CompTIA A+ is the most popular tech support certification. Once you earn it, there are certain CompTIA A+ CE (Continuing Education) requirements to keep your certification in good standing. We have listed the CompTIA A+ renewal requirements, how to earn CEUs, and free CompTIA CEU resources in this article.

📌 Hint: Do not skip this article, you will find FREE CompTIA CEU credit resources throughout the article.

CompTIA A+ CE Renewal Requirements

CompTIA A+ is the IT world’s most renowned tech support certification. Therefore, once you earn it, keeping your certification in good standing is crucial to have the benefits of an A+ certified professional.

CompTIA certifications require certain renewal requirements and these are explained in the CompTIA CE (Continuing Education) policy. Each certification has a different set of requirements. However, the renewal period is the same and three years for all certification tracks.

The following table summarizes the CompTIA A+ CE requirements.

CompTIA A+ renewal requires you to earn 20 CEU credits every three years. Besides, there is an annual fee of $25 for every year. In total, you will pay $75 for a three-year CompTIA A+ renewal period.

CompTIA A+ CE Renewal Course Program – Renew Your CompTIA Certification

San Francisco Business School offers an online, self-paced comprehensive CompTIA CEU Online training program.

Enroll in the CompTIA CEU Online Program. Complete three self-paced online CEU courses. Earn 60 CEU credits. Renew your CompTIA certification. CompTIA approved renewal process for Security+, A+, CASP+, and other CompTIA certifications.

The program offers three self-paced business training programs: Executive Leadership, Strategy Creation & Execution, and Marketing Strategy. For each course in the program, SFBS awards a certificate of graduation. While earning CEUs, you will earn reputable business merits to highlight in your resume and LinkedIn.

CompTIA A+ Renewal Fee

CompTIA requires certified professionals to pay an annual CE fee. For the A+ certification, we have listed above, the annual CE fee is $25 and the total fees you will pay for three years will be $75.

If you pay the annual CE fees for your certification, there will not be an additional renewal fee at the end of three years. There are certain conditions that you do not need to pay CE fees if you choose one of these renewal options:

• Pass the latest release of your CompTIA exam
• Earn a higher-level CompTIA certification
• CompTIA CertMaster CE

Note that, CE Fees are not waived if the higher-level CompTIA certification does not fully renew the lower-level certification.

13 Ways to Earn CompTIA A+ Renewal CEU Credits

CompTIA has a three-step renewal process and focuses on the three-year CE renewal period each year. In the first year, the certification holder gets familiar with the CompTIA renewal requirements, and CE types and pays the annual CE fee. In the second year, the certification holder starts earning CEUs, reports them, and pays the annual fee. Finally, in the third year of the renewal process, CompTIA-certified professional completes the missing CEU credits in their renewal cycle, pays the CE fees, and renews their certification.

The CompTIA A+ certification renewal process starts on the day you earned the certification. CompTIA requires you to earn the required CEUs within three years after you earn your certification. For instance, if you earned your A+ certification on Jan 15, 2024, you have to earn the required CEUs and pay the annual CE fees until Jan 15, 2027, to keep your certification in good standing.

Therefore, it is better to start earning CEUs right after earning your A+ certification. CompTIA lists 13 different ways of earning CompTIA CEU credits. These are:

1. Attending Training Courses (e.g. CompTIA CEU Course Program)
2. Attending Conferences
3. Attending Live Webinars
4. Work Experience
5. Publishing a Blog
6. Publishing an Article or White Paper
7. Publishing a Book
8. Complete a College Course
9. Teach or Mentor
10. Create Instructional Materials
11. Participate as a SME in a CompTIA CEU Exam Development Workshop
12. Complete an American Council on Education (ACE) Course
13. Earn a Non-CompTIA IT Industry Certification

Note that, some of these activities have maximum limits for submitting CEUs. For instance, you can submit a maximum of 3 CEUs per year as work experience. So, in a three-year CompTIA renewal cycle, you can submit a maximum of 9 CEUs through work experience. You can read all the details, and limits for CompTIA A+ CE credits in our CompTIA Continuing Education (CE) article.

CompTIA has a CertMaster CE program as well. In this program, you attend a self-paced course, and your certification is renewed automatically. Note that, this program is only available for A+, Network+, and Security+ certifications.

Watch How Andrea Renewed Her CompTIA Certification

Andrea Zelaya is a CompTIA Security+ Certified Professional. Andrea enrolled in the CompTIA CEU Online Course from SFBS and renewed her CompTIA certification. Watch now her CompTIA renewal journey.

What is the Most Popular and Easiest CompTIA A+ Renewal CEU Earning Way?

The most popular way to earn CompTIA A+ CEU credits is by attending a training course. Typically, a one-hour length of course activity earns one CompTIA CEU credit towards renewing your CompTIA A+ certification. You can attend an in-person course, a virtual course, a self-paced course, or a hybrid delivery. However, the most convenient option for working professionals is attending a self-paced course. In a self-paced course, you can follow the lectures at any time your schedule allows. For virtual or in-person courses, you must set a time and activity must fit your schedule.

Why are the CompTIA A+ CE Online Courses Popular?

While there are several benefits of renewing CompTIA A+ certification through CompTIA CEU courses, here are the top five reasons.

1. No Caps: There is no maximum limit for the education category, so, you can earn all CompTIA A+ CEU credits in one program, and renew your CompTIA A+ certification. You do not need to go elsewhere to find additional CEUs.
2. Self-Paced: You do not need to attend an event, conference, or seminar. You can follow the courses at your place, at your pace.
3. Affordable: Depending on the program content, you can enroll in a self-paced CompTIA CEU Online course bundle for ~$200-300. However, seminars or conferences start from $1,000, not only that, you cannot earn all CEU needs in one event.
4. Requires less effort: When you enroll in CompTIA Continuing Education courses, all you have to do is follow the curriculum, earn CEUs, and renew your CompTIA. However, other CEU earning ways require significant effort from the CompTIA-certification holder such as creating content, sharing a presentation, volunteering, etc.
5. Less prone to CompTIA audit: Since the CEU training programs are used by many CompTIA-certified professionals, CompTIA already has a track and record of the activities. However, for other categories, CEU submissions are more unique and may be more likely to hit a CompTIA audit.

San Francisco Business School offers a self-paced Free CompTIA CEU Course Online Program as well. If you attend this program, you can earn 3 Free CEU credits and submit them in the training category.

Summary

CompTIA A+ CE (Continuing Education) policy requires that A+ certified professionals should earn 20 CEUs every three years to renew their certifications. Besides, there is a $25 annual CE fee that must be paid to CompTIA. For a three-year renewal period, the total CE fee is $75 and there are no other fees to renew A+ certification.

While there are 13 different ways of earning CompTIA CEU credits, the most popular way is attending CompTIA CEU online courses. Professionals opt for CEU online courses because they are affordable and easy to attend. You can follow self-paced CEU courses on your schedule and earn CEU credits. Other benefits of earning CEUs through courses are there are no caps for earning CEUs through education and less prone to CompTIA audits.

The post CompTIA A+ CE – Renewal Guide – Free CEUs Included appeared first on San Francisco Business School.

CompTIA CASP+ is an advanced-level cybersecurity certification for security architects and senior security engineers. CompTIA CASP+ CE (Continuing Education) requirement mandates that CASP+ certified professionals must earn 75 CEUs every three years to retain their certifications. We have explored the details of the CASP+ CE program and listed 13 ways to renew CASP+ certification.

📌 Hint: Do not skip this article, you will find FREE CompTIA CEU credit resources throughout the article.

CompTIA CASP+ CE Requirements

Once you earned CompTIA CASP+ certification, you must be aware that there are certain requirements to keep your certification in good standing. These requirements are defined in the CompTIA CASP+ CE (Continuing Education) policy. Note that, recertification requirements are different for each CompTIA certification. You can see the requirements for other certifications in our CompTIA CEU guide.

The following table summarizes the CompTIA CASP+ CE requirements.

