Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) Certification Education Program
An Investment With a Return. The CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Education Program teaches the core curriculum necessary to meet the educational requirement to sit for the CFP ® Certification exam, including completion of a financial plan development (capstone) course registered with the CFP ® Board. To become certified, the CFP ® Board requires you to meet the following four initial certification requirements: CFP ® Board Education Requirements .
CPAs, CFAs, ChFCs, CLUs, and others may be able to take the exam on challenge status. Please visit the CFP ® Education Requirements for a full description of challenge status qualifications.
Certificate Details
Rice Certificate of Achievement
Whether you choose the classroom or online format, you will complete seven, consecutive courses in approximately nine months in preparation for the exam. Each course offers a series of quizzes, a mid-term exam, and a final exam, which are delivered online outside of regular class hours. Upon successful completion of each course with a grade of at least 70, students will be awarded a Rice University Certificate of Achievement, which fulfills the educational requirements to apply and sit for the CFP examination. The exam is administered by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. Completion of the Rice CFP Graduate Certificate Program does not guarantee success on the CFP Certification Examination. Individuals preparing for the exam should consider an exam preparation course.
Rice University's Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) Certification Education program requires a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
- Financial Planners
- Accountants
- Investment advisors
- Stockbrokers
- Trust officers
- Attorneys
- Bankers
- Retirement or benefits specialists
- Insurance agents
- Investors
Attention CPAs:
We have registered with the Texas State Board of Accountancy (Registration no. 600) to meet the requirements of the continuing professional education rules covering maintenance of attendance records, retention of program outlines, qualifications of instructors, program content, physical facilities and length of class hours. This registration agreement does not constitute an endorsement by the Board as to the quality of the program or its contribution to the professional competence of the licensee.
Rice University is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website learningmarket.org .
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP ® , CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and CFP ® in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.
The Glasscock School of Continuing Studies at Rice University does not certify individuals to use the CFP ® , CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and federally registered CFP (with flame logo). CFP ® certification is granted solely by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. to individuals who, in addition to completing an educational requirement such as this CFP Board-Registered Program, have met ethics, experience and examination requirements.
Careers
Search for a job using the CFP Board Career Center .
Spring 2022 Program Schedule
January 10 - December 7, 2022
Course 1: General Principles and Psychology of Financial Planning
9 Mondays and Wednesdays, Jan. 10 - Feb. 9, 2022, 6-9 p.m. CT
Online final exam: Monday, February 14, 2022, 6- 9 p.m. CT
Course 2: Insurance and Risk Management
7 Mondays and Wednesdays, Feb. 16 - Mar. 9, 2022, 6 -9 p.m. CT
Online final exam: Monday, March 21, 2022, 6-9 p.m. CT
Course 3: Investment Planning
10 Mondays and Wednesdays, Mar. 23 - Apr. 25, 2022, 6-9 p.m. CT
Online final exam: Wednesday, April 27, 2022, 6-9 p.m. CT
Course 4: Income Taxation Planning
10 Mondays and Wednesdays , May 2 - Jun. 6, 2022, 6-9 p.m. CT
Online final exam: Wednesday, June 8, 2022, 6-9 p.m. CT
Summer Break: June 13 - July 27, 2022
Course 5: Retirement and Employee Benefits Planning
10 Mondays and Wednesdays, Aug. 1-31, 2022, 6 -9 p.m. CT
Online final exam: Wednesday, September 7, 2022, 6-9 p.m. CT
Course 6: Estate Planning
10 Mondays and Wednesdays, Sep. 12 - Oct. 17, 2022, 6-9 p.m. CT Skip date on October 10, 2022, 2022
Online final exam: Wednesday, October 19, 2022, 6-9 p.m. CT
Course 7: Case Studies in Financial Planning
13 Mondays and Wednesdays, Oct. 24 - Dec. 7, 2022, 6-9 p.m. CT
Final Presentations: December 5 and December 7, 2022, 6-9 p.m. CT
*Schedule subject to change.
Financial assistance information can be found on Rice Financial Aid's Visiting and Continuing Education Students page.
The estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) for the Certified Financial Planner Certificate Program is $6,650. This includes the tuition ($5,750) and the estimated cost of books ($900).
The Center for Financial Planning administers scholarship programs to enable qualified individuals to start or complete the education requirement for attaining CFP ® certification. These scholarship programs are part of the Center's Workforce Development initiative designed to attract and develop the next generation of financial planners.
Due to the high demand for courses, registrations are considered final as of 10 working days before class starts. No refunds will be issued after these dates and credits will not be given for future classes. No refunds will be granted for participants who miss a portion of a program. Refund requests before the deadline are subject to a 10% processing fee and must be made in writing to gscs@rice.edu . If books have been issued, the cost of the books and any shipping fees will be deducted. Refunds for credit card payments will be processed as credits to the accounts from which they were paid and may not appear as a credit until the following statement. Refunds for enrollments paid by check take up to four weeks to be processed and mailed by the Rice University accounting office. There is a $30 charge for any check returned for insufficient funds.
Testimonials
“The Rice CFP Certification Education program exceeded all of my expectations. It was very well organized with top-notch instructors, and provided me with a rigorous review of all of the topics in preparation for the exam. For anyone interested in sitting for the CFP exam, I would highly recommend enrolling in Rice’s program.”
-Matt Caire, CFP, CMT, Vice President-Investments at Houston Trust Company
“The CFP Certification Education program at Rice was very rigorous, but with such interesting topics it was also enjoyable. I appreciated the experience that each instructor was able to share as they were all actively working in the respective fields they presented on and had real world experiences to relate the material to. I certainly recommend this program to anyone wanting to pursue financial planning. It will prepare you with a solid foundation to then study for and sit for the CFP exam.”
- Vivecca A. Hartman, CPA, CFP, Principal & Accounting Manager at Fayez Sarofiim & Co.
“As a career changer, the CFP Certification Education program at Rice University provided practical and rigorous preparation for a career in the financial services industry. The program instructors were both knowledgeable and accessible and did an outstanding job of preparing me for the CFP exam.”
- Frank E. Shields
Online Course Requirements
This class is offered through the Glasscock School’s Zoom-powered classroom, which gives you the opportunity to attend class in-person on the Rice campus or to attend and participate online. From class to class, choose the learning environment that best fits your needs.
Join us at an upcoming information session.