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Students must complete a college-level program of study in personal financial planning, or an accepted equivalent, including completion of a financial plan development (capstone) course registered with CFP Board.

In addition, effective January 1, 2023, the CFP Board has instituted a new requirement for a Per Capita Fee of $195. This fee will be charged to any student that completes a CFP® certificate program, for the verification of education completion. Dalton Education is collecting and remitting 100% of the fee to the CFP Board. If you have any questions or concerns about the new CFP Board completion submission fee of $195, please contact the CFP Board directly. They can be reached at registeredprograms@cfpboard.org.

Please visit the CFP Board’s website for a detailed description of the requirements to sit for the CFP® exam.

No, you can start the program without any experience or knowledge of financial planning. It’s our job to build you up as a financial advisor throughout the education process, so a fair number of our students are starting from square one.

We generally recommend that you choose a university partner based on regional appeal, but you can choose any of our university partners to select the one you feel would resonate most with the clients you plan to serve.

We have cohorts starting every two months (Jan, March, May, July, Sept, Nov). Classes usually meet two nights per week, for two hours each class. All live-online classes are recorded and available for playback. The entire program can be completed in less than 12 months.

Visit the program page to view upcoming cohorts and to download detailed class schedules.

The program is designed to be completed in 6–12 months, depending on your familiarity with the material and how many hours you spend studying per week.

Self Study

All students who enroll in the Self Study CFP® Certification Program will have access to their online classroom for 12 months beginning on the day of purchase. Students that have not completed the program will have the ability to extend access using the options below. Students who do not complete coursework within 4 years must repurchase unfinished courses to regain access.

• 3 Months: $295
• 6 Months: $545
• 12 Months: $995

Instructor Led

All students who enroll in the Instructor-Led Online CFP® Certification Program will have access to their online classroom for 12 months beginning from the selected cohort start date. Students are allowed one complimentary rollover to one of the two upcoming start dates (cohorts) from the original enrollment cohort. Students requiring extensions beyond two cohorts of original enrollment will pay a $250 fee for each extension required. Students who do not complete coursework within 4 years must repurchase unfinished courses to regain access.

• Dedicated Student Success Coach checking in along the way, sending reminders at key times, and available for study plans.
• A team of knowledgeable Instructors who can answer content questions via email and provide some answer explanations on practice questions when needed.
• Full Customer Service team available for technical questions or support during business hours with limited after hours support.

Students are issued a pass/fail based upon a weighted average of exams given during each course. Generally, two online exams are given for each course: a midterm worth 40% of the final grade, and a final exam worth 60%. Students must achieve a grade of 70% or higher to pass each course.

If students fail an exam, they will have an opportunity to take a makeup exam. The makeup exams are different versions testing the same content. We will always take the higher of the scores between the normal and makeup exams. If you are failing after taking all four exam attempts for a course, we have a course remediation process to help you bring your grade to passing. 

When completing a course, students will automatically receive a letter of completion via email to be used for reimbursement purposes if applicable.

After passing all courses, students will receive a certificate of completion from the university. Certificates are only available to students who take four or more courses.

Before taking the CFP® Exam, it is highly recommended that students take a review course. The Dalton Review® was developed by former members of the CFP Board of Examiners (now CFP Board’s Council on Examinations), and classes are taught by highly-experienced professionals and educators.

Visit The Dalton Review® for more information.

Before taking the CFP® exam, it is highly recommended that students take a review course. The Dalton Review® was developed by former members of the CFP® Board of Examiners (now CFP® Board’s Council on Examinations), and classes are taught by highly-experienced professionals and educators. Visit The Dalton Review® for more information.

• We offer both online and traditional classroom learning options. Feel free to attend any of the virtual classroom or traditional classroom dates that are offered prior to an exam.
• Students can take classes multiple times before the exam and again if they are not successful on the exam, at no additional charge.
• If you attend our traditional classroom review, you also have access to our online classroom review, and all classes are recorded for playback.
• Students also have access to our instructors outside of class. Simply submit your questions here and your team will get back to you.

