ACSM Recertification FAQs

The step-by-step process for recertification is outlined in the following walkthrough:

How to Renew Your ACSM Certification | Essential Update

ACSM's credentialing programs encourage ongoing competency and continuing education and strive to maintain a high standard for our certified and registered professionals. Therefore, all ACSM credentialed professionals are required to recertify or renew their credentials.

The requirements for maintaining an ACSM credential vary by level, but all professionals who are ACSM certified are required to earn a specific amount of continuing education credits (CECs) during their 3 year certification cycle. Along with this educational component, ACSM charges a nominal administrative fee for recertification/renewal.

If one chooses not to earn CECs, the option to retake the credentialling exam is also available. 

You will receive recertification information during the spring of the year you are due to recertify. In order to recertify without retaking the certification examination again, you must renew your certification online and pay the recertification fee.

**Please keep all documentation of CECs for your records. ACSM conducts random audits each year. If audited, you will be required to provide documented proof of all credits to the ACSM National Office.

What all do you accept for Continuing Education Credit (CECs)?

• Attend an ACSM Certification Workshop or Webinar series.

• Participate in an ACSM Approved Provider Offering 

• Clinical/Hospital Grand Rounds

• ACSM World Heart Games

• ACSM's Conference on Integrative Physiology

• Sports Medicine Essentials

• Advanced Team Physician Course

• Regional Chapter Conferences

• Specialty Conferences 

• Complete Distance Education or internet continuing education programs on specific clinical or health and fitness-related topics.

• Attend Professional Education Meetings from ACSM or other nationally recognized organizations.

• Take Continuing Education Self Tests that offer CECs, CMEs or CEUs from ACSM or other nationally recognized organizations.

• Participate in training/course offering from ACSM or other nationally recognized organization. (Zumba,Wellcoaches,Yoga, etc...)

• ACSM's Health and Fitness Journal (only offered to ACSM Members)

• Take and receive a passing grade in a health/fitness or exercise science-related course from an accredited college or university. (10 CECs per credit hour. For example, a 3 credit hour course is worth 30 CECs. Course must be health/fitness or clinical related and completed with a grade of "C" or better. The course must be taken during your current cycle)

• Author or co-author books, journal articles, or accepted abstracts. (10 CECs for publication in peer-reviewed professional journals, books, or accepted abstracts; authored or co-authored)

• Teach academic courses; conduct classroom instruction; or present health, fitness or clinical lectures at an organized professional conference. (1 CEC per hour. For repetitive classes, credits only granted once in recertification time frame. Only 30 percent of your total credit hours may be obtained by these activities)

• ACSM does NOT award CECs for auditing college courses, job role duties (personal training or teaching a group exercise class), job shadowing, reading books/articles, CPR/BLS courses, EMT training or lifeguarding.

Unfortunately ACSM does not have a listing of all fitness/health organizations and all of the programs that they offer. We have a general rule: We accept CECs that are directly related to your ACSM certification and if another certifying body (fitness/health organization) offers CECs for that event, we will match that amount. For us to accept them, they must have some ‘governing body’ or major fitness organizations’ stamp of approval (ACE, NASM, NSCA, AAFA, etc.), even if ACSM is not listed.
 
Please contact the organization to inquire about how many CECs they award or how many contact hours it is worth. Typically there is a listing of organizations that award CECs for the event, or the organization that puts on the event will award CECs, we will match that amount. The CEC equivalency is always 1 = 1, but if the organization uses the decimal system then its .1 = 1 .  If there is any doubt, it typically equates to 1 CEC per hour of participation.
 
Please keep a copy of your CEC documentation for your records in case you are audited in the future.  We do not post any of your CECs earned through other organizations in your ACSM online profile, you must keep track of them on your own. You may add them manually using your ACSM Portal. Log in and click on ,My CECs/CMEs History' and use the Self-Reporting Tool to track your CECs. 
 
When it is time for you to renew your certification, you will fill out our Certification Renewal Form/ Recertification Form. This form will ask you the number of CECs you have earned, that is where you will add your CECs. After you submit that form, you may be audited. In this case, I will contact you to prove the CECs you claimed on your Certification Renewal Form.

You do not need to contact ACSM for an extension.

There is an automatic six month grace period, but your certification is considered INACTIVE and you will not receive any benefits of being certified during this time.

Your certification will be re-instated once the online renewal form has been submitted along with the appropriate fee and $75 late fee. Your next recertification cycle will continue on the original schedule.

If you do not recertify within the six month grace period (which ends June 30 each year), your only option to recertifiy would be to retake the examination. However, you must meet the current minimum requirements in order to take the exam.

If you do not meet the current minimum requirements, you can opt to take another ACSM certification. For example, if you let your ACSM EP certification expire, and you do not have a Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science, Exercise Physiology or Kinesiology, you would not be able to take the ACSM EP exam for recertification. You would meet the minimum requirements for the ACSM CPT or the ACSM GEI.

Once you have earned your certification, you will have 3 years to accumulate the required number of Continuing Education Credits (CECs), Continuing Education Units (CEUs), Continuing Medical Education (CMEs), and/or the equivalent based on your certification.