If you have a CompTIA CASP+ certification, you must earn 75 CEUs every three years to retain your CASP+ certification. Besides, there is an annual CASP+ CE fee of $50 per year. For three years, you will pay $150 in total to renew your CompTIA CASP+ certification.

There are several ways to earn CompTIA CASP+ CEU credits and there are certain conditions for each activity. We have listed all of them below.

CompTIA CASP+ CE Renewal Course Program – Renew Your CompTIA Certification

San Francisco Business School offers an online, self-paced comprehensive CompTIA CEU Online training program.

Enroll in the CompTIA CEU Online Program. Complete three self-paced online CEU courses. Earn 60 CEU credits. Renew your CompTIA certification. CompTIA approved renewal process for Security+, A+, CASP+, and other CompTIA certifications.

The program offers three self-paced business training programs: Executive Leadership, Strategy Creation & Execution, and Marketing Strategy. For each course in the program, SFBS awards a certificate of graduation. While earning CEUs, you will earn reputable business merits to highlight in your resume and LinkedIn.

13 Ways to Earn CompTIA CASP+ CE Credits

CompTIA has a three-step renewal process and focuses on the three-year CE renewal period each year. In the first year, the certification holder gets familiar with the CompTIA renewal requirements, and CE types and pays the annual CE fee. In the second year, the certification holder starts earning CEUs, reports them, and pays the annual fee. Finally, in the third year of the renewal process, CompTIA-certified professional completes the missing CEU credits in their renewal cycle, pays the CE fees, and renews their certification.

The CompTIA CASP+ certification renewal process starts on the day you earned the certification. CompTIA requires you to earn the required CEUs within three years after you earn your certification. For instance, if you earned your CASP+ certification on Jan 15, 2024, you have to earn the required CEUs and pay the annual CE fees until Jan 15, 2027, to keep your certification in good standing.

Therefore, it is better to start earning CEUs right after earning your CASP+ certification. CompTIA lists 13 different ways of earning CompTIA CEU credits. These are:

1. Attending Training Courses (e.g. CompTIA CEU Course Program)
2. Attending Conferences
3. Attending Live Webinars
4. Work Experience
5. Publishing a Blog
6. Publishing an Article or White Paper
7. Publishing a Book
8. Complete a College Course
9. Teach or Mentor
10. Create Instructional Materials
11. Participate as a SME in a CompTIA CEU Exam Development Workshop
12. Complete an American Council on Education (ACE) Course
13. Earn a Non-CompTIA IT Industry Certification

Note that, some of these activities have maximum limits for submitting CEUs. For instance, you can submit a maximum of 3 CEUs per year as work experience. So, in a three-year CompTIA renewal cycle, you can submit a maximum of 9 CEUs through work experience. You can read all the details, and limits for CASP+ CE credits in our CompTIA Continuing Education (CE) article.

CompTIA has a CertMaster CE program as well. In this program, you attend a self-paced course, and your certification is renewed automatically. However, this program is only available for A+, Network+ and Security+ certifications.

Watch How Andrea Renewed Her CompTIA Certification

Andrea Zelaya is a CompTIA Security+ Certified Professional. Andrea enrolled in the CompTIA CEU Online Course from SFBS and renewed her CompTIA certification. Watch now her CompTIA renewal journey.

What is the Most Popular and Easiest CASP+ CEU Earning Way?

The most popular way to earn CASP+ CEU credits is by attending a training course. Typically, a one-hour length of course activity earns one CompTIA CEU credit towards renewing your CompTIA certification. You can attend an in-person course, a virtual course, a self-paced course, or a hybrid delivery. However, the most convenient option for working professionals is attending a self-paced course. In a self-paced course, you can follow the lectures at any time your schedule allows. For virtual or in-person courses, you must set a time and activity must fit your schedule.

Why are the CASP+ CE Online Courses Popular?

While there are several benefits of renewing CASP+ certification through CompTIA CEU courses, here are the top five reasons.

1. No Caps: There is no maximum limit for the education category, so, you can earn all CASP+ CEU credits in one program, and renew your CASP+ certification. You do not need to go elsewhere to find additional CEUs.
2. Self-Paced: You do not need to attend an event, conference, or seminar. You can follow the courses at your place, at your pace.
3. Affordable: Depending on the program content, you can enroll in a self-paced CompTIA CEU Online course bundle for ~$200-300. However, seminars or conferences start from $1,000, not only that, you cannot earn all CEU needs in one event.
4. Requires less effort: When you enroll in CompTIA Continuing Education courses, all you have to do is follow the curriculum, earn CEUs, and renew your CompTIA. However, other CEU earning ways require significant effort from the CompTIA-certification holder such as creating content, sharing a presentation, volunteering, etc.
5. Less prone to CompTIA audit: Since the CEU training programs are used by many CompTIA-certified professionals, CompTIA already has a track and record of the activities. However, for other categories, CEU submissions are more unique and may be more likely to hit a CompTIA audit.

San Francisco Business School offers a self-paced Free CompTIA CEU Course Online Program as well. If you attend this program, you can earn 3 Free CEU credits and submit them in the training category.

Summary

CompTIA CASP+ CE requirement is earning 75 CEUs every three years and paying a $50 annual CE fee. Once you earned the required CEUs and paid the annual fees, your CASP+ certification is renewed for three years. After the renewal, a new three-year period starts.

There are 13 different ways to earn CASP+ CEU credits. The most popular option is attending online CEU courses. CASP+-certified professionals opt for online CEU courses because they are affordable, easy to attend, and less prone to CompTIA audits. Besides, there is no maximum limit for attending courses. You can earn and submit all required CEUs by attending courses.

The post CompTIA CASP+ CE – 13 CASP+ Renewal CEU Options appeared first on San Francisco Business School.

CompTIA CertMaster CE (Continuing Education) is a self-paced training program for earning CompTIA CEU credits and is offered by CompTIA. Several CompTIA-certified professionals opt for these programs to earn CEUs and renew their certifications. We have explored the details of the CertMaster CE program, its benefits, disadvantages, pricing, and other CompTIA CEU options in this article.

📌 Hint: Do not skip this article, you will find FREE CompTIA CEU credit resources throughout the article.

What is the CompTIA CertMaster CE Program?

CompTIA requires certification holders to earn Continuing Education Units (CEU) credits every three years. There are several ways to earn CEUs and renew your CompTIA certification.

CompTIA offers the CertMaster CE program, which is a self-paced training program and participants can earn all required CEUs for their certifications by attending this program. The following table summarizes the CompTIA CertMaster CE program details and pricing.

Note that, the CertMaster CE program is only available for CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, and CompTIA Security+ certifications. If you have another CompTIA certification, you need to look for other CompTIA certification renewal options.

Now, let’s go through the details of the CertMaster CE program.

CompTIA CEU Course Program – Renew Your CompTIA Certification

San Francisco Business School offers an online, self-paced comprehensive CompTIA CEU Online training program.

Enroll in the CompTIA CEU Online Program. Complete three self-paced online CEU courses. Earn 60 CEU credits. Renew your CompTIA certification. CompTIA approved renewal process for CompTIA Security+, A+, CASP+ CE, and other CompTIA certifications.

The program offers three self-paced business training programs: Executive Leadership, Strategy Creation & Execution, and Marketing Strategy. For each course in the program, SFBS awards a certificate of graduation. While earning CEUs, you will earn reputable business merits to highlight in your resume and LinkedIn.

CertMaster CE Features – Benefits

The CertMaster CE program comes with several benefits. The best advantage is that the program is self-paced, so, the participants can follow the lectures on their own whenever they have time. Content within the course is organized in a prescribed learning plan based on a target date set by the user, helping learners structure their study sessions and guiding them efficiently through the course.

1- CertMaster CE Automatically Renews CompTIA Certification

Since the CertMaster CE program is offered by CompTIA, course completion automatically renews the learner’s corresponding certification. There are assessments throughout the course program and to earn the required CEUs, you must score 100% on all assessments. Do not worry, if you cannot score 100%, you will be able to retake the assessments. Until you reach 100%, you cannot complete the assessment, and the course as well.

