Credentials / National Council on Strength & Fitness
NCSF Certified Personal Trainer
Verified: this record was checked against its official source and the accreditor’s directory. Last verified 2026-09-03.
At a glance
Credential type
certification
Status
active
Target professional
Personal trainers
Country
US
Official page
Recertification page
unknown
Categories
Personal Training
Accreditation
accreditedNCCAaccredited through 2030-03-31
Confirmed against NCCA Accredited Program Directory (full listing) on 2026-09-03: National Council on Strength and Fitness | NCSF-CPT | Certified Personal Trainer | NCCA | Accredited through 3/31/2030
Renewal & CEU requirements
2 yr
renewal cycle
10
CEUs per cycle
$85
renewal
Recertification required
yes
CEU unit system
NCSF CEU (1 CEU = 2 hours of educational learning; 1 contact hour = 0.5 NCSF CEUs)
Ethics requirement
yes
CPR/AED at renewal
yes
Deadline rule
Two-year certification period begins the day you pass the NCSF exam and ends on the last day of the month in which the certification began, 2 years later. All 10 CEUs must be earned during the most recent two-year period of active status; applications postmarked after the expiration date are not accepted.
10 CEUs per two-year cycle: 2 CEUs CPR (any reputable CPR provider accepted, proof of current CPR required), 1 CEU Ethics and Professional Practice, 7 general CEUs from qualifying subject areas (seminars, home study, conferences, college courses, etc.). Holding multiple NCSF credentials does not increase the 10-CEU requirement. All 10 CEUs must be submitted at once with the application; excess CEUs do not carry over. Submission via NCSF Recertification Portal or by mail (no fax/email).
CEU recognition
- Any reputable CPR certification organization — accepts ceus fromAll reputable organizations offering CPR certifications are accepted; CPR counts for 2 of the 10 required CEUs with proof of current certification
- External education providers (seminars, workshops, conferences, home study, college/university courses, employer-based training) — accepts ceus fromCEUs may be earned outside NCSF; contact hours convert at 1 contact hour = 0.5 NCSF CEUs; approved categories and maximum values listed in the NCSF Recertification Handbook; several courses are pre-approved by NCSF
- NCSF (verification for unlisted subject categories) — petition acceptedProfessionals completing coursework in categories not listed may contact NCSF for verification of qualification
Sources (7)
- https://www.ncsf.org/recertify/recertify-nowtier 1 primaryofficial recertification handbook · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Personal Trainertier 1 primaryofficial provider page · retrieved 2026-09-02
- https://www.ncsf.org/personal-trainer/faqtier 1 primaryofficial recertification handbook · retrieved 2026-09-03
- NCSF: Personal Trainer Certification | Personal Trainingtier 1 primaryofficial provider page · retrieved 2026-09-02
- https://www.ncsf.org/recertify/how-totier 1 primaryofficial recertification handbook · retrieved 2026-09-03
- https://www.ncsf.org/recertify/faqtier 1 primaryofficial recertification handbook · retrieved 2026-09-03
- NCCA Accredited Certification Programs Directory — full listing (311 programs), Institute for Credentialing Excellencetier 2 authoritative registryaccreditation 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)