The College Partners With Four Universities to Expand Lifelong Learning

Key Points

• The College has partnered with several universities to recognize CFP® certification coursework. 
• This partnership will allow students at eligible institutions to pursue The College’s specialized designations with greater ease.

King of Prussia, Pa. – Sept. 8, 2026 – The American College of Financial Services (“The College”) today announced new articulation agreements with Kansas State University, Missouri State University, the University of Georgia, and the University of Houston. The agreements allow graduates of these institutions’ CFP Board-registered education programs to receive recognition for their CFP® certification coursework toward three of The College’s professional designation programs: Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®), Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®), and Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®).

The agreements build on The College’s focus on leveraging shared curriculum and applied learning outcomes across its certification and designation programs. Under existing College policy, any CFP® professional in good standing may already earn one of these designations in as few as one or two additional courses. The new articulation agreements extend that same efficient path to qualifying graduates before they earn their CFP® certifications, streamlining their route to specialization.

The College’s standard transfer credit policy limits the number of outside credits any individual student may bring into its programs. The new articulation agreements go further: graduates of a partner institution who meet the eligibility criteria will have their CFP® certification coursework recognized as a group – up to 21 credits toward The College’s Huebner School courses – rather than evaluated course-by-course. Eligible graduates can then complete a short, defined series of remaining courses to earn the ChFC®, CLU®, and/or RICP® designation(s): 

• Chartered Financial Consultant®: HS 347
• Chartered Life Underwriter®: HS 323, HS 331
• Retirement Income Certified Professional®: RICP 353, RICP 354

To qualify, graduates must have completed the comparable coursework within the past three years, earned the required minimum grades, and enrolled at The College to apply for credit recognition, among other requirements.

Working Together

“These agreements remove unnecessary friction for graduates who have already demonstrated mastery of CFP Board-registered coursework. In addition, this initiative illustrates our ongoing strategic commitment to specialization, retirement, and representation,” said Jared Trexler, executive vice president and chief growth officer at The American College of Financial Servies. “Rather than starting from scratch, qualifying graduates can move directly into specialized designation work in retirement income, life insurance, or comprehensive financial consulting – helping them deepen their expertise and serve clients better and do so sooner.”

"This partnership represents more than an additional educational opportunity – it reflects a shared commitment to developing financial services professionals who are dedicated to lifelong learning and professional excellence,” said John Grable, PhD, CFP®, Athletic Association Endowed FACS Professor, Dept of Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics at the University of Georgia. “At the University of Georgia, we strive to prepare graduates with the knowledge, critical thinking skills, and ethical foundation needed to serve clients throughout their careers. By creating a clear pathway to advanced professional credentials through The American College of Financial Services, we are helping our graduates continue to grow as practitioners, leaders, and advocates for the profession." 

Kansas State University, Missouri State University, the University of Georgia, and the University of Houston make up the initial cohort of articulation agreement partners. The College plans to pursue agreements with additional institutions, further expanding the pathway for CFP Board-registered program graduates nationwide.

"The partnership between The American College of Financial Services and the Financial Planning program at the University of Georgia opens doors for our graduates to earn the Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) designation and other respected credentials,” said Dr. Santanu Chatterjee, Dean of the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business and the Dr. Harold A. Black Distinguished Professor of Economics. “It is exciting that this partnership creates additional credentialing and professional development opportunities for our UGA Financial Planning students.”

How Students Will Benefit

Prospective students interested in applying credit recognition toward a designation program can request information through The College’s website and must also request an official transcript from their home institution as part of the verification process.  

“Our mission is to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and ethical foundation to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the individuals and families they serve,” said Megan McCoy, Ph.D., LMFT, AFC®, CFT®, Associate Professor, Personal Financial Planning, Kansas State University. “We are proud to partner with The American College of Financial Services to help our alumni build upon their CFP® certification education as they pursue additional professional credentials. We are excited to see our graduates continue expanding their expertise while advancing the profession as lifelong learners.” 

“Providing our students with an accelerated path to earn these prestigious designations was an easy decision for us,” said John C. Lopez, CFP®, Senior Professor of Practice, Personal Financial Planning, Bauer College of Business, University of Houston. “The C.T. Bauer College of Business is committed to student success and the collaboration with The American College of Financial Services enhances that commitment. Both Colleges are excited to be educating the next generation of Financial Planners.”

For more information, visit https://www.theamericancollege.edu/cfp-credit-transfer.

If you have questions, please call (866) 310-8181 or visit https://www.theamericancollege.edu/about-the-college/contact.  
 

For more information, contact:

Jared Trexler
610-526-1268
jared.trexler@theamericancollege.edu

Sarah Tremallo
908-967-0381
americancollege@jconnelly.com

About The American College of Financial Services

The American College of Financial Services is the nation’s largest nonprofit and accredited educational institution devoted to financial services professionals. Nearly one in five advisors or agents is an alum of The College. The College offers a learning platform that includes professional designation, certification, and degree programs and encompasses early-career foundational knowledge as well as deep, specialized education in tax, retirement income, philanthropy, risk management, and more with the highest-quality combination of rigor and relevance. The College’s faculty represents the foremost thought leaders in the financial services industry. Its educational programs, research, and events offer professionals the opportunity to expand earnings, deepen relationships, and deliver improved client outcomes.

Visit The College’s website at TheAmericanCollege.edu to discover all the ways to gain expertise for every stage.