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CIA Exam Fees 2021: Discover Each CIA Certification Cost
One of the biggest benefits of the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) certification is the CIA salary. So, if you’re interested in the CIA because of how much it can help you make, then you’re probably also concerned about how much the CIA is going to cost you. Acquiring the CIA involves a sizable investment, but you can take steps to reduce your expenses now and then enjoy greater earnings in the future. So, to start creating your CIA budget, use this information to learn all about the CIA exam fees.
Determining Your Certified Internal Auditor Exam Costs
The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) awards the CIA certification. Therefore, the IIA establishes the cost of the Certified Internal Auditor certificate. The IIA has a presence in over 100 countries around the world, but the CIA certification process, pricing, and taxes may vary in countries where IIA affiliates administer the exam through agreements with the IIA.
Therefore, if you live in one of the following countries, your CIA exam fees may differ from the ones listed in the IIA’s Certification Candidate Handbook:
- Belgium
- Brazil
- China
- Chinese Taiwan
- Czech Republic
- France
- Indonesia
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea
- Malaysia
- Philippines
- Singapore
- South Africa
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Turkey
- UK/Ireland
So, to discover what you’ll need to pay for the CIA certificate, you should contact your local affiliate to verify the pricing structure and applicable taxes.
For residents of the United States, Canada, and many other countries, the following CIA exam costs and fees apply. All fees are nonrefundable, and if you don’t complete all the CIA requirements in the 4-year eligibility period, you will forfeit all fees you’ve paid and exam credits you’ve earned.
CIA Exam Fee Discounts for Students and Professors
Regardless of your IIA membership status, you can receive discounts on your CIA exam fees as a full-time student or full-time professor (educator) at an accredited college or university.
Qualifying for CIA Student Discounts
To qualify to receive student discounts within the CIA certification program, you must
- Be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student, which means you are taking at least 12 semester hours or equivalent in your senior (final) year as defined by your educational institution; OR
- Be enrolled as a full-time graduate student, which means you are taking at least 9 semester hours or equivalent as defined by your educational institution.
Furthermore, you can enter the CIA program and take the CIA exam before you graduate so long as you are a full-time university student in your senior (final) year. However, you have to complete the education requirement before you can receive the CIA certification.
Qualifying for CIA Professor Discounts
To qualify to receive professor discounts within the CIA certification program, you must
- Be a full-time or part-time professor at an accredited educational institution; AND
- Provide a letter from your local IIA chapter or institute that supports your request for professor status for pricing.
Applying for Student or Professor Discounts
To request student or professor discounts on your CIA exam fees, you must follow these steps:
- Create a profile in the IIA’s Certification Candidate Management System (CCMS)
- Complete the Student/Professor Form and upload it to the CCMS using the Document Upload Portal. If you are approved for the discount, you will then receive an email notification.
- Upon receiving approval, go to your CCMS profile, click on “Complete a Form,” and complete the CIA application.
Optional IIA Membership Fee
Before we analyze the CIA exam fees, we must discuss IIA membership, as your membership status can affect how much you pay for the CIA certificate.
You do not need to become an IIA member to take the CIA exam and earn the CIA certification. However, many CIA candidates become IIA members for 2 reasons:
- IIA membership provides benefits to internal audit professionals such as:
- Connections with a global network of peers
- Volunteer leadership opportunities
- Access to the updated and universally accepted internal audit standards and guidance
- Webinars, training, and events
- Exclusive savings and discounts on career and team development training and additional IIA certifications
- IIA membership also supplies CIA candidates with sizable discounts on CIA exam fees during the year you register for the exam.