In addition, you must pay the required recertification fee and maintain CPR certification. See below for credit and fee requirements.

 If you do not recertify by the expiration date on your certificate, you are automatically granted a 6 month grace period. When you recertify during this grace period, your certification is considered inactive and you will be charged a $75 late fee.

If you have multiple certifications, you will only need to accumulate the required CECs for the highest level of certification you hold. When you renew, you will pay the renewal fee of your highest level of certification plus an additional $10 per additional certification.

ACSM offers many opportunities to earn CECs. One option would be through Approved Providers. ACSM's Education Department reviews programs that meet specific educational guidelines and then recognizes the programs as ACSM Approved Providers. Visit our Approved Providers to earn additional CECs from home, workshops, meetings or conferences.

** If you earned CEC's from an ACSM Approved Provider, these CECs will not appear on your My ACSM page. You should obtain documentation of these CECs from the program organizer and keep the documentation for your records. Please do not send your documentation to ACSM. 

An organization DOES NOT have to be listed on the Approved Provider list in order for us to accept their CECs. If the 'event' is directly related to your certification, we will accept it. Typically there is a listing of organizations that award CECs for the event, OR the actual organization that puts on the event will award CECs, we will match that amount.

The general rule is that the CEC equivalency is always 1 = 1, but if the organization uses the decimal system then its .1 = 1 .

If there is any doubt, it typically equates to 1 CEC per hour of participation. Please be sure to keep a copy of the documentation proving your attendance in case you are chosen for an audit in the future.

ACSM tracks all continuing education credits (CECs) and continuing medical education credits (CMEs) earned from ceOnline and ACSM meetings (International Health & Fitness Summit, Annual Meeting & World Congress, Integrative Physiology of Exercise, Sports Medicine Essentials, and Advanced Team Physician Course). 

All other CECs must be tracked through the Self-Reporting tool. Login to your myACSM account, click the CEC History/Certification tab and then click the '+' icon to log CECs..

ACSM tracks all continuing education credits (CECs) and continuing medical education credits (CMEs) earned from ACSM meetings (International Health & Fitness Summit, Annual Meeting & World Congress, Integrative Physiology of Exercise, Sports Medicine Essentials, and Advanced Team Physician Course) automatically within your profile. All other CECs must be tracked by logging into your MyACSM Portal. Click on CEC History/Certification and click the '+' icon to add your CECs to the Self-Reporting Tool.

ACSM awards 10 CECs per college credit hour as long as the course meets the following criteria: 

1. You must receive credit for the course after you become certified

2. You must receive a C or better for the course

3. The course must be directly related to your certification

Examples of acceptable courses are: exercise science, kinesiology, exercise physiology, human performance, physical education, athletic training and anatomy.

Please refer to the exam content outline of your certification to determine if your course content is related.

College course CECs must be tracked by logging into your MyACSM Portal. Click on CEC History/Certification and click the '+' icon to add your CECs to the Self-Reporting Tool. Please enter your CECs at the converted rate (x10) as the self-reporting tool does not automatically convert it for you.  Certificants must keep a copy of the college transcripts for in case of a recertification audit.

If you have questions regarding college courses and recertification, please contact the ACSM certification department.

You can earn up to 30% of your CECs by teaching and lecturing.

Teaching: You can claim 1 CEC per contact hour of academic teaching at the college level as long as the coursework is consistent with the KSAs of your certification and the course is taught at an accredited collegiate institution. Credit can be claimed for teaching the course content once during a recertification cycle.

Lecturing: You can claim 1 CEC per hour of professional lecturing if it is a lecture given at the state, regional, or national level or if CECs are offered for the lecture attendees.

Documentation stating that you taught the class or gave the lecture along with content will be required should you be audited, (ie-course catalog, course syllabus, letter from supervisor, meeting brochure showing you as a lecturer). Keep this documentation for your records.

Login to your myACSM account, click the CEC History/Certification tab and then click the '+' icon to log your teaching CECs. If you have questions regarding teaching and lecturing, please contact the certification department

You can earn 10 CECs for publications in peer-reviewed professional journals, books, or accepted abstracts; authored or co-authored.  Login to your myACSM account, click the CEC History/Certification tab and then click the '+' icon to log your authoring CECs.

Please contact ACSM Certification for a digital copy of back-issues. 

ACSM does not award credits for CPR or BLS, as they are required for ACSM specific credentials. Educational courses for ACLS may be applied towards your recertification. The number of educational contact hours for ACLS training are equivalent to the number of CECs awarded (e.g. 3 contact hours = 3 ACSM CECs). Note: This does not include the actual completion of the ACLS certification exam.

ACSM CECs can be applied if you earned the new ACSM certification during your renewal period.

ACSM CECs are awarded as follows

• Certified Personal Trainer: 10 CECs
• Certified Exercise Physiologist: 15 CECs
• Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist: 15 CECs

Specialty Certifications

• ACSM/NCHPAD Certified Inclusive Fitness Trainer: 10 CECs
• ACSM/ACS Certified Cancer Exercise Trainer: 10 CECs
• ACSM/NSPAPPH Physical Activity in Public Health Specialist: 10 CECs

Certifications earned from other certifying organizations cannot be used for ACSM certification renewal. Also, to earn credits for gaining an additional ACSM credential, it must be higher than the original or a specialty certification.

