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About CPIA® Recertification

CPIA® credential holders must recertify every five years. Recertification must be accomplished prior to the certification expiration date to avoid a lapse. If the lapse in certification is greater than six months, the CPIA® must take and pass the examination in order to reinstate the credential. Certification must be maintained to continue using the CPIA® credential after your name. Recertification may be achieved either by:

Deadlines & Fees

Those who became certified or recertified in 2020 are due to recertify in 2025.

Recertification by Continuing Education

Candidates should submit their recertification by continuing education application before the due date so there is enough time to process your application and to ensure you have enough eligible continuing education credits before the deadline. Candidates’ credentials are valid during the review process
Certification Date
Recertification Application Due Date
Certification Expiration Date
Spring 2020
June 1, 2025
June 30, 2025
Fall 2020
December 1, 2025
December 31, 2025

Recertification by Examination

Candidates may submit their exam applications on a rolling basis. After candidates’ exam applications are approved, they will be sent an email eligibility notice that contains their 90 day window in which they may test. Be sure to plan ahead to allow ample time for the review process and finding an exam appointment.
Certification Date
Date of Testing must be no later than
Certification Expiration Date
Spring 2020
June 30, 2025
June 30, 2025
Fall 2020
December 31, 2025
December 31, 2025

Recertification Fee

The recertification fee is $425 for all candidates, whether recertifying by continuing education or examination.

Recertification Options

Recertification by Examination

Candidates may opt to recertify by exam instead of completing continuing education credits. Review the CPIA® Exam Handbook and our CPIA® exams webpage for more information on exam content and exam delivery options. For additional tools to support studying and exam preparation, visit our CPIA® Exam Resources webpage. Examination applications may be submitted through PSI, our testing partner. Please upload a current CV/resume along with your application.

Recertification by Continuing Education

Recertification by continuing education (CE) may be achieved by completing 50 hours of CE credits as described below in the recertification by CE guidelines and emailing all supporting documentation, a completed CE tracker, and the CPIA® recertification by CE application to certification@primr.org. For detailed information and resources throughout the recertification by CE process, review our CPIA® Recertification by CE Resources webpage. Those wishing to recertify by continuing education should download and complete the CE Tracker. Candidates must fill out the CEU Tracker tab within this spreadsheet; credit hours will automatically populate in the Credit Hours tab. Individuals are responsible for obtaining source documentation for recertification credit and for including copies of such documentation with their applications. Review our CPIA® Documentation webpage for guidelines on obtaining documentation.
CPIA® Recertification by CE Application
Download the Excel CE TrackerCIPA® Documentation Webpage
CPIA® Recertification by CE Resources Webpage

Submitting the Recertification by CE Application

August 2025: Our online application system is currently on pause while we make some updates. Please email your complete application to certification@primr.org for the time being. We now have an online application system for those who are recertifying by CE. Recertification candidates should log in to their PRIM&R profile to initiate the recertification process. Candidates will securely upload all supporting documentation, submit their completed Excel CE tracker, and fill out the CPIA® recertification by CE application form online. Please note that candidates’ credentials are valid during the review process.
Candidates can pay the recertification fee online through their PRIM&R profile. If a candidate prefers to pay via check, please make out the payment to PRIM&R and send it to the PO Box listed below. If paying via check, there will be an option to generate an invoice and notate that payment is forthcoming during the payment step of the online application system.
Payment Address: P.O. Box 849502 Boston, MA 02284-9502
For more information on submitting your application online, watch and follow along with our step-by-step video!

