NSCA CEUs and renewal, by your certification date

CEUs and fees for the 2024–2026 cycle

How the cycle works

Renewal runs on a fixed cycle of three years, on one calendar for every certificant, not three years from your own pass date. The current cycle is 2024–2026 and closes on December 31, 2026. Every CEU must be earned between your certification date or the cycle start, whichever is later, and the cycle end, so anything you did before you certified doesn't count.

• Two ways to renew: report CEUs and pay the fee, or retake and pass the exam before the deadline; on either path your CPR/AED must stay current. If you take the exam route, email recertify@nsca.com once you've passed.
• Certified late in the cycle: the table shows how the count and fee shrink, down to 0 CEUs · no fee for the last six months.
• More than one NSCA credential: one set of CEUs covers two credentials if you held both before 2024; the fee is charged per credential.

The counts above belong to the 2024–2026 cycle. When it closes, a new cycle starts; check the recertification page for that cycle's table rather than reusing this one.

How to earn NSCA CEUs

CEUs fall into four categories, and you need them from at least two.

• A, Attendance: clinics, conferences, seminars, workshops and live-streamed events, at 0.1 CEU per hour, up to 2.0 per event. Live attendance needs no pre-approval, but recorded webinars must be approved in advance and count under Category C.
• B, Sharing your expertise: serving on committees or as a state or provincial director, presenting, and publishing.
• C, Educational activities: First Aid (0.5 CEU, once per cycle), college courses (0.5 CEU per semester credit, up to 2.0 per course), passing another NCCA-accredited certification (2.0 CEUs), pre-approved home-study courses, internships, and personal development such as journals and podcasts (0.5 CEU a year).
• D, Quizzes and assessments: NSCA quizzes on Strength and Conditioning Journal articles and NSCA videos, 0.2–1.0 CEU per quiz. Members get up to 12 complimentary CEU quizzes.

Each category has a cap. For the full 6.0 CEUs the caps are A 5.5 · B 4.0 · C 5.5 · D 4.0 CEUs at most, which is why one category alone can't get you there. What counts: topics within the scope of practice and content outline of the certification you hold (e.g. anatomy, nutrition, program design, coaching), not surgery, diagnosis, treatment, general business or group fitness/holistic activities.

The arithmetic: 1 contact hour = 0.1 CEU; 1 semester credit = 0.5 CEU; 1 quarter credit = 0.3 CEU. An optional extra, Recertified with Distinction (*D), takes 10.0 CEUs from NSCA activities in one cycle, not pro-rated.

Reporting CEUs and paying the fee

1. Report online at nsca.com/recertify ("Report CEUs" in My Account), then pay the fee; NSCA-run activities post to your record automatically, Human Kinetics home-study courses you report yourself.
2. Pay $65 member · $90 non-member per credential if you certified before 2024; the table gives the fee for later dates. Members pay the lower fee, but membership is not required to sit the exam or to recertify; a certification doesn't make you a member.
3. Keep the paperwork. You don't send documents with a standard renewal, but there is a random audit after the cycle; if selected you have 45 days to upload documentation, or the certification is revoked with no refund.

What renewal and the rest of the credential cost: NSCA-CPT cost.

CPR/AED during renewal

CPR/AED certification is a condition on both renewal paths, CEUs or exam. It must stay current through the whole cycle; renew online only if it never lapsed, otherwise in person. Note that CPR/AED isn't on the CEU list; First Aid is, at 0.5 CEU, once per cycle.

Missed the deadline: lapse and reinstatement

The first step is formal: a Notice of Certification Revocation goes to anyone who misses the requirements by the deadline.

• Lapse: you lose the certification; without reinstatement you retake and pass the exam and get a new certification date and number.
• Reinstatement is possible only if every required CEU was earned inside the missed period(s), with documentation and a current CPR/AED; you keep your original certification date. It costs $200 plus the unpaid recertification fees. CEUs can't be made up after the missed period.
• Appeals: $50 appeal fee; the committee meets in spring and fall; no appeals after two or more missed cycles.

More on the NSCA-CPT

• NSCA-CPTFormat, domains, fees, eligibility and renewal, with sources
• NSCA-CPT practice testFree questions by domain, every option explained
• NSCA-CPT exam factsFormat, scoring, retakes, Pearson VUE booking and the CPR/AED rule
• NSCA-CPT costExam fee with and without membership, retakes, bundles and renewal
• NSCA-CPT study guideThe outline by points, the textbook, NSCA's own prep and how long to study