Understanding Continuing Education Credits
After you are certified, Continuing Education Credits, or CECs (also referred to as CEUs, Continuing Education Units) are going to be required of you from any certification company who is a legitimate certifier. Don’t be fooled thinking that you can get certified and not do anything else, that is simply not the case in this industry, or in any industry which requires certification as a qualifier to employment, CECs will be part of it.
We understand, CECs can be confusing. There are so many certifiers and they all seem to do it differently. The only thing which makes all of these certifiers the same, with regard to CECs, is that you get some amount of credit for a fitness related continuing education activity, which goes towards your recertification requirement. Beyond that, the credit allocations and cycles for obtaining credits will be different. We’ve researched the differences and put them to ‘paper’. You can decide what works best for you and what kind of CEC cycles and fees you are comfortable with. If you have any questions or want some help with deciphering some of this information (because we understand that it is a lot to take in), please contact us – we are happy to help!
How Does NFPT’s CEC Process and Cost Compare?
| NFPT | ACE | NASM | ACSM | NETA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renewal Cycle (CECs requirement must be met before you can renew) |  1 Year | 2 Years | 2 Years | 3 Years | 2 Years |
| CECs Required (per respective cycle) | 2.0 CECs | 2.0 CECs | 2.0 CECs | 45.0 CECs | 20.0 CECs |
| Renewal Fee (per respective cycle) | $85 | $129 | $99 | $30 | $45 |
| Estimated CEC Cost (per respective cycle) | $0 | $267 to $499 | $699 to $999 | $400 to $924 | $199 to $299 |
| Petition Fee (cost per each non-approved CE activity) | FREE | $25 | $25 | FREE | $15 |
| Sample CEC Award Allocations | College Semester 1.0 NFPT Self Test* 0.5 *FREE (2 per cert year) Article Submission 0.5 CPR /AED .50 First Aid .25 Proof of Insurance .25 NFPT CE/Specialty Courses .25 - 1.0 *Cost varies per course | College Semester 0.8 ACE Quizes 0.2 ACE News 0.2 Article Submission 0.5 CPR .2 First Aid .2 AED .2 | College Semester 0.3 (max 1.5) NASM Quizes N/A Article Submission 0.5 (max 1.5) CPR/AED .1 First Aid 0 | College Semester 10.0 ACSM Self-Test 4.0 ACSM JournalQuiz 4.0 ACSM News 4.0 Article Submission 10.0 CPR 0 First Aid 0 AED 0 | NETA Quiz 1.0 Article Submission 1.0 CPR 0 First Aid 0 AED 0 |
| Average Cost per CE Award | 0.25 - 0.50: $0* 1.0: $0* 2.0: $0* | 0.1 - 0.2: $15 - $ 45 0.3 - 0.4: $60 - $80 0.5 - 1.0: $100 - $178 2.0 - 2.5: $267 - $499 | 0.2 - 0.6: $33 - $97 0.8 - 1.3: $199 - $299 1.9: $449 2.2 - 3.5: $699 - $999 | 1.5 - 2.0: $45 - $85 3.0 - 4.0: $25 - $45 5.0 - 7.05: $100 - $129 9.0 - 30.0: $275 - $750 | 1.0 - 2.0: $19 - $39 2.0 - 3.0: $39 - $49 4.0 - 6.0: $55 - $109 9.0 - 15.0: $129 - $149 20.0: $199 - $299 |
| Total ANNUAL Cost (estimate represents renewal fee plus median CEC costs per year, does NOT include petition fee for each CE activity submitted to the respective cert agency) | $85 | $256 | $474 | $230 | $147 |
Click here to see more cert company comparisons
| CI | NCCPT | NCSF | NESTA | NSCA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renewal Cycle (CECs requirement must be met before you can renew) | 3 Years | 2 Years | 2 Years | 4 Years | 3 Years |
| CECs Required (per respective cycle) | 3.0 CECs | 2.0 CECs | 10.0 CECs | 4.0 CECs | 6.0 CECs |
| Renewal Fee (per respective cycle) | $49 | $75 | $50 | $149 | $50-$75 |
| Estimated CEC Cost (per respective cycle) | $695 to $899 | $250 to $600 | $258 to $468 | $497 to $749 | $345 to $445 |
| Petition Fee (cost per each non-approved CE activity) | FREE | $10 | FREE | $25 | FREE |
| Sample CEC Award Allocations | College Semester 1.0 CI Quizes N/A CPR 0 First Aid 0 AED 0 | College Semester 0.9 NCCPT Self-Test N/A Article Submission 0.5 (max 1.0) CPR.1 First Aid 0 AED .1 | College Semester 1.0 NCSF Quiz (monthly) 0.5 NCSF Library 0.3 NCSF Ethics 0.5 Article Submission 1.0 CPR 1 First Aid 0 AED 1 | College Semester 0.9 NESTA Quiz N/A Article Submission 1.0 CPR 0 First Aid 0 AED 0 | College Semester 0.5 (max 1.5) NSCA Quiz 0.1 (max 5.5) NSCA Journals 0.2 Article Submission 0.5 CPR 0 First Aid.25 AED.25 |
| Average Cost per CE Award | 0.2 – 1.9: $39 – $430 2.0 – 2.2: $430 – $475 3.0 – 3.3: $695 – $899 | 0.05 – 0.2: $20 – $60 0.4: $49.95 0.8 – 1.1: $199 – $299 2.0: $319 | 0.3 – 0.5: $15 3.0 – 4.5: $79 – $119 5.0 – 6.0: $119 – $49 7.0: $179 – $349 | 1.5 – 1.6: $199 – $319 2.0: $199 – $357 3.0 – 4.0: $497 – $749 | 0.1 – 0.5: $10 – $25 3.0: $285 – $445 |
| Total ANNUAL Cost (estimate represents renewal fee plus median CEC costs per year, does NOT include petition fee for each CE activity submitted to the respective cert agency) | $173 | $122 | $101 | $156 | $98 |
*non-NFPT CE Activities are also encouraged and are awarded credits. However NFPT has no control over the cost of non-NFPT CE activities, these will vary. NFPT offers FREE CE Provisions, but there are many options for trainer growth & development, which means many ways to get CECs!
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Compare details for average cost per CEC and sample CEC activity awards here >>
Review NFPT-only CEC information here >>