The price of individual IIA membership varies by price and location:
IIA Membership Fees
|
Type |
Definition | U.S. (in U.S. dollars) | Canada (in U.S. dollars) |
|
Professional |
For professionals with a primary internal audit role or responsibilities | $260 |
$280 |
|
Government |
Open to individuals employed by an international, national, regional, or local government entity or a publicly controlled or funded agency, enterprise, or other entity that delivers public programs, goods, or services. | $165 |
$165 |
|
Educator |
For individuals principally employed as educators at colleges and universities. No processing fee required. | $145 |
$150 |
|
Student |
Open to individuals currently enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral program who are engaged in a full-time academic schedule at a college or university. Student membership is limited to a 6-year maximum. No processing fee is required. | $40 |
$40 |
|
Retired |
For individuals who retire from active employment while in good standing with the IIA. Individuals may not join the IIA as new members under this classification. No processing fee required. | $90 |
$90 |
| International |
Open to individuals who live outside the U.S., Canada, Caribbean, Bermuda, and Guyana. |
Please visit the IIA Global website for details. |
Please visit the IIA Global website for details. |
To maintain your IIA membership, you must pay your IIA membership fee on an annual basis. If you pay for your membership fee with a bank outside of the U.S., you will have to pay $30 extra to cover bank collection charges.
CIA Exam Fees Breakdown
Taking the CIA exam requires you to pay 4 main fees: the CIA program application fee and the exam fees for each of the 3 CIA exam parts. However, you may also need to account for a few other fees along the way.
1. CIA Program Application Fee
You must pay the CIA program application fee when you apply for the CIA program. As mentioned, this fee will cost you less if you are an IIA member or a student or professor.
Application CIA Exam Fees
| Membership Type |
Application Fee |
| IIA Member |
$115 |
| Non-Member |
$230 |
| Student/Professor |
$65 |
2. CIA Exam Part Fees
The CIA exam has 3 parts, so you must pay a CIA exam part fee for each part. Once again, the fee amounts vary according to your IIA membership or educational status.
Exam Part CIA Exam Fees
| CIA Exam Fee per Part |
Member |
Non-Member |
Student/Professor |
| 1 |
$280 |
$395 |
$230 |
| 2 |
$230 |
$345 |
$180 |
|
3 |
$230 | $345 |
$180 |
| Total |
$740 |
$1,085 |
$590 |
Core CIA Exam Fee Totals
Adding up all of the core CIA exams helps you see what your minimum CIA certification costs will be. And remember, if you pay for the IIA membership or qualify for student or professor discounts, your CIA exam fee totals will be lower.
Core CIA Exam Fee Totals in the U.S.
| Fees |
Non-Member |
Professional IIA Member | Government IIA Member | Professor IIA Member |
Student IIA Member |
| Membership Fee |
N/A |
$260 | $165 | $145 |
$40 |
|
Application Fee |
$230 | $115 | $115 | $65 |
$65 |
| Part 1 Exam Fee |
$395 |
$280 | $280 | $230 |
$230 |
| Part 2 Exam Fee |
$345 |
$230 | $230 | $180 |
$180 |
| Part 3 Exam Fee |
$345 |
$230 | $230 | $180 |
$180 |
| Total |
$1,315 |
$1,115 | $1,020 | $800 |
$695 |
Additional CIA Exam Costs
Once you’ve paid the core CIA exam fees, you should also prepare to pay for some if not all of these additional CIA exam costs, depending on your situation. These expenses may be as vital for you to cover as the IIA’s fees.
1. CIA Review Course
If you want to give yourself the best chance at CIA exam success, then you need to invest in a CIA review course. A CIA review course is a collection of self-study resources that will present and explain the exam content to you so that you can be completely prepared to pass. The IIA expects you to be proficient in much of the CIA exam content, so a CIA review course ensures that you develop a deep understanding of all the information soon enough to pass all 3 parts within 3 years.
Of course, one of the biggest benefits of using a CIA review course to become super familiar with all of the exam content is that you can pass each CIA exam part on the first attempt. In doing so, you’ll avoid paying any exam fees again for failing a CIA exam part.
A CIA review course can also include the support of accounting and exam experts who will be with you every step of the way. Finally, the best CIA exam prep comes with access until you pass guarantees that prevent your course from expiring or costing you more money to update.
