ACSM Certified Group Exercise Instructor

Renewal & CEU requirements

Two options: (1) accumulate/report 45 CECs in the cycle, maintain current CPR/AED, and pay the fee by the expiration date, or (2) meet current eligibility requirements and retake/pass the exam. CECs are self-reported in the MyACSM CEC Dashboard; ACSM auto-posts CECs from its own courses/events (after Feb. 22, 2025), while approved-provider and outside CECs must be entered manually. CECs do not carry over between cycles and must be earned after initial certification. Caps: up to 8 CECs/yr (24/cycle) for ACSM committee work; max 5 CECs/yr for CPR/AED/First Aid certifications (effective Jan. 1, 2025); up to 15 CECs/cycle (max 5/yr) for teaching/lecturing; 10 CECs per college credit hour (grade C or better); up to 10 CECs for authoring peer-reviewed publications/books/abstracts; earning a higher-level ACSM certification yields 10-15 CECs. ACSM audits 10% of recertification submissions; documentation must be retained at least one calendar year and produced within 30 days if audited. After the six-month grace period, only reinstatement ($225) is possible; emeritus status ($165) exempts qualifying retirees from CECs and fees.

CEU recognition

• ACE (American Council on Exercise) — accepts ceus from
  Non-ACSM-approved CECs accepted if content is directly related to the ACSM certification and the activity carries approval from a governing body or major fitness organization; ACSM matches the credit amount (1 CEC per contact hour).
• NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) — accepts ceus from
  Accepted if directly related to the ACSM certification and approved by a governing body/major fitness organization, even if ACSM is not listed; ACSM matches the awarded credit amount.
• NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) — accepts ceus from
  Accepted if directly related to the ACSM certification and approved by a governing body/major fitness organization; decimal CEUs convert 0.1 = 1.0 CEC.
• AFAA — accepts ceus from
  Listed in the guidebook as an acceptable CEC-approving organization for non-ACSM-approved continuing education.
• Other certification organizations (for CECs toward ACSM renewal via new credentials) — not recognized
  Certifications earned from other organizations cannot be applied toward ACSM certification renewal (only new, higher-level ACSM certifications earn CECs).
• ACSM Approved CEC Providers (100+ approved providers) — approved ceu provider
  CECs from ACSM Approved Providers count but are not auto-posted; certificant must self-report and retain documentation.

Sources (7)

• ACSM Candidate Handbooktier 1 primary
  official candidate handbook · retrieved 2026-09-02
• Get Certifiedtier 1 primary
  official provider page · retrieved 2026-09-02
• Group Exercise Instructor Certificationtier 1 primary
  official provider page · retrieved 2026-09-02
• https://acsm.org/certification/recertification/tier 1 primary
  official recertification handbook · retrieved 2026-09-03
• 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
• https://acsm.org/certification/recertification/faqs/tier 1 primary
  official recertification handbook · retrieved 2026-09-03

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