Accredited Financial Counselor Program Application Guidelines for University Program Registration

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1 Accredited Financial Counselor Program Application Guidelines for University Program Registration Program Guidelines: Undergraduate, graduate programs with main focus in personal finance, financial counseling, personal financial planning or consumer sciences (minimum of 18 credit hours in relevant, approved coursework) are eligible to have full-time enrolled students take the exam. Programs must include a financial counseling or planning internship field experience as part of the program. Certificate programs from accredited institutions will be considered on a case-bycase basis subject to review of curriculum. Undergraduate minors or coursework in related fields will be considered on a caseby-case basis subject to review of curriculum. Students must have a substantial focus and commitment to the personal finance field. The University Supervisor must be an AFC in good standing, or have a graduate degree from a financial planning, financial counseling or other degree approved on a case-by-case basis. Student Requirements: Complete coursework in approved program. Earn a 70% score or above on each of two examinations within one year of enrollment. Acquire 1,000 hours of relevant financial counseling/financial education work experience. Submit four letters of reference attesting to professional competence one from a supervisor, one from the university supervising professor, one from a colleague, and one from a client. Sign and agree to abide by the Accredited Financial Counselor Code of Ethics. Renew certification by paying annual certification fee ($45 in 2012) and acquiring 30 hours of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in each bi-annual reporting period.

2 Process: To apply for program registration, a University Supervisor must submit the Application for Initial Registration of University Curriculum with AFCPE with the review fee payment. Once a program has been approved, the student must submit the Student Enrollment Form including the enrollment fee of $50. The examination fee is $175 (undergraduate student) and $225 (graduate student) per exam. There are two examinations. Study materials are not included in the enrollment fee or examination fee. Study guides can be purchased separately for $25 each. Payment for an examination shall accompany each request for examination. Students may request an examination by completing the Examination Request Form and submitting it at least 14 days prior to the anticipated examination date. The examination fee must be included with the examination request form in order for the request to be processed. University Supervisors are encouraged to help their students find a proctoring service on campus (testing center, library proctoring service or cooperative extension office). Supervising professors may proctor an examination. Examinations are given in an online format and are scored immediately by the computer testing system. However, examination scores are not valid until AFCPE receives a completed and signed Examination Notification Form from the proctor. Upon receipt of a valid Examination Notification Form (provided by the proctor directly by fax or ), students will be notified of their official grade. From the date of enrollment in the Accredited Financial Counselor program, the student has one year to complete both examinations (at the reduced rate) and three years to complete all requirements to become an Accredited Financial Counselor. A university Supervisor must sign below to signify understanding of the requirements of the Accredited Financial Counselor program in order for students to receive the discounted fee structure outlined above. I certify that I understand the requirements of the Accredited Financial Counselor program as outlined above. I also certify that the students for whom I sign enrollment forms will be students in the majors or minors as outlined above at my university. Name (print) University Signature Date

3 INITIAL APPLICATION FOR CURRICULUM REGISTRATION WITH AFCPE Date of Application (mm/dd/yyyy): Institution Name: College Name: Address: Address 1 Address 2 City, ST Zip Website: Contact Information: Supervising Professor Name: Title: Degrees and Designations/Certifications: Address:Address 1 Address 2 City, ST Zip Telephone: Fax: Program Description: Degree programs: provide the full degree title for your program listing (e.g. B.S., Financial Counseling) Non-degree programs: Provide the full program title for your program listing (e.g. Family Financial Planning Certificate Program).

4 Program Delivery Method Curriculum: Classroom Self-Study (text based) Distance Learning Hybrid (classroom and distance) List the courses to be taken by students that will give them proficiency in the subject areas outlined in the registration guidelines. Use additional pages if necessary. Course Number Course Title Credit Hours Textbooks Competencies Covered Instructor Program Length Number of courses in your program: Number of weeks of each course: Number of contact hours in each course:

5 Assessment Tools: Please describe the assessment tools used to determine satisfactory completion for courses related to personal finance, financial counseling and financial planning. each course. Application Payment: One-time University Program Application Review fee: $100 MasterCard/Visa/American Express OR Check # Card Number: Exp: Name on Card: Cardholder