Acceptable Continuing Education Credits

Acceptable continuing education credits for the 50 hours may include:
Category
Description
Credit Hours Earned
1
Attendance at IACUC administration-related educational programs
1 per hour attended
2
Participation in IACUC administration-related online training, conferences, and webinars
1 per hour attended
3
Participation as an invited speaker in an IACUC administration-related educational program sponsored by a local or national organization
1 per half hour presented
4
Service as a site visitor (e.g. AAALAC or OLAW)
5 per site visit per day
5
Authorship of articles relevant to IACUC administration in peer-reviewed journals (e.g. ILAR, JAALAS, Lab Animal)
10 per published article
6
First authorship or presenter of posters relevant to IACUC administration presented at a meeting
5 per poster
7
Authorship of opinion articles or articles which are not peer-reviewed in journals and are related to IACUC administration (e.g., Contribute an article to ALN or publish a response in Lab Animal magazine's "Protocol Review" column)
2 per published article
8
Authorship of published book chapters relevant to IACUC administration
15 per chapter
9
Item writing for the CPIA exam 2 per 5 questions accepted
Inactive
10
Attendance at a CPIA exam item review session
Inactive
11
Retired

12
Participation in an IACUC administration-related local or regional networking group*
1 per 2 hours attended (maximum of 15 credits)
13
Participation in a self-study program, such as PRIM&R’s Research Ethics Digest animal care and use quiz, AALAS Learning Library modules, and CITI modules. Digest animal care and use quiz, AALAS Learning Library modules, and CITI modules.
1 per quiz; .5 hours for each module (maximum of 10 credits)
*Candidates must provide either a certificate of attendance signed by the host/leader of the meeting showing topics and total hours, or a copy of the minutes from the meeting showing attendees, topics, and total hours.

Guidelines At-A-Glance

CPIAs must complete 50 documented hours of continuing education (CE) that adhere to the recertification guidelines listed below:
  • At least 40 hours must be on topics within the CPIA® Body of Knowledge/Content Outline as it relates to IACUC administration.
  • Up to 10 hours can be on professional development topics not directly related to IACUC administration (examples include leadership/management training and general laboratory animal science topics).
  • All CE credits must be earned after the date the examination was passed, but before the date the certification expires. For those recertifying by CE for a consecutive time, CE credits for the most recent recertification cycle must be earned after the renewal date of the preceding certification term.
  • Credit hours for Categories 1 and 2 are awarded on an hour to hour (1:1) basis, meaning that every hour of classroom learning is equivalent to one continue education credit. Credits are quartered in .25 increments, meaning every 15 minutes is equal to .25 credit hour.
  • No more than 30 continuing education hours may be earned in a single category with the exceptions of Category 2 (online training, conferences, and webinars) and there are additional restrictions noted under Category 12 (local or regional IACUC administration-related networking group meetings) and Category 13 (participation in a self-study program).
  • There are no credit restrictions for Category 2 (online training, conferences, and webinars). This allows recertification candidates to earn all their credit hours by participating in eligible webinars, online courses, and virtual meetings. Candidates must still earn 50 eligible continuing education hours in order to recertify; credit limits for other recertification by continuing education categories remain in place.
  • Credit hours must be earned in at least two of the categories described in the "Acceptable Continuing Education Categories" section.
  • The Council for Certified Professionals in IACUC Administration has the discretion to determine the acceptability of continuing education credits.

Unacceptable Continuing Education Activities

  • Accreditation preparation activities
  • Hours spent attending IACUC meetings
  • Training conducted as part of IACUC meetings

CPIA® Program Review Requests for Continuing Education Credit

The CPIA® Council is available to review educational programs for continuing education credit. Please visit our CPIA® Program Review Requests webpage for more information and to submit a request.

CPIA® Denial of Recertification

Those who are denied recertification by CE because of improper/incomplete documentation may appeal that decision by writing to the Council for Certified Professionals in IACUC Administration, in care of PRIM&R. The letter must clearly describe the reasons why the candidate believes that recertification was improperly denied and include all documentation to support such a claim. This appeal must be postmarked no later than 30 days after the postmark date of the original denial letter. The appeal will be considered by the CPIA Council and written notice of the final decision will be sent to the candidate.  There are no refunds if an audit reveals a problem with the application.