CPCU in Good Standing FAQ

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).

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.

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 CPCU in Good Standing 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 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.

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 CPCU in Good Standing 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 $18 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.

The Institutes conducted extensive research prior to formalizing the CPCU in Good Standing 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.

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. For more information, please visit the CPCU Designation page.

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.

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 CPCU in Good Standing 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.

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 a professional organization, like The Institutes CPCU Society 
• 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

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.

Sign into the reporting tool here.

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.

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

If you miss your reporting period deadline, you will enter a 60-day grace period during which you can still report your CE using The Institutes' reporting tool. However, please note that a $50 late fee applies when reporting during this grace period. If you do not complete the reporting process within the 60-day grace period, you will lose your Good Standing status and will need to start a new two-year reporting period. At that point, you will need to earn 24 new credit hours, as activities completed before the new period’s start date cannot be applied.

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.