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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