It is recommended that students have an operating system Windows 7 or higher or Mac OS 10.6 or higher. Students must be able to run, install, and configure programs and be able to store and retrieve documents and files on their computer. If you are unsure if you have appropriate permissions to save files to your computer, please contact your system administrator.

Online review materials are also accessible on mobile devices. Review booklets can be accessed on portable devices if you choose the eBook option during purchase.

The Exam Readiness Quiz gives you a proven prediction of the likelihood you will pass the CFP® exam. Students are given a probability of passing based on their score on this quiz compared to our historic data.

Students have one opportunity to take the Exam Readiness Quiz per review cycle. The quiz is given to all Dalton Review® students 2–3 weeks prior to the actual CFP® exam. Guarantee to Pass™ students must score 70% or above to qualify for the money-back guarantee.

Yes, you would need to take the Exam Readiness Quiz a second time and earn a qualifying score of 70% or higher to qualify for the money-back guarantee.

No, but students have the option to purchase updated review materials at a discounted price if they need to move their exam cycle to a new testing year. Review booklets and the current year’s test bank are included in updated materials.

This is completely optional. Students can continue in the review program using their original materials. Annual inflation-adjusted updates are available for download if you don’t purchase updated materials when moving to a new exam year.

Guarantee to Pass™ packages give you a guarantee that you’ll pass the CFP® exam on your first attempt, as long as you meet the terms and conditions. These packages also give you additional exam prep resources, like digital flashcards, individual coaching, and supplemental lectures.

If you don’t pass the exam, you have two options:

1. Withdraw from the program and receive a refund. You will forfeit access to all The Dalton Review® Guarantee to Pass™ resources and must return all books and materials.
2. Continue to study with The Dalton Review® at no extra charge.

To be eligible for Guarantee to Pass®, students must:

• Sign a Guarantee to Pass™ contract, which includes the date by which the CFP® exam must be taken.

• Take the CFP® exam by the deadline stated on their Guarantee to Pass™ contract.

• Earn a 70% or higher on the Exam Readiness Quiz. The Exam Readiness Quiz is given to Dalton Review® students once per exam cycle, 2–3 weeks prior to the actual CFP® exam.

• Provide Dalton Education with the following within 30 days of the exam result release date:

  • Notification in writing that the student is seeking to either continue program access or is requesting a refund.

  • The student’s CFP® Exam diagnostic report and pass/fail document issued by the CFP Board.

Please note: Failure to meet the terms and conditions of The Dalton Review® Guarantee to Pass™ and signed Guarantee to Pass™ contract on file will void the guarantee between the student and Dalton Education.

The Exam Readiness Quiz gives you a proven prediction of the likelihood you will pass the CFP® exam. Students are given a probability of passing based on their score on this quiz compared to our historic data.

No, students have one opportunity to take the Exam Readiness Quiz. The quiz is given to all Dalton Review® students 2–3 weeks prior to the actual CFP® exam. Guarantee to Pass™ students must score 70% or above to receive their money-back guarantee.

Yes. Students electing the payment plan sign a promissory note to pay tuition over 6 months. There is an administrative fee of $175 for the payment plan option.

You must meet all of the following requirements to be eligible:

• Looking to pursue a career in the financial planning field.
• From an underrepresented population in terms of gender, race or ethnicity, AND/OR active military or veteran or a spouse of an active military or veteran.
• Have an undergraduate or advanced degree, or be within 60 hours of an undergraduate degree (Junior or Senior).
• Have not completed any CFP® certification education requirements.

Financial assistance is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. The award amount varies and depends on the program. Up to $3000 will be awarded for Instructor-Led Online programs, and up to $1500 will be awarded for Self Study programs.

Yes, any balance that remains after the award has been applied can be divided into six payments.

There is a grace period of five days beyond the due date to resolve any outstanding payments. For Guarantee to Pass™ students, late payments beyond five days void the guarantee.

To be eligible for a refund:

• Notify Dalton Education of refund requests and potential shipping errors within 5 business days of receiving materials.
• Materials must be unmarked, undamaged, and unopened. E-books must be less than 20% read.
• Return materials by a trackable shipping method. Original and return shipping costs will not be refunded.