CompTIA CertMaster CE content provides instructional content focused on reinforcing the learner’s base knowledge. The content covers the new topics in the newer version of the CompTIA exams as well so the participant can keep up the pace of changing dynamics.

Watch How Andrea Renewed Her CompTIA Security+ Certification

Andrea Zelaya is a CompTIA Security+ Certified Professional. Andrea enrolled in the CompTIA CEU Online Course from SFBS and renewed her CompTIA certification. Watch now her CompTIA renewal journey.

2- Reports and Analysis

CertMaster CE program provides reports and analysis regarding learner’s activity. This helps learners to track their progress, and analyze their strengths and weaknesses in various topics. Not only that, the CertMaster CE dashboard provides a percentile rank benchmark of the learner compared to all other users.

3- Mobile Responsive

Another advantage of the CertMaster CE program is its availability on several devices. No matter if you are on a desktop or mobile device, as long as you have an internet connection, you can follow the lectures, complete the program, and renew your CompTIA certification.

4- Waives Annual CE Fees

Finally, attending the CertMaster CE program will waive the annual CE fees. If you earn CEUs through other resources, you have to pay the annual CE fee to CompTIA. This fee varies between $25 to $50 per year and depends on the certification. CertMaster CE participants do not pay this fee and their certification is renewed automatically upon completing the program.

San Francisco Business School offers a self-paced Free CompTIA CEU Course Online Program as well. If you attend this program, you can earn 3 Free CEU credits and submit them in the training category.

CertMaster CE Program Disadvantages

While there are several advantages of the program, there are disadvantages as well.

1- CertMaster CE is Not Available for All CompTIA Certifications

The biggest disadvantage is that the CertMaster CE program is available only for three certifications, CompTIA A+ Renewal, Network+, and Security+. If you have other CompTIA certifications, you have to find other options to earn CompTIA Continuing Education credits.

2- Must Score 100% on Assignments

Another disadvantage is, you have to score 100% on all assignments. There are graded assessments throughout the course program. To earn the required CEUS and renew the CompTIA certification, the learner must score 100% on all assessments.

3- Technical Content

The content focuses on technical skills. If you are planning to enhance your business skills or leadership skills, these courses will not bring a benefit to you.

The best CEU online courses should offer you business courses, earn new business skills, and contribute to your career growth.

For instance, San Francisco Business School offers a comprehensive CompTIA Continuing Education Course program. The program offers three self-paced business training programs: Executive Leadership, Strategy Creation & Execution, and Marketing Strategy. For each course in the program, SFBS awards a certificate of graduation. While earning CEUs, you will earn reputable business merits to highlight in your resume and LinkedIn.

4- CertMaster CE CEUs Do Not Rollover to the Next Renewal Cycle

Attending the CertMaster CE program and renewing the certification is easy. However, you can complete the course once, and you will need to attend another course in your next cycle.

On the other hand, if you attend a comprehensive CompTIA CEU course, you can submit the required CEUs for this cycle, and submit the remaining CEUs for the next cycle. For instance, if the course program provides 60 CEUs, if you need 30 CEUs for your current renewal cycle, you can submit 30 CEUs for this cycle, and submit the next 30 CEUs in your next cycle. Instead of paying twice, you can earn more CEUs for your several cycles.

Other Options for Earning CompTIA CEUs

CompTIA lists 13 different ways of earning CompTIA CEU credits. These are:

1. Attending Training Courses (e.g. CompTIA CEU Course Program) *** Most Popular
2. Attending Conferences
3. Attending Live Webinars
4. Work Experience
5. Publishing a Blog
6. Publishing an Article or White Paper
7. Publishing a Book
8. Complete a College Course
9. Teach or Mentor
10. Create Instructional Materials
11. Participate as a SME in a CompTIA CEU Exam Development Workshop
12. Complete an American Council on Education (ACE) Course
13. Earn a Non-CompTIA IT Industry Certification

Note that, some of these activities have maximum limits for submitting CEUs. For instance, you can submit a maximum of 3 CEUs per year as work experience. So, in a three-year CompTIA renewal cycle, you can submit a maximum of 9 CEUs through work experience. You can read all the details in our CompTIA Continuing Education (CE) article.

What is the Most Popular and Easiest CompTIA CEU Earning Way?

The most popular way to earn CompTIA CEU credits is by attending a training course. Actually, the CertMaster CE program is also a course program. Typically, a one-hour length of course activity earns one CompTIA CEU credit towards renewing your CompTIA certification. You can attend an in-person course, a virtual course, a self-paced course, or a hybrid delivery. However, the most convenient option for working professionals is attending a self-paced course. In a self-paced course, you can follow the lectures at any time your schedule allows. For virtual or in-person courses, you must set a time and activity must fit your schedule.

Why are the CEU Online Courses Popular?

While there are several benefits of renewing CompTIA certifications through CompTIA CEU courses, here are the top five reasons.

1. No Caps: There is no maximum limit for the education category, so, you can earn all CompTIA CEU credits in one program, and renew your CompTIA. You do not need to go elsewhere to find additional CEUs.
2. Self-Paced: You do not need to attend an event, conference, or seminar. You can follow the courses at your place, at your pace.
3. Affordable: Depending on the program content, you can enroll in a self-paced CompTIA CEU Online course bundle for ~$200-300. However, seminars or conferences start from $1,000, not only that, you cannot earn all CEU needs in one event.
4. Requires less effort: When you enroll in CompTIA Continuing Education courses, all you have to do is follow the curriculum, earn CEUs, and renew your CompTIA. However, other CEU earning ways require significant effort from the CompTIA-certification holder such as creating content, sharing a presentation, volunteering, etc.
5. Less prone to CompTIA audit: Since the CEU training programs are used by many CompTIA-certified professionals, CompTIA already has a track and record of the activities. However, for other categories, CEU submissions are more unique and may be more likely to hit a CompTIA audit.

Summary

CompTIA CertMaster CE is a self-paced training program offered for A+, Network+, and Security+ certified professionals. Participants complete the course and renew their corresponding certifications automatically.

While there are benefits to the program, there are disadvantages as well. Benefits are automatically renewing CompTIA certification, reports and analysis, accessibility from different devices, and waiving the annual CE fees. Disadvantages are that CertMaster CE is not available for all CompTIA certifications, you must score 100% on all assignments, the content is technical, and earned CEUs do not roll over to the next renewal cycle.

The post CompTIA CertMaster CE – Is It the Best Option for CEUs? appeared first on San Francisco Business School.

CompTIA has a Continuing Education (CE) program and this program defines the CompTIA certification renewal process. CompTIA requires certification holders to earn CEUs and pay an annual CE fee. The CEU requirements are for three years and after the CompTIA certification renewal, a new three-year period begins. We have listed the three steps to renew CompTIA certification in this article.

📌 Hint: Do not skip this article, you will find FREE CompTIA CEU credit resources throughout the article.

We have specific articles for CompTIA Security+ CE Renewal and CASP+ CE Renewal. You can consider reading those if you have one of those certifications.

CompTIA Renewal Requirements

CompTIA requires certification holders to earn CompTIA Renewal CEU credits every three years. The required number of CEUs is different for each certification track. Besides, you should pay an annual fee that varies between $25 to $50 depending on the CompTIA certification you hold.

The following table summarizes the CompTIA Certification Renewal CEU requirements, renewal period, and CE fees for each certification.

There are further requirements and CEU limits for different activities and certifications. You can read all the details in our CompTIA CEU guide.

CompTIA Renewal CEU Course Program – Renew Your CompTIA Certification

San Francisco Business School offers an online, self-paced comprehensive CompTIA CEU Online training program.

Enroll in the CompTIA CEU Online Program. Complete three self-paced online CEU courses. Earn 60 CEU credits. Renew your CompTIA certification. CompTIA approved renewal process for CompTIA Security+, CompTIA A+, CASP+, and other CompTIA certifications.

