FAQs: Membership
- I am a candidate in the CFA Program. Am I also a member of CFA Institute?
- How can I apply for CFA Institute membership?
- I do not currently have 48 months of work experience. Can I still become a member of CFA Institute?
- What is the difference between affiliate and regular membership?
- How long will the membership application process take?
- I don’t have a supervisor. Can I still apply for CFA Institute membership?
- I don’t want to ask my supervisor to sponsor me. Can I still apply for CFA Institute membership?
- I don’t know any members of my preferred society. Can I still apply for CFA Institute membership?
- I do not live close to a member society. Can I apply to CFA Institute only without also applying to a member society?
- I do not know any society members who can sponsor me. Can you waive the member sponsor requirement for me?
- I am interested in applying for membership but am not sure I will qualify for regular membership. Can I send you my work experience and have you tell me whether my work experience will be acceptable?
- I submitted a membership application. How can I view my current status?
- Someone I do not know well has asked me to sponsor her for CFA Institute membership. How should I proceed?
- I am sponsoring someone I do not know well. Will this individual be recommended for membership based solely on my sponsorship?
- I submitted a total of 56 months of work experience on my membership application, but I was only approved for affiliate membership. Why was I not made a regular member?
- I have learned that only a portion of my work experience was approved by CFA Institute for regular membership. I feel that my work experience does meet the regular membership guidelines. How should I proceed?
- My job title falls under those that are eligible for regular membership. However, when my work experience was reviewed, my job was not accepted. Is this a mistake?
I am a candidate in the CFA Program. Am I also a member of CFA Institute?
No. The CFA Institute membership process is separate from enrollment for the CFA Program.
How can I apply for CFA Institute membership?
Directions on the membership application process are available.
I do not currently have 48 months of work experience. Can I still become a member of CFA Institute?
Yes. If you do not have the necessary work experience for regular membership, you will be recommended for affiliate membership.
What is the difference between affiliate and regular membership?
The only difference in benefits between regular and affiliate membership is that only regular members are allowed to vote on CFA Institute proxies. Being a regular member is a requirement for the award of the CFA charter.
How long will the membership application process take?
Processing may take 12-16 weeks.
I don’t have a supervisor. Can I still apply for CFA Institute membership?
Yes. E-mail us to confirm that you do not have a supervisor, and we will waive this requirement. You will need to provide sponsor forms (PDF) from two regular members of CFA Institute, one of whom must also be a member of your preferred society.
I don’t want to ask my supervisor to sponsor me. Can I still apply for CFA Institute membership?
Yes. E-mail us to request that we waive this requirement. You will need to provide sponsor forms (PDF) from two regular members of CFA Institute, one of whom must also be a member of your preferred society.
I don’t know any members of my preferred society. Can I still apply for CFA Institute membership?
Yes. You may contact your preferred society’s membership chair for assistance in locating sponsors.
I do not live close to a member society. Can I apply to CFA Institute only without also applying to a member society?
No, you will still need to choose and apply to one of our member societies in order to apply for CFA Institute membership. A number of CFA Institute societies are willing to assist applicants in remote areas with locating society members to sponsor them. View further information on the Remote Sponsorship Program.
I do not know any society members who can sponsor me. Can you waive the member sponsor requirement for me?
No, one of your two sponsors must be a member of your preferred society. A number of CFA Institute societies are willing to assist applicants in remote areas with locating society members to sponsor them. View further information on the Remote Sponsorship Program.
I am interested in applying for membership but am not sure I will qualify for regular membership. Can I send you my work experience and have you tell me whether my work experience will be acceptable?
No. You must first submit your complete membership application, and we will review your work experience to determine the member type for which you qualify.
I submitted a membership application. How can I view my current status?
If you are a CFA Program candidate, you can view your current status (requires login). If you are not a CFA Program candidate, you may e-mail us to verify your current status in the application process.
Someone I do not know well has asked me to sponsor her for CFA Institute membership. How should I proceed?
Please follow the guidelines for the Remote Sponsorship Program.
I am sponsoring someone I do not know well. Will this individual be recommended for membership based solely on my sponsorship?
A recommendation for membership will be based on more than a single sponsor form. CFA Institute and its team of independent auditors will review an applicant’s membership application (including the applicant’s completed Professional Conduct Statement/Member’s Agreement), work experience narratives, and sponsor forms submitted by two different individuals. Read more.
I submitted a total of 56 months of work experience on my membership application, but I was only approved for affiliate membership. Why was I not made a regular member?
Only a portion of your work experience was determined to meet the requirements for regular membership. You may e-mail us to verify which position(s) did not meet the regular membership requirements.
I have learned that only a portion of my work experience was approved by CFA Institute for regular membership. I feel that my work experience does meet the regular membership guidelines. How should I proceed?
You may e-mail us with the details of your daily investment decision-making responsibilities related to the work experience in question. We will have these additional details re-reviewed to determine whether you will qualify for an upgrade to regular membership.
My job title falls under those that are eligible for regular membership. However, when my work experience was reviewed, my job was not accepted. Is this a mistake?
A job title alone cannot determine your qualifications for regular membership. The eligibility of your work is based on your detailed job description as well as your job titles and sponsor form narratives.If you still feel that your work experience should be acceptable for regular membership, you may provide us with additional details of your daily investment decision-making responsibilities related to the work experience in question by e-mail, and we will have this information re-reviewed for an upgrade to regular membership.