CPCU in Good Standing FAQ

Continuing education remains a core value for all CPCUs. Formalized reporting is simply a way for CPCUs to acknowledge their commitment to maintaining a high level of expertise in our industry. As such, the reporting program will include every CPCU.

 

 

Earning your CPCU® was a big step in your career, and is the culmination of a lot of hard work. CPCUs demonstrate their commitment to their profession by obtaining this prestigious designation. Continuing education, or CE, ensures that they stay on top of the latest developments and maintain the skills and competencies that organizations need.

 

All CPCUs commit to pursuing CE as a core value of the CPCU Code of Professional Conduct. The CE for CPCUs program formalizes and elevates your commitment by reporting the CE you agreed to under this code. Being a CPCU in Good Standing demonstrates your ongoing commitment to your profession. 

Continuing education has always been a core value of the CPCU Code of Professional Conduct (Canon 2, Rule 2.1). The goal of this initiative is to increase the value of the CPCU designation by allowing CPCUs to showcase their educational efforts while setting an example for the profession.
The Institutes conducted extensive research prior to formalizing the CE for CPCUs program. This research found that formalized CE requirements for designation programs protect the value of the designation. It also found that those who are in compliance should be recognized publicly. Focus group research helped shape the structure of the program; determine the grandfathering of CPCUs for the first four years, through December 31, 2020; set the reporting fees; define what qualifies as a qualifying CE activity; and establish many other elements.
The program launched on July 1, 2016. All CPCUs who matriculated before that date were given through December 31, 2020, to be compliant with the 24 hours of CE requirement.
The CPD program was designed to provide participation points for a wide variety of activities, including volunteer leadership experience. Research showed that requiring a specific number of reported education hours, versus participation points, was standard practice and that qualifying activities should include only technical and practice-oriented content that improves professional competencies.

Good Standing Questions

The term “Good Standing” is defined as an individual who has complied with specific requirements and is not subject to disciplinary or punitive action. The goal of the program and Good Standing terminology is to recognize the professional commitment that CPCUs adhere to through the Code of Professional Conduct. This term was also determined to be standard across other designations for which research was completed throughout 2014 and 2015. 
The Good Standing list is a searchable directory on The Institutes’ website where individuals and employers can check the status of CPCUs. All CPCUs in Good Standing receive a digital badge and appear on this public list, which includes their “in Good Standing through” date (unless an individual opts out of public display).

Any retiree who still uses their designation for a commercial purpose (e.g., serving as an expert witness or consultant) is held to the same standard of reporting CE as those who remain in the workforce.

Retirees who are retired from the risk and insurance profession and no longer utilizing their designation for commercial or paid purposes qualify for Good Standing Retired. This status  does not expire, and there is no need to report 24 continuing education credits every two years.

It’s easy and free to secure the CPCU Good Standing Retired status.

  1. Log into the CPCU in Good Standing Reporting Tool.
  2. Click “Apply for Good Standing Retired Status.”
  3. Complete the simple form and attest to your Retired status.
  4. Submit.

 

This program is a separate entity from The Institutes CPCU Society. However, the CE for CPCUs renewal fee is waived for CPCU Society members. Good Standing status reflects compliance with the CPCU CE requirement; it is unrelated to CPCU Society membership status.
For just $11 more than the CE reporting fee, CPCUs can join the CPCU Society for a year and get a whole host of amazing benefits—including a waived reporting fee! By joining the Society, CPCUs have access to cutting-edge and innovative training sessions and webinars, up-to-date information and expert insights through articles and podcasts, invaluable networking opportunities and online communities, and so much more. The CPCU Society is a professional community built on networking and knowledge, and is where leaders go to connect with one another.

Practice-oriented activities that are relevant to career performance in both risk management and insurance and are verifiable in some way qualify. Some examples include:

  • Passing an exam for a course (either with The Institutes or with an outside organization)
  • Licensing CE activities, including CE courses in insurance, medicine, law, finance and accounting
  • Attending educational events, conferences, webinars, or employer training

Please note: You can only submit activities completed during your current reporting period. Activities completed prior to the start of a reporting period will not be counted.

No. All practice-oriented content counts toward the 24-hour requirement. Unlike many other professional designation programs, CPCUs may earn their CE anywhere. Any CE earned through The Institutes or CPCU Society is automatically reported to your account, but you can report CE from any group. If you have a state license, you can use the same CE for your licensing and the CE for CPCUs program. You just need to report and renew.
The CPCU designation has evolved to meet the times, but the integrity of our designation stands firm. Our ongoing goal is to keep study materials and examinations relevant and up to date—so that students, in turn, can apply their knowledge to serve customers effectively and completely. The goal of CPCU exams is to fairly and accurately assess students’ ability to apply their knowledge. Here’s a snapshot of the state of the CPCU program and its exams today:
    • While maintaining academic rigor, current course materials are more application oriented. This means they are more aligned with what students actually do and will encounter.
    • Overall pass ratios for CPCU exams are consistent with historical pass ratios. Our new virtual exams have been carefully developed to meet The Institutes’ long-term standards for exam integrity.
    • Testing provides a sample of what a person knows about a body of knowledge. New testing formats allow us to test on more material than we did years ago and provide a better measure of what students can apply from the entire body of knowledge.
    • We have expanded opportunities for testing to make our designations accessible to more people and, thus, more beneficial to society.

