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Associate in Commercial Underwriting (AU™)

Enhance your professional confidence and build a strong foundation in commercial underwriting principles with The Institutes Designations AU.

AU at a Glance


12-15 Months Virtual Exams

Gain skills you can use right away with the AU designation. This program includes:

  • 4 courses, plus ethics
  • 12-15 months to complete
  • 100% online courses
  • Virtual exams for all courses
  • Mailed diploma upon completion

Ready-Made Career Skills:

  • Data Analysis
  • Disaster Risk Reduction
  • Risk Management
  • Insurance Operations
  • Threat Analysis
  • Commercial Underwriting
  • Understand how emerging technology has transformed underwriting and how to leverage it in your day-to-day work
  • Evaluate commercial property loss exposures so you can appropriately select and price risks
  • Analyze the full spectrum of liability risks facing an organization so you can accurately determine loss potential
  • Determine a property’s level of fire protection so you can ensure coverage is priced properly
  • Understand the ins and outs of excess and umbrella liability insurance so you can provide increased limits to customers

As part of earning your AU designation, your elective course will earn you credit toward the CPCU designation. This will get you one step closer to earning CPCU, the leadership standard in risk management and insurance.

You can select a testing window when you purchase your exam and take it any time during that window. AU virtual exams are timed and you will have 65 minutes to complete 50 questions.

In addition to using other exam prep materials included in your course, we recommend taking the simulated exam before you take your credentialing exam. It mimics the exam structure and level of questions you’ll find on the actual exam, and students who take it pass their exams at higher rates than students who don’t.

If you aren’t sure if AU is the right fit, sample the content for free by enrolling in the Online AU Micro-Course. The micro-course includes actual content from the program, so you can decide if it’s the best choice for you.

AU Designation

Total Requirements: 5 Average Course: 6-8 Weeks Program Completion: 12-15 Months

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