CFA August Registration 2026: Apply Online Last Date, Scheduling & Rescheduling Deadline

CFA application fee is:

No, the CFA application form can only be filled online on the official website CFA Institute. There is no option to submit the CFA form in offline mode. Candidates will have to create an account on CFA website once the registrations begin and fill the CFA registration form through that candidate account. Candidates must also note that no other website hosts the CFA application form other than the official website of CFA Institute. The CFA registration fee can be paid online through Credit cards, such as American Express, Diner’s Club, Discover, JCB, MasterCard, UnionPay, or Visa or offline through wire transfer, ACH, check money order, or postal order. Receipt of payment of the fees will be emailed to the candidates.

Candidates have to simply follow the instructions to pay the fee. Candidates must note that fee payment is mandatory for CFA form filling. Until the fee is paid successfully, the form will not be accepted. Thus, candidates must check the fee payment acknowledgement slip after making the payment.

There is no fixed time limit on validity of CFA Registration. Students will get access to digital curriculum after their registration is complete. It is refundable within 14 days of payment. 
Students who want to appear for CFA exam, can register on website of CFA Institute by filling registration form. The students must note that there is no option for offline form filling.

The CFA exam is conducted at 400 locations globally. Candidates can follow the steps mentioned below to know how to choose the CFA test centre location according to their preference:

1. Register for the CFA exam
2. Schedule the exam appointment
3. View the test centre options along with available seating
4. Choose your preferred test centre location as per the planned CBT test centre locations
5. Once the location is confirmed, keep checking daily for new appointments that could be added.

Candidates should note the appointments must be scheduled by the deadline (typically 60 days before the start of the exam window). If the candidate does not see available appointments in their desired exam location, they can continue to check back through the scheduling function for availability to be added in the coming days. Appointments are based on a first-come, first-served basis.

CFA Institute has a refund policy for CFA registration fee. The refund amount can depend on when the student withdraws registration. If withdrawal request is made before early registration then it may be accepted. But even in this case, processing fee will not be refunded. But, if refund request is made after early registration deadline, students may get a partial refund only. In this case, the standard registration window should still be open.If student withdraws registration after the registration window has closed, then they will not be eligible to claim a refund of CFA application fee. Students also have the option of requesting a deferral.

The CFA exam is conducted in various cities across the world. Some of the cities in India where the CFA exam is conducted are listed below:

Students can register for Level 2 of CFA exam after they have passed Level 1 of exam. Likewise, students need to pass Level 2 to apply for Level 3 exam. Hence, there is no way to apply for multiple CFA exam levels at the same time. There is a provision for rescheduling the exam after registering for it. 

It is important to know that students must meet CFA eligibility requirements for each level and pay exam registration fee

Candidates who have appeared for the CFA Level 1 exam and have received their result can apply for the Level 2 CFA exam. Candidates should spend at least six to nine months to prepare for the CFA Level 2 exam using a structured CFA study plan. The CFA Level 2 exam for the November exam registration window is open and the last date to apply is August 5, 2025. 

The following test locations for the CFA exam will be opened from November 2025 session:

• Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Rabat, Morocco
• Maputo, Mozambique
• Mbabane, Swaziland
• Gurgaon/Gurugram, Haryana, India
• Nashik, Maharashtra, India
• Manipal, Karnataka, India

The CFA Program enables candidates to customize their preparation to match their individual needs and circumstances. Following are some numbers to consider in planning a study strategy for the CFA Level II exam.

• Successful candidates report studying on average over 300 hours for each level of the CFA Exam.
• About half of the successful candidates passing the LIII exam passed each exam on the first attempt (i.e. sat a total of three exams) while about a quarter sat a total of four exams.

Students who are registering for the CFA exam for the first are eligible to get a full refund of the enrollement and registration fee including the applicable taxes within 14 days of the payment. The deadline to request a refund is 11:59 ET or 10:29 AM IST on the 14th day. 

The refund policy will not be applicable if the candidate is rescheduling the exam which was previously deffered by them or the CFA Institute. Also, due to changing exchange rates, the refund amount in non-US currencies may differ from what the student had originally paid.  

The CFA refund policy window will close within 14 days and will not be reopened under any circumstances including medical emergency situtations. The enrollment and registration fees also cannot be transferred to another person.

Additionally, if the student ordered a printed curriculum, it cannot be refunded once the order is placed.  

Here is the eligibility criteria for CFA Level 1: Bachelor's degree or equivalent. An exemption can be made where you can write the level 1 if you a) are in the final year of your undergraduate programme, b) have four years of professional experience, or c) have a combination of both, equating to at least four years. Hence, you need to complete your graduation first in order to be eligible for the CFA Exam.

The CFA deferral policy is for the registered candidates who cannot sit for their scheduled exam and want to move to a new exam window. The CFA institute provides two kinds of deferrals to the candidates:

1. Emergency Deferral: To avail this deferral students need to fulfil a set of eligibility criteria. If they match the criteria then they will be given an emergency deferral for their scheduled exam without any cost. Candidates need to provide documentation to support the claim for an emergency deferral.
2. Paid Deferral: The paid deferral can be availed once per paid exam for USD 399 up until the deadline. When the candidate purchases a deferral, they may postpone their exam appointment for up to 12 months, depending on their exam level and appointment availability. 

The registration fee for the CFA exam is USD 940 for early registration and USD 1,250 for standard registration. The one-time enrollment fee is USD 350. Candidates who register for the exam can pay the CFA application fee online as well as offline through the following methods:

• Credit cards:
  • American Express
  • Diners Club
  • Discover
  • JCB
  • MasterCard
  • UnionPay
  • Visa
• Alipay
• Offline payments with an Invoice (available up to 40 days before the close of registration)
  • Personal, corporate, or bank checks (i.e., certified check, cashier’s check)
  • Money or postal orders
  • ACH or wire transfer

The authorities have introduced a new payment method for candidates residing in India. CFA Institute has partnered with education loan provider Eduvanz to offer EMI option for candidates who are interested in registering for the CFA exam (interest rate to be applied). This EMI payment option can only be availed by applicants residing in India, using the “Pay by Invoice” option during the checkout process, and submitting the invoice along with the EMI payment method*. The “Pay by invoice” option is available up to 40 days before the close of registration.

Once the candidates have made the payment, they will receive a receipt of the payment on their registered email ID. Candidates can also download the payment receipt by logging in to the official website. The candidates must note that all the payments are to be made in dollars. 

CFA application form is available on website of CFA institute. Candidates can fill and pay application fee by creating a login ID. The CFA exam schedule is announced on the official website for each level exam. Given below is a brief description on how to fill the CFA application form: 

• Visit website of CFA institute
• Click on the application link
• Create a login account with your email ID.
• You will be asked to enter your name, email ID, and password, and enter a security question.
• After you’ve created an account, you can log in and fill up the form.
• Enrollment fee payment can be done online through Credit cards: American Express, Diner’s Club, Discover, JCB,   MasterCard, UnionPay, or Visa
• Or offline through wire transfer, ACH, check money order, or postal order. Receipt of payment of the fees will be emailed to the candidates.

No, students cannot apply for CFA Level 2 exam before completing and passing CFA Level 1 exam. CFA Program has a strict order. Progression ensures that students have a solid understanding of foundational concepts covered in Level 1 before advancing to more complex and specialised material in Levels 2 and 3.