The program offers three self-paced business training programs: Executive Leadership, Strategy Creation & Execution, and Marketing Strategy. For each course in the program, SFBS awards a certificate of graduation. While earning CEUs, you will earn reputable business merits to highlight in your resume and LinkedIn.

Let’s go through the three steps of the CompTIA certification renewal process.

1st Step – Earn CompTIA CEU Renewal Credits

CompTIA has a three-step renewal process and focuses on the three-year CE renewal period each year. In the first year, the certification holder gets familiar with the CompTIA renewal requirements, and CE types and pays the annual CE fee. In the second year, the certification holder starts earning CEUs, reports them, and pays the annual fee. Finally, in the third year of the renewal process, CompTIA-certified professional completes the missing CEU credits in their renewal cycle, pays the CE fees, and renews their certification.

The CompTIA certification renewal process starts on the day you earned the CompTIA certification. CompTIA requires you to earn the required CEUs within three years after you earn your certification. For instance, if you earned your certification on Jan 15, 2024, you have to earn the required CEUs and pay the annual CE fees until Jan 15, 2027, to keep your CompTIA certification in good standing.

Therefore, it is better to start earning CEUs right after earning your CompTIA certification. CompTIA lists 13 different ways of earning CompTIA CEU credits. These are:

1. Attending Training Courses (e.g. CompTIA CEU Course Program)
2. Attending Conferences
3. Attending Live Webinars
4. Work Experience
5. Publishing a Blog
6. Publishing an Article or White Paper
7. Publishing a Book
8. Complete a College Course
9. Teach or Mentor
10. Create Instructional Materials
11. Participate as a SME in a CompTIA CEU Exam Development Workshop
12. Complete an American Council on Education (ACE) Course
13. Earn a Non-CompTIA IT Industry Certification

Note that, some of these activities have maximum limits for submitting CEUs. For instance, you can submit a maximum of 3 CEUs per year as work experience. So, in a three-year CompTIA renewal cycle, you can submit a maximum of 9 CEUs through work experience. You can read all the details in our CompTIA Continuing Education (CE) article.

What is the Most Popular and Easiest CompTIA CEU Earning Way?

The most popular way to earn CompTIA CEU credits is by attending a training course. Typically, a one-hour length of course activity earns one CompTIA CEU credit towards renewing your CompTIA certification. You can attend an in-person course, a virtual course, a self-paced course, or a hybrid delivery. However, the most convenient option for working professionals is attending a self-paced course. In a self-paced course, you can follow the lectures at any time your schedule allows. For virtual or in-person courses, you must set a time and activity must fit your schedule.

Why are the CEU Online Courses Popular?

While there are several benefits of renewing CompTIA certifications through CompTIA CEU courses, here are the top five reasons.

1. No Caps: There is no maximum limit for the education category, so, you can earn all CompTIA CEU credits in one program, and renew your CompTIA. You do not need to go elsewhere to find additional CEUs.
2. Self-Paced: You do not need to attend an event, conference, or seminar. You can follow the courses at your place, at your pace.
3. Affordable: Depending on the program content, you can enroll in a self-paced CompTIA CEU Online course bundle for ~$200-300. However, seminars or conferences start from $1,000, not only that, you cannot earn all CEU needs in one event.
4. Requires less effort: When you enroll in CompTIA Continuing Education courses, all you have to do is follow the curriculum, earn CEUs, and renew your CompTIA. However, other CEU earning ways require significant effort from the CompTIA-certification holder such as creating content, sharing a presentation, volunteering, etc.
5. Less prone to CompTIA audit: Since the CEU training programs are used by many CompTIA-certified professionals, CompTIA already has a track and record of the activities. However, for other categories, CEU submissions are more unique and may be more likely to hit a CompTIA audit.

San Francisco Business School offers a self-paced Free CompTIA CEU Course Online Program as well. If you attend this program, you can earn 3 Free CEU credits and submit them in the training category.

What are the best CompTIA CEU Course Options?

If you’ve Googled about the CompTIA CEU online courses, you will see several resources. Some of them offer irrelevant courses, that will not benefit your career. Some of them offer just PDF papers to read, and that does not bring any skills.

The best CEU online courses should offer you business courses, earn new business skills, and contribute to your career growth.

For instance, San Francisco Business School offers a comprehensive CompTIA Continuing Education Course program. The program offers three self-paced business training programs: Executive Leadership, Strategy Creation & Execution, and Marketing Strategy. For each course in the program, SFBS awards a certificate of graduation. While earning CEUs, you will earn reputable business merits to highlight in your resume and LinkedIn.

Watch How Andrea Renewed Her CompTIA Certification

Andrea Zelaya is a CompTIA Security+ Certified Professional. Andrea enrolled in the CompTIA CEU Online Course from SFBS and renewed her CompTIA certification. Watch now her CompTIA renewal journey.

2nd Step – Pay Annual CE Fees

CompTIA requires an annual CE fee from certification holders. The fee varies between $25 to $50 per year depending on the certification track. For A+ and Data+ certifications, the annual CE fee is $25. For all other CompTIA certifications, annual CE fee is $50.

If you pay the annual CE fees for your certification, there will not be an additional CompTIA renewal fee at the end of three years. If you have an A+ or Data+ certification, a three-year total fee will be $75. For all other CompTIA certifications, total three-year period CE fees cost $150. If you hold more than one CompTIA certification, you will need to pay the fees for the highest-level certifications, and all lower-level certifications will be renewed automatically. For instance, if you hold CompTIA Security+ and Data+ certifications, you will have to pay the fees only for Security+, which is a higher-level certification.

There are certain conditions that you do not need to pay CE fees if you choose one of these renewal options:

• Pass the latest release of your CompTIA exam
• Earn a higher-level CompTIA certification
• CompTIA CertMaster CE (This is a training program offered by CompTIA)

Note that, CE Fees are not waived if the higher-level CompTIA certification does not fully renew the lower-level certification.

CompTIA uses PayPal for CE fee payment processing, and you can either pay via credit card, debit card, or a PayPal account. If you do not have a PayPal account, you do not need it to pay via credit or debit card.

3rd Step – Renew CompTIA Certification

Once you earned the required CEUs and paid all annual CE fees, you are ready to renew your CompTIA certification. Once you renew your CompTIA certification, the next three-year cycle begins. Even if you renewed your CompTIA certification before the expiry date, the next three-year cycle starts from the expiry date.

For instance, if you earned your certification on Jan 15, 2024, your expiry date is Jan 15, 2027. If you complete the CompTIA renewal cycle by April 10, 2026, although you renewed your certification before its expiry, the next three-year cycle starts from Jan 15, 2027.

How can I renew an expired CompTIA certification?

CompTIA refers to certifications within their three-year period after a successful exam, or when they are successfully renewed, as active. Certifications are considered expired, if they are not renewed within three years. If your certification has expired, the only way to get it back again is to pass the certification exam again.

Therefore, it is crucial to earn CompTIA CEUs and renew your certification on time before it expires.

Summary

CompTIA certification renewal is a three-step process. First, you have to earn the required CEU credits for your CompTIA certification. Second, you have to pay annual CE fees and submit your earned CEU credits. The third and last step of CompTIA renewal is completing the certification renewal.

There are 13 different ways of earning CompTIA renewal CEU credits. The most popular and easiest way is attending courses. CompTIA-certified professionals choose online CEU courses because there are no caps and they are self-paced. You can earn all required CEU hours by attending a course program. CompTIA CEU online programs are much more affordable compared to in-person courses and conferences. Besides, courses are less prone to CompTIA audits.

The post 3 Steps CompTIA Certification Renewal – Free CEU Resources appeared first on San Francisco Business School.

CompTIA Security+ CE (Continuing Education) Renewal program requires Security+ certified professionals to earn 50 CEUs every three years. Besides, there is an annual CE fee of $50 per year. There are further CompTIA CEU requirements for each activity and some activities require documentation for CompTIA to approve CEU credits. We have listed all the details about CompTIA Security+ Continuing Education (CE) and how to earn CEUs to renew your CompTIA Security+ certification in this article.

