be a student who:
- Is currently enrolled in a CFP® certification education program or CFP® certification education course through the College for Financial Planning® —a Kaplan Company.
- Has previously been awarded a Diversity scholarship by College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan Company.
- Must be committed to the following:
- Completing the entire scholarship program (education and exam prep) within 2 years of starting the program.
- Adhering to a fixed schedule of Ondemand classes with regular touchpoints during each course.
- An average of 15 hours of class and coursework time each week to successfully keep pace with the program.
- Must demonstrate a strong work ethic, significant achievements in the classroom or workplace and the highest personal integrity (see application below)
- Must come from an underrepresented population within the financial planning profession. The applicant must demonstrate how they represent an underrepresented demographic, which might include differences based on gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, etc.
- Industry experience is strongly preferred but is not required
Application Deadlines
Up to 30 scholarships will be awarded two times a year (totaling up to 60 scholarships annually). The next application deadline is April 30, 2025. Individuals awarded scholarships associated with this deadline would start their scholarship program in July 2025.
Future upcoming deadlines include:
- December 31, 2025 (for scholarships program which starts March 2026)
Please note: Unsuccessful applications will not roll over to the next review cycle. However, an applicant may complete another application in its entirety for a future deadline if not awarded a scholarship on a previous attempt.
Timing of Scholarship Announcements
Awardees will be contacted by email and phone approximately one month after each deadline.
Questions?
Any questions and all communications regarding the scholarships can be directed to the CFFP Scholarship Committee at the following email: Scholarships@cffp.edu
Freedom Scholarships
Freedom Scholarships are available to individuals who serve or have served in the U.S. Armed Forces and show significant potential or have already achieved outstanding success in finance, financial planning, and/or financial analysis, and who show promise of being future industry leaders.