Benchmarking & Accreditation
From Brazil to South Africa and Vietnam to the United Kingdom, our credentialing programs are formally recognized by regulators and certification programs in 40 countries and territories.
This global recognition reflects the breadth and depth of our program curricula, as well as our leadership in ethics education.
Regulator and Program Recognition
Get the fact card (PDF)View the education, certification, and licensing waivers granted for participation in our programs
CFA® Program
Australia Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC)
The Australia Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) has ranked the RG 146 Gap Training program for CFA charterholders and CFA Program candidates at Tier 1. The RG 146 Gap Training Program is intended for candidates who have passed the CFA Level I exam or charterholders who wish to fulfill the requirements necessary to provide both financial product advice to retail clients and personal advice.
Read general advice about RG 146 Gap Training Program for CFA charterholders and candidates
Read personal advice about RG 146 Gap Training for CFA charterholders and candidates
South African Qualifications Authority
The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) has benchmarked the CFA charter as comparable to its National Certificate in Financial Markets and Instruments.
Learn more about the National Certificate in Financial Markets and Instruments
UK National Academic Recognition Information Centre (UK NARIC)
The UK National Academic Recognition Information Centre (UK NARIC) has benchmarked the CFA Program and the CFA charter as comparable to a Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) Master's Level 7.
Each level of the CFA Program has been benchmarked to provide comparability:
- Level III of the CFA Program and the CFA charter are benchmarked at Level 7 by NARIC
- Level II of the CFA Program is benchmarked at Level 6 by NARIC
- Level I of the CFA Program is benchmarked at Level 5 by NARIC
In addition, UK NARIC was commissioned by CFA Institute to undertake an international benchmarking study to compare the CFA designation against the education systems in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, the Republic of Ireland, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, US, and the UK (in the context of the Scottish and Welsh systems).
CIPM® Program
UK National Academic Recognition Information Centre (UK NARIC)
The UK National Academic Recognition Information Centre (UK NARIC) has benchmarked the Expert Level of the CIPM Program and the CIPM designation as comparable to a QCF Bachelor's Level 6 qualification.
- The Expert Level of the CIPM Program and the professional designation are comparable to QCF Level 6
- The Principles Level of the CIPM Program is comparable to QCF Level 5