📌 Hint: Do not skip this article, you will find FREE CompTIA CEU credit resources throughout the article.

If you have other CompTIA certifications, you can consider reading our CompTIA Certification Renewal article.

The first step is to learn the details of CompTIA Security+ CE requirements.

CompTIA Security+ CE Requirements – Continuing Education Requirements

CompTIA has a comprehensive CompTIA Continuing Education (CE) program that defines the requirements, activities, and rules for retaining earned CompTIA certifications. Once you earn a CompTIA certification you must make sure that you comply with the CompTIA CEU requirements to keep your certification in good standing. CEU requirements are different for each CompTIA certification track. You can see all the details for other CompTIA certifications in our CompTIA CEU article. In this article, we will focus particularly on CompTIA Security+ CE.

CompTIA CE program requires certification holders to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) every three years to retain their certifications. Typically, one CEU is earned through performing a one-hour activity. For instance, if you attend a three-hour CompTIA CEU course, you will earn 3 CompTIA CEU credits for this activity.

The following table summarizes the CompTIA Security+ CE requirements.

If you have a CompTIA Security+ certification, you must earn 50 CEUs every three years to retain your Security+ certification. Besides, there is an annual Security+ CE fee of $50 per year. For a three-year period, you will pay $150 in total to renew your CompTIA Security+ certification.

There are several ways to earn CompTIA Security+ CE credits and there are certain conditions for each activity. We have listed all of them below.

CompTIA Security+ CE Renewal Course Program – Renew Your CompTIA Certification

San Francisco Business School offers an online, self-paced comprehensive CompTIA CEU Online training program.

Enroll in the CompTIA CEU Online Program. Complete three self-paced online CEU courses. Earn 60 CEU credits. Renew your CompTIA certification. CompTIA approved renewal process for Security+, A+, CASP+, and other CompTIA certifications.

The program offers three self-paced business training programs: Executive Leadership, Strategy Creation & Execution, and Marketing Strategy. For each course in the program, SFBS awards a certificate of graduation. While earning CEUs, you will earn reputable business merits to highlight in your resume and LinkedIn.

CompTIA Security+ Certification Renewal Cycle

The CompTIA Security+ certification renewal cycle is three years from your certification date. You must earn the required CompTIA Continuing Education credits for your certification and keep your CompTIA Security+ certification current by renewing within those three years.

Your Continuing Education (CE) renewal cycle is three years from the date you earned your CompTIA Security+ certification. CompTIA recommends a three-year plan to earn CEUs and renew your CompTIA Security+ certification. In the first year, you get familiar with the CompTIA CEU program, activity types and you pay the annual CE fee. In the second year, you create your plan to earn CEUs to renew your CompTIA certification, submit you earned CEUs and pay the annual fee. And, in the third and last year, you make sure that your CEU activities are scheduled, track your progress, earn any missing CEUs in your cycle, pay the fees and renew your CompTIA Security+ certification.

When you have met all renewal requirements, your certification renewed and will be valid for three more years.

Even though you have three years to renew your CompTIA Security+ certification, we encourage you to learn about the CE Program early on. Leaving renewal to the last moment can cause issues if your CEUs are rejected or if you cannot find relevant CEU activities.

Watch How Andrea Renewed Her CompTIA Security+ Certification

Andrea Zelaya is a CompTIA Security+ Certified Professional. Andrea enrolled in the CompTIA CEU Online Course from SFBS and renewed her CompTIA certification. Watch now her CompTIA renewal journey.

CompTIA Security+ CE – Certification Renewal Fee

CompTIA requires certified professionals to pay an annual CE fee. For the Security+ certification, annual CE fee is $50. The total renewal fee for a three-year period will be $150. If you pay the annual CE fees for your CompTIA Security+ certification, there will not be an additional renewal fee at the end of three years.

13 Ways to Earn CompTIA Security+ CE – Continuing Education Renewal Units

CompTIA lists 13 different ways to earn CEU credits in its CompTIA CEU list. You can earn CEUs for your CompTIA Security+ CE renewal cycle through any of thes ways. Let’s go through each of these activities one by one.

1- Attending CompTIA Security+ CE Renewal Training Courses

First and the most popular way to earn CompTIA Security+ CEU credits is by attending a training course. Typically, a one-hour length of course activity earns one CEU credit towards renewing your CompTIA Security+ certification. You can attend an in-person course, a virtual course, a self-paced course, or a hybrid delivery. However, the most convenient option for working professionals is attending a self-paced course. In a self-paced course, you can follow the lectures at any time your schedule allows. For virtual or in-person courses, you must set a time and activity must fit your schedule.

Why are the CompTIA Security+ CE Renewal Courses Popular?

While there are several benefits of renewing CompTIA Security+ certification through CompTIA CEU courses, here are the top five reasons.

1. No Caps: There is no maximum limit for the education category, so, you can earn all CompTIA CEU credits in one program, and renew your CompTIA Security+ certification. You do not need to go elsewhere to find additional CEUs.
2. Self-Paced: You do not need to attend an event, conference, or seminar. You can follow the courses at your place, at your pace.
3. Affordable: Depending on the program content, you can enroll in a self-paced CompTIA CEU Online course bundle for ~$200-300. However, seminars or conferences start from $1,000, not only that, you cannot earn all CEU needs in one event.
4. Requires less effort: When you enroll in CompTIA Continuing Education courses, all you have to do is follow the curriculum, earn CEUs, and renew your CompTIA certification. However, other CEU earning ways require significant effort from the CompTIA-certification holder such as creating content, sharing a presentation, volunteering, etc.
5. Less prone to CompTIA audit: Since the CEU training programs are used by many CompTIA Security+ certified professionals, CompTIA already has a track and record of the activities. However, for other categories, CEU submissions are more unique and may be more likely to hit a CompTIA audit.

What are the best CompTIA Security+ CE Renewal Course Options?

If you’ve Googled about the CompTIA Security+ CE online courses, you will see several resources. Some of them offer irrelevant courses, that will not benefit to your career. Some of them offer just PDF papers to read, and that does not bring any skills.

The best CompTIA Security+ CE online courses should offer you business courses, earn new business skills, and contribute to your career growth.

For instance, San Francisco Business School offers a comprehensive CompTIA Continuing Education Course program. The program offers three self-paced business training programs: Executive Leadership, Strategy Creation & Execution, and Marketing Strategy. For each course in the program, SFBS awards a certificate of graduation. While earning CEUs, you will earn reputable business merits to highlight in your resume and LinkedIn.

CompTIA Security+ Continuing Education Courses Must Provide Documentation

You can earn 1 CEU for each hour of training. However, CompTIA requires documentation regarding the course or training you attended. You must complete the CompTIA CEU training course during your three-year renewal cycle, and the same course can only be submitted once. CompTIA requires the following documentation to approve your CEUs from training activity:

• Detailed description/outline of the training content
• Completion certificate containing the following:
  • Your name
  • Name of the course
  • Name of the training provider
  • Date the course was completed
  • Number of hours

Once these details are provided, CompTIA approves your CEU submission.

San Francisco Business School offers a self-paced Free CompTIA CEU Course Online Program as well. If you attend this program, you can earn 3 Free CEU credits and submit them in the training category.

2- Attending Conferences

Several IT conferences, events, and activities are organized throughout the year. You can attend these events and earn CompTIA Security+ CE credits. Typically, a one-day activity earns 6 CEUs. So, if you attended a two-day event, you will earn around 12 CEUs.

Attending conferences has benefits like expanding your professional network and learning the changing trends in your domain. However, there are some pitfalls to these events.

