CFA Admission 2026: Registration, Qualification, Selection Process

Updated on Jun 15, 2025 06:55 IST
Akansha Bisht

Akansha BishtSenior Executive

CFA full form is Chartered Financial Analyst which is a globally recognized professions. Through this candidates can become CFA. The CFA institute is in USA which certifies the Financial Analysts. Candidates should pass Class 12 or be in the last year of UG course to be eligible. Also they should pass CFA exam (Level 1, 2 and 3) and have 4,000 hours or minimum of 3 years of work experience.

CFA Eligibility 

Candidates can see the general outline of the CFA eligibility below:

Parameters Details
Education
  • The candidate must have a bachelor's degree or be in the final year of graduation at the time of CFA exam registration.
  • The exam window for Level I should be 23 months or fewer before the candidate's graduation month. 
Work Experience
  • A minimum of 4,000 hours of work experience, completed in a minimum of 36 months.
  • Qualified hours must be directly related to the investment decision-making process or producing a work product that informs or adds value to that process.
  • Experience earned through full-time, part-time, or remote work arrangements – before, during, or after participation in the CFA Program – can qualify.
Additional Requirements
  • Fluency in the English language.
  • Must have a valid international travel passport to sit for the exams. 
  • Create an account and register on the official website of the CFA Institute. Through registration, the students will be able to pay and schedule their exam.
  • Exam appointments are first-come, first-served, and availability differs depending on the exam center.

CFA Admission Process

Candidates can see the table below:

Parameters Details
Education Bachelors degree from an accredited institution or be in the final year of your undergraduate studies.
Work Experience You need a minimum of four years of professional work experience in the investment decision-making process. This experience can be gained before, during, or after taking the CFA exams.
CFA Exams
  • CFA Level 1: This is the foundational level, covering a broad range of topics
  • CFA Level 2: Builds upon Level 1, delving deeper into the concepts
  • CFA Level 3: Focuses on portfolio management and wealth planning emphasizing the ethical and professional responsibilities of investment professionals.

CFA Exams 

Candidates can see the table below:

Entrance Exams

Exam Dates

Exam Schedule

CFA Level 1

  • 14 May ' 25 - 20 May ' 25
  • 20 Aug ' 25 - 26 Aug ' 25 
  • 12 Nov ' 25 - 18 Nov ' 25
CFA Exam Schedule 2025

CFA Level 2

  • 14 May ' 25 - 20 May ' 25
  • 27 Aug ' 25 - 31 Aug ' 25
  • 19 Nov ' 25 - 23 Nov ' 25

CFA Level 3

  • 15 Aug ' 25 - 19 Aug ' 25

Note: Students can give exam for max 2 times per calender year but not in continuous window (lesser than 6 months). Max attempts - 6  

CFA Exam Syllabus

Candidates can see the table below:

CFA Level 1 Syllabus

Exam Weightage

Ethical and Professional Standards

15 - 20%

Quantitative Methods

8 - 12%

Economics

8 - 12%

Financial Statement Analysis

13 - 17%

Corporate Issuers

8 - 12%

Equity Investments

10 - 12%

Fixed Income

10 - 12%

Derivatives

5 - 8%

Alternative Investments

5 - 8%

Portfolio Management and Wealth Planning

5 - 8%

Candidates can see the table below for Level 2 topic weightage:

CFA Level 2 Syllabus Exam Weightage
Quantitative Methods 5 - 10%
Economics 5 - 10%
Financial Reporting and Analysis 10 - 15%
Corporate Issuers 5 - 10%
Equity Valuation 10 - 15%
Fixed Income 10 - 15%
Derivatives 5 - 10%
Alternative Investments 5 - 10%
Portfolio Management 10 - 15%
Ethical and Professional Standards 10 - 15%

Candidates can see the table below for Level 3 topic weightage:

CFA Level 3 Syllabus Exam Weightage
Asset Allocation 15 - 20%
Portfolio Construction 15 - 20%
Performance Measurement 5 - 10%
Derivatives and Risk Management 10 - 15%
Ethical and Professional Standards 10 - 15%
Pathways (Portfolio Management or Private Markets, or Private Wealth) 30 - 35%

Best CFA Colleges

Candidates can see the table below:

Best CFA Colleges Admission Details Tuition Fee
Centre for Financial Management, Kolkata INR 11,000
EduKart.com INR 16,000
IMS Proschool, Bangalore INR 20,000 - 40,000
IMS ProSchool, Pune INR 20,000 - 40,000
Indian School of Business Management & Administration, Surat INR 20,900
ICICIdirect Centre For Financial Learning INR 28,500
IIJT, Indore INR 28,870 - 40,450
Miles Education INR 35,400
The Indian Institute of Financial Planning INR 40,000
Financial Planning Academy INR 3.5 Lakh
Table of contents
  • Popular CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Level 1,2 & 3 Colleges in India
  • Popular Private CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Level 1,2 & 3 Colleges in India
  • Popular CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Level 1,2 & 3 Specializations

Popular CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Level 1,2 & 3 Colleges in India

Following are the most popular CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Level 1,2 & 3 Colleges in India. Learn more about these CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Level 1,2 & 3 colleges (Courses, Reviews, Answers & more) by downloading the Brochure.
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Popular Private CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Level 1,2 & 3 Colleges in India

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Popular CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Level 1,2 & 3 Specializations

Following are the most popular CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Level 1,2 & 3 Specializations . You can explore the top Colleges offering these Specializations by clicking the links below.

Popular Specializations

qna

Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...

Answered Yesterday

There is no direct answer to this because it all depends on which career you choose.  

CFAs earn higher in global finance, investing and portfolio management. But CAs earn better in traditional accounting, auditing and taxation. 

Candidates can still see a general outline of starting and the highest s

...Read more

J

Jaya Shukla

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

Both fields are kind of different. They serve different purposes. You can choose on the basis of your long-term career goals. 

CFA is all about finance, investment & portfolio. It requires 3 years to cover and is good for you if you are seeking globally recognised credentials. It leads to quicker sal

...Read more

D

Diya Nihalani

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

No, there is no age limit to take the CFA Level 3 exam. However, students should have completed their graduation and fulfil other exam criteria. 

N

Nishtha Shukla

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 2 months ago

The following are the instructions for CFA exam admit card:

  • The details mentioned on the admit card should be correct
  • Arrive the exam centre at least an hour before the exam
  • The details should march the ones mentioned in the passport

If any of the information mentioned above needs to be corrected or upd

...Read more

R

Rohini Bhatnagar

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 2 months ago

Candidates who are interested in investment analysis and portfolio management, want a global career or are ready to invest in further exams can opt for CFA. But if they wnat accounting and auditing, want a strong domestic career base and also value wide options of career options they can go for CA.

78439168
Saumya Jain

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

Unlike the Level 1 exam, CFA Level 2 exam does not only have MCQs. It also consists of item set questions which will be comprised of vignettes. 

N

Nishtha Shukla

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 2 months ago

No, CFA Level 1 exam only have 180 multiple choice questions. Students have to choose the correct option from the given options. 

A

Abhishek Kumar

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 2 months ago

CFA Level 1 exam is conducted for a total of 4.5 hours. The exam is spread in 2 sessions. Each session duration is 2 hours and 15 minutes.

R

Rohini Bhatnagar

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 2 months ago

CFA Level 1 exam is considered very tough and challenging. The average pass rate for Level 1 CFA exam stands at just 41% indicating the difficult nature of the exam. 

M

Mayank Singh

Contributor-Level 6

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