ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist

Renewal & CEU requirements

Two options: (1) accumulate/self-report the required CECs within the cycle, maintain current CPR/AED certification, and pay the fee by the expiration date, or (2) retake and pass the certification exam. CECs must be earned during the current cycle and do not carry over; CECs earned before certification are not accepted. CECs earned outside ACSM must be self-reported in the CEC Dashboard; ACSM auto-posts CECs from ACSM online courses and official ACSM events. ACSM audits 10% of recertification submissions (documentation due within 30 days; retain records at least one year after renewal). Caps: up to 8 CECs/year (24 per cycle) for ACSM committee work; max 5 CECs/year for CPR/AED/First Aid certifications (effective Jan 1, 2025); up to 15 CECs per cycle (max 5/year) for teaching/lecturing; 10 CECs per college credit hour (grade C or better); up to 10 CECs for authoring peer-reviewed publications/books/accepted abstracts; 15 CECs for earning a new higher-level ACSM EP/CEP certification. No CECs for auditing courses, job duties, job shadowing, reading books/articles, CPR/BLS courses (beyond the 5/yr policy), EMT training or lifeguarding. Emeritus status (age 65+, continuously certified 10 years, retired) removes CEC/fee obligations; fee $165.

CEU recognition

• ACSM Approved CEC Providers (100+ programs reviewed and approved by ACSM's Education Department) — approved ceu provider
  CECs from approved providers are accepted but are not auto-posted; certificant must self-report via the CEC Dashboard and retain documentation.
• ACE (American Council on Exercise) — accepts ceus from
  Non-ACSM-approved CECs accepted if directly related to the ACSM certification and the provider has a governing body or major fitness organization's CEC approval, even if ACSM is not listed; ACSM awards 1 CEC per contact hour and matches the credit amount awarded.
• NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) — accepts ceus from
  Accepted when the event is endorsed/approved by the organization; ACSM matches the credit amount (1.0 = 1.0, or 0.1 = 1.0 for decimal systems).
• NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) — accepts ceus from
  Accepted when the event is endorsed/approved by the organization; ACSM matches the credit amount.
• AFAA — accepts ceus from
  Listed as an example of a major fitness organization whose CEC approval makes an activity acceptable to ACSM.
• Other certifying organizations (for credential-earning credit) — not recognized
  Certifications earned from other organizations cannot be applied toward ACSM certification renewal (only new higher-level ACSM certifications earn CECs).

Sources (7)

• https://acsm.org/certification/recertification/tier 1 primary
  official recertification handbook · retrieved 2026-09-03
• Exercise Physiologisttier 1 primary
  official provider page · retrieved 2026-09-02
• https://acsm.org/certification/recertification/faqs/tier 1 primary
  official recertification handbook · retrieved 2026-09-03
• ACSM Candidate Handbooktier 1 primary
  official candidate handbook · retrieved 2026-09-02
• https://acsm.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/acsm-certification-guidebook.pdftier 1 primary
  official recertification handbook · retrieved 2026-09-03
• https://acsm.org/certification/recertification/recert-now/tier 1 primary
  official recertification handbook · retrieved 2026-09-03
• NCCA Accredited Certification Programs Directory — full listing (311 programs), Institute for Credentialing Excellencetier 2 authoritative registry
  accreditation directory · retrieved 2026-09-03

Latest verification activity: initial verification → confirmed (2026-09-03) · reverification → confirmed (2026-09-03) · reverification → confirmed (2026-09-03) · initial verification → confirmed (2026-09-02)