• Typically organized in big cities. If you are living in a relatively smaller city, you might not see any events to earn CEUs.
• Requires in-person attendance. Many of the events take a few days, and you have to take days off from your work to attend these conferences.
• Expensive. Typically, these events are charged $1,000/day. So, for a two-day event, you need to pay around $2,000. Travel and accommodation, if needed, are not included in these fees.
• Does not earn required CEUs at once. Although it requires a significant amount of time and money, you cannot earn all required CEU credits through one event. Besides, there is a maximum limit for earning CEUs by attending conferences. You can see the limits of earning CEUs for each certification by attending conferences.

You can submit a maximum of 10 CEUs in every three-year CompTIA Security+ CE period by attending conferences. Considering you are a full-time working professional and looking to earn CompTIA CEU hours in one step, we do not recommend this way for earning CEUs.

3- CompTIA Security+ CE Credits by Attending Live Webinars

A webinar is an event held virtually, attended exclusively by an online audience. Typically, webinars are 1-2 hours of events discussing a particular topic with the experts in that area. While some of the webinars are paid and exclusive, there are free webinars as well.

You can attend a webinar and earn CompTIA Security+ Continuing Education credits. However, there is a limit to earning CEU credits through attending a webinar. You can submit a maximum of 10 CEUs in each three-year CompTIA Security+ CE cycle.

4- Work Experience

CompTIA allows you to submit your work experience and earn CEUs towards renewing your CompTIA Security+ certification. However, there is a maximum of 9 CEUs limit for the work experience category for the three-year CompTIA renewal period.

You can earn 3 CEUs per year during your CompTIA Security+ CE renewal cycle for work experience related to your certification. You can submit 3 CEUs at the end of each year of the CE 3-year cycle. At least 50 percent of the work you are performing must relate to one or more of the exam objectives for the certification you’re renewing. For the CompTIA Security+ certification, your work experience must be related to IT security activities.

To receive CEUs for your work experience, you will need to submit a letter from your employer on company letterhead containing the following information:

• Your name
• Current job title
• The Continuing Education (CE) year for which your work experience is being submitted
• Tasks you performed
• Signature of your supervisor

Please note, work orders, work performance reports and resumes are not valid documentation materials.

5- CompTIA Security+ CE Renewal by Publishing a Blog

Do you write blogs? Today’s digital world is full of new content and anything you create counts towards your re-certification. Typically, you can submit CEUs for the hours you worked on IT-related content creation. For instance, if you wrote a blog post for an hour, you can claim 1 CEU in your CompTIA profile.

Creating content is cumbersome. There are several aspects of curating quality content. If your profession involves creating content, it is fine, you can earn CompTIA Security+ CE hours while you are working. However, just to earn CEUs, creating content is a tough path.

You can earn 1 CEU for each blog post of at least 500 words. Your blog post must be written and published during your three-year renewal cycle. At least 50 percent of the course content must relate to one or more of the exam objectives for the certification you’re renewing. There is a maximum limit to earning CEU credits by publishing a blog. For the Security+ certification, you can submit a maximum of 16 CEUs in a three-year cycle through publishing a blog.

CompTIA requires the URL or copy of the blog post with your name and the date published. You need to submit a description of the content as well.

6- Publishing an Article or White Paper

CompTIA accepts CEUs if you wrote an article or white paper. You can count 4 CEUs for each article or white paper of at least four pages in length.

Your article or white paper must be written and published during your three-year renewal cycle. At least 50 percent of the course content must relate to one or more of the exam objectives for the certification you’re renewing. There is a maximum limit to earning CEU credits by writing an article or white paper. You can submit maximum of 16 CEUs in every three-year CompTIA Security+ CE cycle.

CompTIA requires the URL or copy of the article or whitepaper with your name and the date published. You need to submit a description of the content as well.

7- Publish a Book

Are you an author? Or a co-author? You can earn CompTIA Security+ CE credits by authoring an IT-related book. Your book must be written and published during your three-year renewal cycle. At least 50 percent of the course content must relate to one or more of the exam objectives for the certification you’re renewing. For the Security+ certification, you can earn a maximum of 40 CEUs in a three-year cycle.

You need to submit the link of your book to CompTIA.

8- Complete a College Course

You can earn 10 CEUs for each 3 to 4 credit-hour class. You must complete the college course during your three-year renewal cycle.

If you are pursuing a higher education program, a specialty program, or a particular expertise course from a college, you can consider earning CompTIA Security+ CE credits through these college courses.

9- Teach or Mentor

You can earn 1 CEU for each hour of teaching or mentoring. All teaching or mentoring must be completed during your three-year renewal cycle. Teaching on the same content can only be submitted once during that period. For instance, if you are delivering the same course for different groups in a three-year cycle, you can count only one of the sessions when submitting CompTIA Security+ CE credits.

You can earn a maximum of 20 CEUs through teaching or mentoring for the Security+ certification renewal. You do not need to be an instructor to earn CompTIA CEUs through teaching or mentoring. For instance, if you are giving a presentation or a small lecture to your colleagues at work, you can submit CEUs for this activity. Or, if you are mentoring a junior team member, you can submit CEUs for your activities.

10- Create Instructional Materials

If you are creating instructional materials for a course or training program, you can earn CompTIA Security+ CE credits. You can earn 2 CEUs for each hour of materials creation. You must create the instructional materials during your three-year renewal cycle. The same materials can only be submitted once and you can earn a maximum of 20 CEUs through creating materials.

You will need to submit supporting documentation to CompTIA.

11- Participate as a SME in a CompTIA CEU Exam Development Workshop

You can earn 1 CEU for each workshop hour that you participate as a CompTIA Subject Matter Expert. You must complete the workshop during your three-year renewal cycle. The workshop you are attending must correspond to the CompTIA Security+ certification. As a supporting document, you must submit a signed letter from the CompTIA workshop coordinator confirming your successful participation.

There is no maximum limit for earning CEUs through this activity.

12- Complete an American Council on Education (ACE) Course

You can earn 10 CEUs for each 3 to 4 credit-hour class. You must complete the ACE course during your three-year renewal cycle. At least 50 percent of the course content must relate to one or more of the exam objectives for the CompTIA Security+ certification. There is no maximum limit for earning CEUs in this way. CompTIA needs supporting documentation to approve your CEUs.

13- Earn a Non-CompTIA IT Industry Certification

If you earned a new IT-related certification or renewed your existing Non-CompTIA certification, you can earn CEUs. For the CompTIA Security+ CE, you can see the full list on the CompTIA website.

For instance, if you have a CompTIA Security+ certification and a CEH certification from the EC-Council, when you Renew your CEH certification, you will earn 50 CEUs to renew your CompTIA certification. Similarly, if you have CISSP certification from ISC2, renewing CISSP certification earns you 50 CEUs towards renewing CompTIA certification as well.

The non-CompTIA IT industry certification must be earned or renewed during your three-year renewal cycle. CompTIA needs supporting documentation regarding your Non-CompTIA certifications.

Summary

CompTIA Security+ CE requirements are earning 50 CEUs every three years, and paying a $50 annual CE fee. Once you earned the required CEUs and paid the annual fees, you can renew your CompTIA Security+ certification.

There are 13 different ways to renew CompTIA Security+ certification. The most popular way is earning CEUs through CompTIA CEU courses. CEU courses are affordable, easy to attend, and less prone to CompTIA audits.

The post CompTIA Security+ CE – Renewal Guide appeared first on San Francisco Business School.

The CompTIA Continuing Education (CE) program requires CompTIA-certified professionals to earn CompTIA CEU credits every three years. There are certain requirements to earn the CEU credits and there is a cost as well. We have listed CompTIA CEU requirements and 13 legit ways to earn CompTIA Continuing Education Credits in this article.

📌 Hint: Do not skip this article, you will find FREE CompTIA CEU credit resources throughout the article.

If you have a CompTIA Security+ certification, we have a specific article for CompTIA Security+ CE. You can consider reading that article.

Before diving into the ways of earning CompTIA CEU credits, we must first learn the CompTIA CE requirements.

