Personal Financial Planning

This program is registered with Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. The CFP Board is a certifying organization whose mission is to benefit the public by fostering professional standards in personal financial planning.

Who Should Enroll

• Bankers, accountants, stockbrokers and attorneys
• Mid-career professionals in the finance industry who want to improve their skills
• College graduates and other individuals who are considering a career in personal financial planning

Program Benefits

• Obtain knowledge and skills that will enable you to offer sound financial advice and quality client service
• Acquire the job knowledge requirements to sit for the CFP Board’s CFP® Certification Examination
• Strengthen your professional network
• Students receive $100 discount on Dalton Education’s CFP® exam review course

Note: Students pursuing the educational requirements to sit for the CFP® Certification Examination are required to complete the 8 required courses. Upon completion, please create an account at CFP.net. In order for UCI Division of Continuing Education to complete your education verification, please complete the Education Verification Request Form via DocuSign. There is a $195 fee implemented by the CFP® Board to complete the Education Verification.

Individuals with a qualifying credential for Accelerated Path to CFP® only need to complete the capstone Practicum course. Start by creating your account on CFP.net. Submit your credential documentation showing your qualified credential and completion of the capstone practicum course to education@cfpboard.org.

Students who pass the examination must also fulfill the work experience and ethics requirements as required by the CFP Board to become a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. For more information about these requirements, visit the CFP® Board at CFP.net.

Eligibility and Requirements

Apply to become a candidate for the program: A Declaration of Candidacy is required to establish candidacy in this program. Complete the application and pay the application and candidacy fee of $125 (non-refundable). Learn more about the benefits of becoming a candidate. 

A candidate in the program is awarded a certificate upon the successful completion of eight (8) required courses totaling 31.5 units, each with a letter grade of “C” or better. All requirements must be completed within five (5) years after the student enrolls in their first course. To receive the Certified Digital Certificate after completing all the program requirements, students must submit the Request for Certificate to initiate the certificate audit process. Students not pursuing the certificate are welcome to take as many individual courses as they wish.

Choose the path that fits your needs: complete this program in as little as one year by taking two courses per quarter. Please contact FinancePrograms@ce.uci.edu for assistance in developing a personalized course plan.

Transfer Credit

Students who complete the Personal Financial Planning Certificate Program are eligible to transfer credits into a graduate degree in financial planning at California Lutheran University. Please note a grade of “B” or higher is required for transfer credit. Learn more about transferring credit.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the CFP® certification mark, the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification mark, and the CFP® certification mark (with plaque design) logo in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.