The Extended Learning Certificate is a six-course program available to students who do not wish to enroll in a degree-seeking program. The certificate program is registered with the CFP Board of Standards, which means those who successfully complete the six courses are eligible to sit for the CFP® exam.
The courses are 100% online and instructor-led. Content is released on a weekly schedule and students are expected to meet weekly deadlines. Courses are offered three times a year: spring, summer, and fall semesters. Spring and fall courses are 15-weeks in length, summer courses are 10-weeks in length. General start and end time frames for each semester are as follows:
Spring semester: mid-January through the first week of May
Summer semester: Tuesday after Memorial Day through the first week of August
Fall semester: last week of August through the first week of December
Students wishing to take courses for extended learning credit must fill out a Program Application first. It is strongly recommended that you have a four-year degree before enrolling in the program, or at least be working towards a bachelor’s degree. The CFP Board requires individuals to have earned a bachelor’s degree in order to obtain CFP® certification.
Program Information
- To be eligible for the CFP® exam, you must successfully complete the six (6) required courses. Successful completion means earning a ‘C’ or better in each course. See the list of required courses here.
- Courses taken for extended learning credit do not count towards a degree at Texas A&M University and are not transferrable to an academic program. If you wish to receive academic credit, you will need to apply for admission into an academic program at applytexas.org.
- All courses are taught online through our learning management system. Students must have access to a computer/tablet and the internet.
- Students who successfully complete all six courses from the Texas A&M Financial Planning Program will receive an official certificate of completion.
Challenge Status
Certain academic degrees or professional credentials may qualify you for Challenge Status. If you qualify for Challenge Status, you are automatically eligible to register for our Financial Planning Capstone course.
The Capstone course walks you through the process of writing a comprehensive financial plan for a client. Therefore, students are expected to be well-versed in the following topic areas: insurance planning, investment planning, retirement planning, tax planning, and estate planning. If you would like to enroll in the Capstone Course for Challenge Status, please contact us for more information.
Course costs
If you are pursuing the six-course Extended Learning Certificate, tuition is $525 per course. We use seven textbooks throughout the program and each textbook is estimated to cost on average $130 each. Students are also required to have a financial calculator.
The Extended Learning credit program does not qualify for federal financial aid. Prospective students should consider the following for tuition payment:
- Seek employer funding or reimbursement
- Apply for a private education loan
- Register for individual courses over multiple semesters
Veterans
To use VA Chapter Benefits, courses must be taken for academic credit. Visit veterans.tamu.edu for more information.
Withdrawal and Refund Policy
There are occasions when an Extended Learning student finds it necessary to discontinue participation in a course. The purpose of this policy statement is to specify the amount of the course fee that will be refunded based on when the Extended Learning student withdraws from the course.
Week of Withdrawal | Percent of Course Fee Refunded:
Before the end of week 1: 90%
After week 1 and before the end of week 5: 60%
After week 5 and before the end of week 10: 30%
After week 10: No refund
* 10% is retained to cover processing costs and course enrollment fees.