CompTIA Continuing Education (CE) – CompTIA CEU Program

You work hard to earn business and IT certifications. However, it does not come to an end. Each certification body requires renewal of the earned certifications in certain periods. CompTIA has a recertification and retaining certification program as well. This is called the CompTIA Continuing Education (CE) Program.

CompTIA’s Continuing Education program clarifies the CEU requirements, CEU validity, how to Earn CompTIA CEU credits, how to verify earned CEU credits from an activity, Annual CE fees to retain certifications, and how to renew if you have multiple CompTIA certifications. Let’s go through the details of the CompTIA CE Program.

CompTIA CEU Requirements

CompTIA CE program requires certification holders to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) every three years to retain their certifications. Typically, one CEU is earned through performing a one-hour activity. For instance, if you attend a three-hour CompTIA CEU course, you will earn 3 CompTIA CEU credits for this activity.

The required number of CEUs and annual CE fee paid for each certification differs. We have listed CompTIA CEU requirements as a summary in the following table.

CompTIA CEU Course Program – Renew Your CompTIA Certification

San Francisco Business School offers an online, self-paced comprehensive CompTIA CEU Online training program.

Enroll in the CompTIA CEU Online Program. Complete three self-paced online CEU courses. Earn 60 CEU credits. Renew your CompTIA certification. CompTIA approved renewal process for CompTIA Security+, A+, CASP+, and other CompTIA certifications.

The program offers three self-paced business training programs: Executive Leadership, Strategy Creation & Execution, and Marketing Strategy. For each course in the program, SFBS awards a certificate of graduation. While earning CEUs, you will earn reputable business merits to highlight in your resume and LinkedIn.

CompTIA Limits for Certain CEU Activities

Although there are several ways to earn CompTIA Continuing Education Units, some activities have a maximum cap to earn CEUs. For instance, there is no limit to earning CEUs by attending courses. However, if you attend a webinar or conference, there is a maximum limit to which you can submit CEUs.

You can see the maximum limit for earning CEUs for each certification for attending a webinar or conference below.

CompTIA Certification Renewal Cycle

The CompTIA certification renewal cycle is three years from your certification date. You must earn the required CompTIA Continuing Education credits for your certification and keep your CompTIA CE certifications current by renewing them within those three years.

Your Continuing Education (CE) renewal cycle is three years from the date you earned your certification. CompTIA recommends a three-year plan to earn CEUs and renew your CompTIA CE certification.

In the first year, you earned the CompTIA certification:

• Get familiar with the certification renewal requirements.
• Review CE activity types.
• Pay annual CE fee.
• Upload any CEUs earned.

In the second year:

• Have a plan for earning CEUs.
• Track your renewal progress.
• Pay annual CE fee.
• Upload any CEUs earned.

And, In the third and last year:

• Ensure your final CEU activities are scheduled.
• Track your renewal progress.
• CE fees must be paid in full.
• Upload any remaining CEUs.

When you have met all renewal requirements, your certification renewed and will be valid for three more years.

Even though you have three years to renew your certification, we encourage you to learn about the CE Program early on. Leaving renewal to the last moment can cause issues if your CEUs are rejected or if you cannot find relevant CEU activities.

Watch How Andrea Renewed Her CompTIA Security+ Certification

Andrea Zelaya is a CompTIA Security+ Certified Professional. Andrea enrolled in the CompTIA CEU Online Course from SFBS and renewed her CompTIA certification. Watch now her CompTIA renewal journey.

CompTIA Certification Renewal Fee

CompTIA requires certified professionals to pay an annual CE fee. We have listed this fee in the table above. For A+ and Data+ certifications, the annual CE fee is $25. For all other CompTIA certifications, annual CE fee is $50.

If you pay the annual CE fees for your certification, there will not be an additional renewal fee at the end of three years. For instance, if you have an A+ certification, a three-year total CompTIA A+ CE Renewal fee will be $75. For all other CompTIA certifications, total three-year period CE fees cost $150. If you hold more than one CompTIA certification, you will need to pay the fees for the highest-level certifications, and all lower-level certifications will be renewed automatically. For instance, if you hold Security+ and Data+ certifications, you will have to pay the fees only for Security+, which is a higher-level certification.

There are certain conditions that you do not need to pay CE fees if you choose one of these renewal options:

• Pass the latest release of your CompTIA exam
• Earn a higher-level CompTIA certification
• CompTIA CertMaster CE

Note that, CE Fees are not waived if the higher-level CompTIA certification does not fully renew the lower-level certification.

13 Ways to Earn CompTIA CEU – Continuing Education Units

CompTIA lists 13 different ways to earn CEU credits in its CompTIA CEU list. Let’s go through each of these activities one by one.

1- Attending Training Courses

First and the most popular way to earn CompTIA CEU credits is by attending a training course. Typically, a one-hour length of course activity earns one CEU credit towards renewing your CompTIA certification. You can attend an in-person course, a virtual course, a self-paced course, or a hybrid delivery. However, the most convenient option for working professionals is attending a self-paced course. In a self-paced course, you can follow the lectures at any time your schedule allows. For virtual or in-person courses, you must set a time and activity must fit your schedule.

Why are the CEU Online Courses Popular?

While there are several benefits of renewing CompTIA certifications through CompTIA CEU courses, here are the top five reasons.

1. No Caps: There is no maximum limit for the education category, so, you can earn all CompTIA CEU credits in one program, and renew your CompTIA. You do not need to go elsewhere to find additional CEUs.
2. Self-Paced: You do not need to attend an event, conference, or seminar. You can follow the courses at your place, at your pace.
3. Affordable: Depending on the program content, you can enroll in a self-paced CompTIA CEU Online course bundle for ~$200-300. However, seminars or conferences start from $1,000, not only that, you cannot earn all CEU needs in one event.
4. Requires less effort: When you enroll in CompTIA Continuing Education courses, all you have to do is follow the curriculum, earn CEUs, and renew your CompTIA. However, other CEU earning ways require significant effort from the CompTIA-certification holder such as creating content, sharing a presentation, volunteering, etc.
5. Less prone to CompTIA audit: Since the CEU training programs are used by many CompTIA-certified professionals, CompTIA already has a track and record of the activities. However, for other categories, CEU submissions are more unique and may be more likely to hit a CompTIA audit.

What are the best CompTIA CEU Course Options?

If you’ve Googled about the CompTIA CEU online courses, you will see several resources. Some of them offer irrelevant courses, that will not benefit your career. Some of them offer just PDF papers to read, and that does not bring any skills.

The best CEU online courses should offer you business courses, earn new business skills, and contribute to your career growth.

For instance, San Francisco Business School offers a comprehensive CompTIA Continuing Education Course program. The program offers three self-paced business training programs: Executive Leadership, Strategy Creation & Execution, and Marketing Strategy. For each course in the program, SFBS awards a certificate of graduation. While earning CEUs, you will earn reputable business merits to highlight in your resume and LinkedIn.

Program #1- Executive Leadership Program

Improve your decision-making, and cross-functional competence, expand your understanding of the global marketplace, and build your way to servant leadership. Learn how to tackle business challenges. Earns 20 CompTIA CEU credits.

Program #2- Strategy Creation & Execution Program

Develop the global perspective, quantitative background, and creative problem-solving skills to take your strategy from formulation to execution. Harness the power of disruptive innovation to craft winning strategies and turn them into play. Earns 30 CompTIA CEU credits.

Program #3- Marketing Strategy Program

Boost revenue and profit by targeting the right segments, designing effective go-to-market strategies, and building high-value brands. Align your marketing and promotion efforts with business strategy to maximize Return on Investment. Earns 10 CompTIA CEU credits.

CompTIA CEU Courses Must Provide Documentation

You can earn 1 CEU for each hour of training. However, CompTIA requires documentation regarding the course or training you attended. You must complete the CompTIA CEU training course during your three-year CompTIA renewal cycle, and the same course can only be submitted once. CompTIA requires the following documentation to approve your CEUs from training activity:

• Detailed description/outline of the training content
• Completion certificate containing the following:
  • Your name
  • Name of the course
  • Name of the training provider
  • Date the course was completed
  • Number of hours

Once these details are provided, CompTIA approves your CEU submission.

