Earn Your CFP® Certification on the Accelerated Path
The CFP Board's Accelerated Path allows qualifying candidates to sit for the CFP® exam sooner, speeding their path to CFP® certification.
Candidates who qualify for Accelerated Path can bypass the majority of the coursework CFP Board requires in a standard education pathway, based on knowledge they have gained from other advanced degrees or certification.
Accelerated Path candidates must complete one of the following through a CFP Board Registered Program to be eligible to sit for the CFP® exam:
- a Capstone course or
- a Capstone Alternative course (only for Accelerated Path candidates who also meet CFP Board's experience requirements)
Need a little guidance?
Connect with our seasoned team of Designation Specialists to discuss what course is right for you.
877.599.2669
Previous education and licenses may fulfill CFP Board education requirements and allow you to apply for the exam through the Accelerated Path.
To qualify for the Accelerated Path, candidates must have one of the following degrees, designations or certifications:
• CFP certification from the Financial Planning Standards Board Ltd. (FPSB) Affiliate located in your territory of residence outside the U.S.
Candidates who qualify for Accelerated Path are required to take a Capstone course or complete the Capstone Alternative (an option only for Accelerated Path candidates who also meet CFP Board's experience requirement)
Capstone Course (Accelerated Path Candidates)
- General Financial Planning Principles, Professional Conduct, and Regulation
- Risk Management, Insurance, and Employee Benefits Planning
- Investment Planning
- Income Tax Planning
- Retirement Savings and Income Planning
- Estate Planning
Capstone Alternative Course (Accelerated Path Candidates who also meet CFP Board's Experience Requirement)
While most Accelerated Path candidates complete the standard Capstone course, the College also offers an Alternative Capstone. The Alternative Capstone is a reduced course in which the standard 45-contact hours in the Capstone course (normally met by viewing OnDemand class sessions) are not required. Capstone Alternative students will move directly to the final project of creating and presenting a comprehensive financial plan.
In order to qualify for the Alternative Capstone, candidates must:
- Meet CFP Board’s qualifications for the Accelerated Path AND the experience requirement
- Candidates must present a certificate of eligibility issued by CFP Board to enroll in this course.
Learn more about CFP Board's requirements for the Alternative Capstone and submit an eligibility request form, visit the CFP Board website.
Participating in the Capstone Alternative course is different from the standard Capstone course in two ways:
1) Contact hours - The standard capstone course FP517 Financial Plan Development requires 45 hours of classroom contact before students may begin their capstone case study. Participants in the Alternative Capstone proceed directly to working on their capstone project — developing a financial plan. There is no need to meet the classroom contact hours requirement.
2) Eligibility - Students who enroll in the Capstone Alternative course must:
- Qualify for the Accelerated Path
- Meet CFP Board's experience experience requirement and
- Have a Certificate of Eligibility from CFP Board stating their ability to enroll in the alternative capstone program
Students participating in the Capstone Alternative work directly with a dedicated grading faculty member who helps guide you through the course.
To learn more about CFP Board's eligibility requirements for the Capstone Alternative, visit the CFP Board website.
The College also offers the following to Accelerated Path candidates:
- The option to audit previous education courses for $425 per course
To refresh your knowledge of the other six education courses, you can take any or all of them on an audit basis for half price as an Accelerated Path candidate. Strengthening areas of weakness could make all the difference!
Each audit course is just $425.00.
- Premium Exam Prep Review
We want you to pass the exam—the first time—and we stand behind our Exam Prep Review program. Let our expert instructors refresh your knowledge of key financial planning topics and prepare you for what to expect on the exam.
Contact a Designation Specialist at 877.599.2669 to enroll at available exclusive prices. No additional discounts or corporate rates apply.
"Great focus on content mastery by Kaplan. First time taking the test as a Challenge Candidate, and Kaplan materials were interesting enough to make me want to learn the answers to the questions in the test banks. I passed and felt well prepared."
-Jim C.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and CFP®(with plaque design) in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.
The College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan Company does not certify individuals to use the CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and CFP (with plaque logo) certification marks. CFP® certification is granted only by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. to those persons who, in addition to completing an educational requirement such as this CFP Board-Registered Program, have met its ethics, experience, and examination requirements. The College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan Company is an education and exam prep review provider for the CFP® Certification Examination administered by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. CFP Board does not endorse any education or review course or receive financial remuneration from education or review course providers.