We will continue to improve and revise CPCU exams and study materials to prepare our students to meet the challenges ahead and best serve their customers and society. 

The Institutes Designations are encouraging all CPCUs to honor the commitment to pursuing CE that has always been in place. No one’s CPCU designation will be invalidated for failing to report CE, but CPCUs in compliance with the reporting requirements will be publicly recognized for their commitment to their careers and CPCU pledge. Those in compliance will appear on the Good Standing list and receive a digital badge.

Activities that are not practice-oriented, related to career performance in risk management or insurance, and/or verifiable do not count. Examples of non-qualifying activities include:

  • Administrative activities in support of the CPCU Society or another professional organization
  • Noneducational sessions or presentations at conferences or events
  • Using The Institutes’ SMART QuizMe App and SMART Study Aids
  • Engaging in volunteer or paid leadership
  • Serving as an expert witness
  • Reading a textbook, an article, or a periodical, or watching educational video content other than the CPCU Society’s approved, verifiable offerings
Auto-Reported Activity Type Credit Hours
Taking an exam for an Institutes designation course
Pass: 24
Nonpass: 6
Completing an Institutes or a CEU online course (not taken for state CE credit) 6
Completing an Institutes or a CEU course for state CE credit Either the credit value assigned by your state or the credit value assigned by The Institutes, whichever is higher.
Completing an Institutes SMART Final Practice Exam for a course 3
Completing one of The Institutes’ Leadership Education programs 24
Completing offerings from The Institutes CPCU Society Knowledge Center Credit determined based on length of content.
Attending the CPCU Society's In2Risk conference.
Credit hours will be assigned based on each year’s topics and agenda.
Attending local I-Days 1 per each hour of educational content.
Participating in other CPCU Society educational events (for example, live webinars, workshops, symposia and so forth)

1 per each hour of educational content..

Manually Reported Activity Type Credit Hours
Passing an exam for a designation course (not from The Institutes) 12
Passing an exam for a non-designation course (not from The Institutes)
6
Passing a semester-length course at a college or university 24
Licensing CE activities approved by any U.S.state, territory or possession (including CE courses in insurance, medicine, law, finance and accounting) The credit value assigned by the state.
Other activities (such as educational events, conferences, webinars and employer training) 1 per each hour of educational content.
Serving as an instructor for practice-oriented content (such as a class, conference session or webinar) 2 per each hour of educational content taught, to account for your preparation time; please note, however, that you can claim credit for leading a particular course, webinar or session only the first time you deliver the content.

 

Reporting Questions

Sign into the reporting tool, TheInstitutes.org/CEforCPCUs/Reporting.

The $189 reporting fee covers the ongoing administration of the program, which includes validating credits; reporting credits; and maintaining credit data, lists of active CPCUS, digital badging, etc. Most professional accreditations with ongoing CE requirements include a reporting fee for program administration. This fee is waived for active CPCU Society members.

No. All practice-oriented content counts toward the 24-hour requirement. Unlike many other professional designation programs, CPCUs may earn their CE anywhere. Any CE earned through The Institutes or CPCU Society is automatically reported to your account, but you can report CE from any group. If you have a state license, you can use the same CE for your licensing and the CE for CPCUs program. You just need to report and renew.

You can report as many credit hours as you’d like prior to completing your Good Standing reporting process. Once you have completed that process, you will not be able to add any additional hours. However, credit hours cannot be rolled over from one period to the next, so there is no need to report more than 24 credit hours.

You can find information about your reporting status, including your current reporting period, by logging into the reporting tool.

If you do not complete the reporting process on or before the last day of your reporting period, you will lose your Good Standing status. You will need to log in to your reporting tool, start a new reporting period, and complete your reporting for that period to get back in Good Standing. The new reporting period will start immediately, and you will need to earn 24 credit hours from that date on before you’ll be able to complete your reporting. Activities completed prior to the new reporting period’s start date cannot be applied.

Digital Badge Questions

Check your inbox for an email from Admin@Credly.com. Click on the link in that email. If you have not received this email, contact The Institutes’ Customer Success team at (800) 644-2101 or CustomerSuccess@TheInstitutes.org. If you just attained Good Standing status, please allow 1-2 business days to receive the email link to your digital badge. If you have already claimed a Good Standing badge and have renewed your status, you will not receive a new badge. Your existing badge will be updated to reflect your new Good Standing end date.

 

Visit our digital badge FAQ page for answers to many related questions. 

For any additional questions about maintaining CPCU in Good Standing status, contact The Institutes’ Customer Success at (800) 644-2101 or CustomerSuccess@TheInstitutes.org.

For additional questions about the CPCU Society, contact Member Resources at (800) 932-2728 or MemberResources@TheInstitutes.org. 

CPCU is a registered trademark of The Institutes Designations, LLC. All rights reserved.