San Francisco Business School offers a self-paced Free CompTIA CEU Course Online Program as well. If you attend this program, you can earn 3 Free CEU credits and submit them in the training category.

2- Attending Conferences

Several IT conferences, events, and activities are organized throughout the year. You can attend these events and earn CompTIA Continuing Education credits. Typically, a one-day activity earns 6 CEUs. So, if you attended a two-day event, you will earn around 12 CEUs.

Attending conferences has benefits like expanding your professional network and learning the changing trends in your domain. However, there are some pitfalls to these events.

• Typically organized in big cities. If you are living in a relatively smaller city, you might not see any events to earn CEUs.
• Requires in-person attendance. Many of the events take a few days, and you have to take days off from your work to attend these conferences.
• Expensive. Typically, these events are charged $1,000/day. So, for a two-day event, you need to pay around $2,000. Travel and accommodation, if needed, are not included in these fees.
• Does not earn required CEUs at once. Although it requires a significant amount of time and money, you cannot earn all required CEU credits through one event. Besides, there is a maximum limit for earning CEUs by attending conferences. You can see the limits of earning CEUs for each certification by attending conferences.

Considering you are a full-time working professional and looking to earn CompTIA CEU hours in one step, we do not recommend this way for earning CEUs.

3- CompTIA CEU Credits by Attending Live Webinars

A webinar is an event held virtually, attended exclusively by an online audience. Typically, webinars are 1-2 hours of events discussing a particular topic with the experts in that area. While some of the webinars are paid and exclusive, there are free webinars as well.

You can attend a webinar and earn CompTIA CEU credits. However, there is a limit to earning CEU credits through attending a webinar.

You can look for webinars through the web and attend them to extend your skills. However, if you wish to complete all CEU needs in one step, finding several webinars will not be easy.

4- Work Experience

CompTIA allows you to submit your work experience and earn CEUs towards renewing your CompTIA certification. However, there is a maximum of 9 CEUs limit for the work experience category for the three-year renewal period.

You can earn 3 CEUs per year during your renewal cycle for work experience related to your certification. You can submit 3 CEUs at the end of each year of the CE 3-year cycle. At least 50 percent of the work you are performing must relate to one or more of the exam objectives for the certification you’re renewing. For instance, if you have a Security+ certification, your work experience must be related to IT security activities.

To receive CEUs for your work experience, you will need to submit a letter from your employer on company letterhead containing the following information:

• Your name
• Current job title
• The Continuing Education (CE) year for which your work experience is being submitted
• Tasks you performed
• Signature of your supervisor

Please note, work orders, work performance reports, and resumes are not valid documentation materials.

5- Publishing a Blog

Do you write blogs? Today’s digital world is full of new content and anything you create counts towards your re-certification. Typically, you can submit CEUs for the hours you worked on IT-related content creation. For instance, if you wrote a blog post for an hour, you can claim 1 CEU in your CompTIA profile.

Creating content is cumbersome. There are several aspects of curating quality content. If your profession involves creating content, it is fine, you can earn CompTIA renewal CEU hours while you are working. However, just to earn CEUs, creating content is a tough path.

You can earn 1 CEU for each blog post of at least 500 words. Your blog post must be written and published during your three-year renewal cycle. At least 50 percent of the course content must relate to one or more of the exam objectives for the certification you’re renewing. There is a maximum limit to earning CEU credits by publishing a blog. The following table lists these limits.

CompTIA requires the URL or copy of the blog post with your name and the date published. You need to submit a description of the content as well.

6- Publishing an Article or White Paper

CompTIA accepts CEUs if you wrote an article or white paper. You can count 4 CEUs for each article or white paper of at least four pages in length.

Your article or white paper must be written and published during your three-year renewal cycle. At least 50 percent of the course content must relate to one or more of the exam objectives for the certification you’re renewing. There is a maximum limit to earning CEU credits by writing an article or white paper.

CompTIA requires the URL or copy of the article or whitepaper with your name and the date published. You need to submit a description of the content as well.

7- Publish a Book

Are you an author? Or a co-author? You can earn CompTIA CEU credits by authoring an IT-related book. Your book must be written and published during your three-year renewal cycle. At least 50 percent of the course content must relate to one or more of the exam objectives for the certification you’re renewing. The following table lists the maximum CEUs you can earn by publishing a book.

You need to submit the link of your book to CompTIA.

8- Complete a College Course

You can earn 10 CEUs for each 3 to 4 credit-hour class. You must complete the college course during your three-year renewal cycle.

If you are pursuing a higher education program, a specialty program, or a particular expertise course from a college, you can consider earning CEU credits through these college courses.

9- Teach or Mentor

You can earn 1 CEU for each hour of teaching or mentoring. All teaching or mentoring must be completed during your three-year renewal cycle. Teaching on the same content can only be submitted once during that period. For instance, if you are delivering the same course for different groups in a three-year cycle, you can count only one of the sessions when submitting CEUs.

The following table shows the maximum amount of CEU credits you can submit for three years for each certification through teaching or mentoring.

You do not need to be an instructor to earn CompTIA CEUs through teaching or mentoring. For instance, if you are giving a presentation or a small lecture to your colleagues at work, you can submit CEUs for this activity. Or, if you are mentoring a junior team member, you can submit CEUs for your activities.

10- Create Instructional Materials

If you are creating instructional materials for a course or training program, you can earn CEU credits. You can earn 2 CEUs for each hour of materials creation. You must create the instructional materials during your three-year renewal cycle. The same materials can only be submitted once.

The following table shows the maximum amount of CEU credits you can submit for three years for each certification through creating instructional materials.

You will need to submit supporting documentation to CompTIA.

11- Participate as a SME in a CompTIA CEU Exam Development Workshop

You can earn 1 CEU for each workshop hour that you participate as a CompTIA Subject Matter Expert. You must complete the workshop during your three-year renewal cycle. The workshop you are attending must correspond to the certification you are renewing. As a supporting document, you must submit a signed letter from the CompTIA workshop coordinator confirming your successful participation.

There is no maximum limit for earning CEUs through this activity.

12- Complete an American Council on Education (ACE) Course

You can earn 10 CEUs for each 3 to 4 credit-hour class. You must complete the ACE course during your three-year renewal cycle. At least 50 percent of the course content must relate to one or more of the exam objectives for the certification you’re renewing. There is no maximum limit for earning CEUs in this way. CompTIA needs supporting documentation to approve your CEUs.

13- Earn a Non-CompTIA IT Industry Certification

If you earned a new IT-related certification or renewed your existing Non-CompTIA certification, you can earn CEUs. For each certification track, the CEUs you will earn differ. You can see the full list on the CompTIA website.

For instance, if you have a CompTIA Security+ certification and a CEH certification from the EC-Council, when you Renew your CEH certification, you will earn 50 CEUs to renew your CompTIA certification. Similarly, if you have CISSP certification from ISC2, renewing CISSP certification earns you 50 CEUs towards renewing CompTIA certification as well.

The non-CompTIA IT industry certification must be earned or renewed during your three-year renewal cycle. CompTIA needs supporting documentation regarding your Non-CompTIA certifications.

Summary

CompTIA Continuing Education (CE) program requires certification holders to earn CEU credits every three years. There are certain requirements to earn CompTIA CEU credits and each certification requires different numbers of CEU hours. Depending on the certification, you need to earn 20 to 75 CEUs every three years. You should pay the annual CE fee as well. This fee varies between $25 and $50 per year.

There are 13 different ways to earn CompTIA CEU credits to renew CompTIA certification. The most popular way to earn CEU credits is by attending CompTIA CEU online course programs. CompTIA-certified professionals choose online CEU courses because there are no caps and they are self-paced. You can earn all required CEU hours by attending a course program. CompTIA CEU online programs are much more affordable compared to in-person courses and conferences. Besides, courses are less prone to CompTIA audits.

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