The most CIA review courses cost anywhere from $375-$895, so you must expand your CIA certification funds in order to afford one. However, you can save big on your CIA exam prep when you use one of my exclusive CIA review discounts. For example, Gleim CIA Review is the most trusted and widely-used course on the market, and you can usually save at least 20% on their courses when you use my Gleim CIA discount link.
2. Travel and Accommodations
Pearson VUE administers the fully-computerized CIA exam at over 800+ testing centers around the world. Furthermore, at most of these locations, the exam is available in 19 different languages. Therefore, getting to a CIA exam testing center won’t be a financial issue for many CIA candidates. However, if you do need to travel to a neighboring city or country to take the exam, you’ll need to include these costs within your CIA certification budget.
3. CIA Program Extension Fees
As mentioned, you have 3 years from the date of your CIA program application approval to pass all 3 CIA exam parts and complete the remaining CIA requirements. Furthermore, you have 180 days from the date you register for the CIA exam to sit for the exam.
However, if you face an extenuating circumstance during this time, such as an illness, maternity or paternity leave, death in the family, civil unrest, a natural disaster, or military service, the IIA may grant you a one-time extension of the certification program or exam eligibility window.
If you need a CIA program or exam eligibility window extension for reasons other than an extenuating circumstance, the IIA may grant you a one-time extension for these time periods. The program extension lasts 1 year (12 months), and the exam extension lasts 60 days (or until your program expiration date, whichever comes first). You will then have to pay the following program and exam extension fees:
| Fee |
Member |
Non-Member |
|
Certification program extension (12 months) |
$275 |
$275 |
| Exam eligibility window extension (60 days) |
$100 |
$100 |
4. Exam Appointment Cancellation or Rescheduling Fee
Once you schedule your CIA exam testing appointment at your preferred Pearson VUE testing center, you can contact Pearson VUE to cancel or reschedule your appointment as needed during your program and exam eligibility windows. If you take one of these steps within 48 hours of scheduling your appointment, Pearson VUE will not charge you. They will simply confirm your appointment via email.
But, if you need to cancel or reschedule 48 hours after you make your appointment, at which point you would have received the confirmation email, Pearson VUE will charge you $75. You must pay this fee directly to them.
Final Costs for CIA Exam Fees Overall
So, when you factor in the price of a CIA review course, your CIA certification costs go up to $2,000 for non-members and about $1,800 for professional and government IIA members. Students and professors end up paying about $1,500. But purchasing a CIA review course helps you pass the exam faster and save money on retake exam and program extension fees, so I consider it an essential CIA certification cost.
Total CIA Exam Fees Overall
| Fees |
Non-Member |
Professional IIA Member | Government IIA Member | Professor IIA Member |
Student IIA Member |
|
Membership Fee |
N/A | $260 | $165 | $145 |
$40 |
| Application Fee |
$230 |
$115 | $115 | $65 |
$65 |
| Part 1 Exam Fee |
$395 |
$280 | $280 | $230 |
$230 |
| Part 2 Exam Fee |
$345 |
$230 | $230 | $180 |
$180 |
|
Part 3 Exam Fee |
$345 | $230 | $230 | $180 |
$180 |
| CIA Review Course | $759 | $759 | $759 | $759 |
$759 |
|
Total |
$2,074 | $1,874 | $1,779 | $1,559 |
$1,454 |
As you can see, the cost of the CIA certification is comparable to the cost of the CMA certification. What’s more, the CIA is more affordable than the cost of the CPA license or the cost of the CFA designation.
So, depending on your career goals, the CIA may be just as useful to you and cost you a lot less than other accounting certifications. And remember, the benefits of the CIA will more than compensate your investment in the years to come.
Help Earning the CIA Certification
If you’re ready to put the time, effort, and money into passing the CIA exam, then find out which CIA review course is right for you so you can get everything you need to succeed.
And, discover the entire CIA process and how to pass each exam part the first time in my free CIA e-course. Learn more or sign up below!
About the Author Stephanie
I am the author of How to Pass The CPA Exam (published by Wiley) and the publisher of this and several accounting professional exam prep sites.