ACSM does not require CEC documentation at the time of recertification and you should not submit any paperwork with your renewal. Please save all CEC documentation for one calendar year following the renewal of your certification in case you are audited.

No, CECs are continuing education credits and, as such, do not carry over from one recertification time frame to another. Once you renew your certification, you will begin again at zero earning CECs for your next cycle. Your progress bar will also reset to 0%.

In order to ensure high standards of competency and continuing education, ACSM will process a yearly audit. ACSM will audit a percentage of randomly selected ACSM Recertification/Renewal Forms submitted the previous year. This audit will be conducted at each credential level. If audited, you will be required to provide documented proof of all CECs to the ACSM National Office within 30 days. If you are unable to provide documented proof within 30 days, your certification will be considered inactive and you will have one year to complete the recertification process by providing the documentation or by obtaining new CECs.

All audit paperwork will be reviewed for validity by the CCRB Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Subcommittee. If all paperwork is complete and the appropriate number of CECs are earned, the professional will be notified that his credential is valid until the next recertification due date. If after submission of CECs, it is determined that some CECs are not applicable, an appropriate amount of time will be allowed for the professional to earn additional replacement CECs.

During inactive status, you should not market yourself as ACSM certified or registered. If you submit an on-line renewal during the inactive period, your certification will be reinstated and considered current. If you fail to submit the on-line renewal by the end of the inactive period, your certification will be considered invalid. Once your certification becomes invalid, you are no longer ACSM certified and your certification can only be reinstated by taking the certification examination again.

If you renew during your 6 month inactive period, you will be required to pay an additional late fee of $75. If you lapse past your 6 month grace period, you will have to reinstate and pay a $150 fee per certification. You are not able to reinstate online, you must email certification@acsm.org to submit your form and CECs. 

During inactive status, you are also not able to serve as an examiner or other member where certification is required.

Different professional organizations offer continuing education credits; most commonly called CECs (continuing education credits), CEUs (continuing education units), and CMEs (continuing medical education credits). Although each has a different contact hour requirement, most CECs require one contact hour of professional activity for one credit.

A certificate of attendance may not show CEC's earned, you will need to obtain a CEC Certificate. ACSM only recognizes workshops or conferences that have been approved for continuing education credits (CEC), whether offered by ACSM or another organization. When a conference or workshop is approved to offer continuing education credits, the program has been evaluated by an outside professional organization and is considered to contain significant educational material.

A certificate of attendance only means that you attended a workshop, it does not guarantee that the workshop provided significant educational material or any continuing education credits.

If you have multiple certifications, you will only need to accumulate the required CECs for the highest level of certification you hold. When you renew, you will pay the renewal fee of your highest level of certification plus an additional $10 per additional certification.

If you have multiple certifications earned at different times, they will need to all be on the same cycle to avoid issues during recertification time. Please contact certification@acsm.org to have this corrected. 

ACSM tracks all continuing education credits (CECs) and continuing medical education credits (CMEs) earned from ACSMceOnline, ACSM meetings (International Health & Fitness Summit, Annual Meeting & World Congress, Integrative Physiology of Exercise, Sports Medicine Essentials, and Advanced Team Physician Course) automatically. All other CECs you must self-report.  Log in to your MyACSM Portal. Click on CEC History/Certification tab and click the '+' icon under Self-Reporting Tool to track your CECs.

When it is time for you to renew your certification, you will fill out our Certificate Renewal Form/ Recertification Form. This form will ask you the number of CECs you have earned, that is where you will add your CECs. After you submit that form, you may be audited. In this case, I will contact you to PROVE the CECs you claimed on your Certification Renewal Form. Please keep a copy of your CEC documentation for your records in case you are audited in the future, you do not have to send them in to the National Center.

We no longer print and send hard-copy certificates from the ACSM National Center. We have a vendor, American Registry, that allows you to download a free digital image of your certificate or order a physical copy or wallet card. To access your credential, please email certification@acsm.org or search your name here.

Emeritus Certification Status allows an individual to retain a professional title without the need to meet future recertification requirements. Emeritus Certification Status is open to certified professionals who have maintained an active ACSM Certification by meeting ACSM recertification criteria continuously for a period of 10 years, without lapse.

Achieving this status will eliminate the need to document and submit recertification credits for the ACSM Certifications for which Emeritus status is sought.

Certified Professionals who achieve ACSM Emeritus Certification Status will use the designation "Emeritus" in their certification credentials e.g. "ACSM Certified Personal Trainer – Emeritus" or "ACSM-CPT-E".

Application Process

Completed ACSM Emeritus Certification Status applications will be reviewed by the ACSM CCRB Committee.

Criteria

• Maintain active, continuous ACSM Certification for a period of 10 years (3 consecutive renewal cycles)
• No disciplinary action or ethics violations
• 65 years of age or older
• Retired (no long practicing as an exercise professional)

Email certification@acsm.org to begin the application process.