Course Approval Process

There are three basic requirements for a Course to be eligible for credit in the IAR CE Program:

Determining Credits

Before applying for Course approval, the Content Provider should calculate the number of credits the Course is entitled to receive. A credit is a unit of measurement designated by NASAA to fulfill the requirements of the IAR CE model rule. Credits are measured in half-hour increments. The minimum possible credit for a Course is 0.5 credits and the maximum possible is 6.0 credits.

Live or on-demand training is eligible for 1.0 credit for every 50 minutes of continuing education content. Therefore, a 1.0 credit Course will provide 50 minutes of Course content and the remaining 10 minutes will be used for the written assessment.  Administrative work, break times, announcements, and other non-instructional activities do not qualify for CE credit. Similarly, text-only Courses are eligible for 1.0 credit for every 4,500 words of continuing education content. (This word count is based on a standard reading speed of 180 words per minute, though participants in text-only Courses should generally be permitted to complete the Course at their own pace and to start/stop as often as needed.) The chart below diagrams credit eligibility for Courses of varying lengths.

* Breaks, introductions, lunches, announcements, and other non-instructional content shall not count towards these time requirements.

Content Providers cannot report partial credit for an enrollee’s partial completion of a Course. Enrollees either complete—and receive credit for completing—the entire Course or they must receive no credit.

Conference Events

Content Providers offering live conference events may consider the Conference option which allows for multiple sessions to be offered over a multi-day period at a capped fee of $1,000.  Conference events may offer up to eight credits per day, with a maximum of 32 credits over five consecutive days.  Courses approved as part of a Conference cannot be offered for credit after the event as an on-demand Course and are not renewable. Conference events can apply for Course credit using either of two options:

• Single Course. Eligible sessions of the event can be approved as one Course that attendees must attend in its entirety.  The Course will receive one Course ID number and can only be approved for one continuing education component (Products and Practice or Ethics and Professional Responsibility).  The Course can receive a maximum of 6.0 credits.  Attendees must attend all sessions to receive credit.
• Multiple Courses. Each eligible session of the event can be approved as separate Courses with their own Course ID numbers and continuing education components.  Attendees will receive credit only for the sessions they attend.

Application Processing and Fees

Course applications must be completed and processed through the IAR CE AMS by filling out the Course Application.

There is a Course application fee of $250 to be paid by the Content Provider upon submission of the application and a $35 renewal fee at the end of each one-year term. Content Providers will be notified through the AMS 90 days before a Course is set to renew.  Content Providers can then log in to the AMS to renew the Course and pay the Course renewal fee.  If a Course is not renewed before the renewal date, the Course will remain active for a 30-day grace period.  If a Content Provider would like to renew a Course after the renewal date and during the 30-day grace period, there will be a $50 late fee added to the Course renewal.  If the Course is not renewed by the Content Provider at the end of the 30-day grace period, the Course will automatically retire.

Course application and renewal fees are non-refundable.  Course approval is effective for up to five years. After five years of operation, Courses will be retired and will require a new application and a new application fee to be considered for another five-year term.

Courses submitted as part of a Conference event will be charged the same $250 application fee per Course application.  As long as the Conference is indicated in the applicable question on the Course application, the Course application fees will be limited to the first four Course applications.  All subsequent Course applications attributed to the same Conference event will not require the $250 application fee. Courses submitted as part of a Conference cannot be renewed and cannot be offered after the event as an on-demand Course.

Course applications will proceed, and the status of the application will be updated in the IAR CE AMS, through the various stages below. Please allow up to 30 calendar days for NASAA to complete the Course review process.

Course Application Statuses

• Draft. A draft application has been created. Application content is only visible to the Content Provider. If the application is not submitted within 180 days from the start of the draft, the application will be automatically removed from the system.
• Submitted. The application has been submitted and the Course application fee has been paid. Edits cannot be made to the application while in a Submitted status.
• Under Review. NASAA has started reviewing the application. Edits cannot be made to the application while in an Under Review status.
• Awaiting Provider Updates. NASAA has determined that more information or documentation is necessary and has requested updates from the Content Provider. The Content Provider can edit the application to provide the requested information and must resubmit when finished.
• Approved. The application is approved. Edits cannot be made to the application while in an Approved status.
• Provisionally Approved. The application is provisionally approved but NASAA has requested additional information or documentation. Edits cannot be made to the application while in a Provisionally Approved status.
• Denied. The application is denied. The Content Provider can no longer make edits to the application. The Content Provider may reapply by submitting a new application and fee.
• Retired. The Course is retired. The Content Provider may request reactivation by emailing NASAA at IARCE.providers@nasaa.org. Edits cannot be made to an application while in a Retired status.

Additional Considerations

Course Outline

Applications for live Courses should include an outline that details the topics, duration, and general content of each section in the Course. The outline must provide sufficient detail on the content and time allotted for each topic. Outlines may indicate time allotted for breaks and lunches, though these and other non-instructional activities will not count towards credit eligibility for the Course.

Professional Designations

Content Providers may indicate in the Course application if a Course is already accredited by a professional organization, such as the CFP Board or a state insurance board. Users of the public Course catalog will rely on this information to filter the approved Course listings for Courses that meet more than one certification requirement. NASAA will not independently verify this information and it is the Content Provider’s responsibility to submit accurate information on the application.  Providers can update the Course information through the AMS if additional accreditations are added after IAR CE approval.

Joint Courses

Two or more Content Providers may jointly submit a Course for IAR CE credit. If approved, each Provider may offer the Course under its own name.

Disclaimers

Content Providers must incorporate the following disclaimer into all approved Courses. This disclaimer can be given orally or in writing.

“NASAA does not endorse any particular provider of IAR CE courses. The content of the course and any views expressed are my/our own and do not necessarily reflect the views of NASAA or any of its member jurisdictions.”

In addition, Content Providers may not advertise or otherwise promote a Course as being approved for IAR CE credit until the Course has been approved by NASAA through the IAR CE AMS and a Course ID has been issued. Content Providers can offer an IAR CE Course to prospective enrollees while the Course is pending NASAA approval, but the Content Provider must include a disclaimer in clear language indicating that the Course has not been approved by NASAA and IAR CE credit therefore is not guaranteed. The disclaimer must be prominently displayed in any advertising copy, pamphlet, brochure, or other form of advertisement.

Once a course has been approved, a Course ID will be issued, and the Course can be promoted as approved for IAR CE credit. However, any modifications to Course content may require a new Course application. (See Modifying Previously Approved Courses on the Ongoing Obligations of Content Providers page for more details.)