1. Submit the Interest Form
Any individual, company or organization that wants to offer continuing professional education (CPE) credits for U.S. licensed Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) should apply to join the Registry. The organization must have previous experience in developing, presenting, measuring and reporting some type of educational or training program. The program does not need to be offered for the CPA profession or awarded for CPE credit. After the complete interest form is submitted, a link to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors application will be sent to the main contact. After the complete interest form is submitted, a link to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors will be sent to the main contact. The email address is cpe@nasba.org. Some mail client security features may reject this address, so make sure email settings are set to accept messages from this address.
2. Get Acquainted with the Standards
Before proceeding with the online initial application, the organization should read the 2026 Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs. These are the Standards by which the application will be measured for compliance.
3. Complete Initial Application
The Registry application is a detailed process, and potential sponsors should take the necessary steps in providing a complete application. The online application is an intuitive and interactive interface by which the organization can upload all materials that are relevant for the delivery method it is seeking for approval. The application contains help text to assist in completion of required elements. Examples may be found in the sample template section. The application and review fees can also be paid through this secure system. The online application form will allow applicants to save and return to complete it at a later date. The organization will be prompted to supply a login and password to access the incomplete form.
Applicants may apply for multiple instructional delivery methods (group; QAS™ self study; nano learning; and blended learning) within the initial application. The organization will be requested to submit certain documentation and program materials for one program of each instructional delivery method for which the organization is applying. All of the requested documentation for the application should relate to the submitted program. For example, if the submitted course is titled, “Accounting ABCs,” then all submitted materials—program materials, descriptive/promotional materials, certificate of completion, evaluation form, etc.—should be for the “Accounting ABCs” program.
4. Main Contact Notified of Status
Once the organization has submitted an initial application, the organization will receive a confirmation email.
5. Application Review Process Begins
The application will be considered complete once all documentation and fees are submitted. The National Registry team reviews the application to determine if the policies, procedures, and course are compliant with the Standards. The initial application process consists of a hands-on evaluation by the National Registry of CPE Sponsors administrative review team. Applications will be assigned to a National Registry Account Manager. An assigned Account Manager will evaluate the administrative materials to measure against the applicable Standards. Applications are reviewed in the order in which they are received.
Application Review Documentation
The required documents for the application include:
Administrative Documents
- Administrative policies: The Administrative Policies are required for submission with an application. The purpose of the Administrative Policies is to ensure that applicants and sponsors understand what is required of them regarding record retention, refunds, cancellations, complaint resolution, and course update policies.
- Program Content Development Policies: As part of the National Registry application process, applicants must submit Program Content Development Policies with an application. The purpose of the Program Content Development Policies is to ensure that the organization understands the requirements as they relate to program content and knowledge levels, delivery systems, and content development as it relates to course authors/developers, reviewers, and the inclusion of measurable learning objectives.
- Program List: A program list is required for submission with an application. For initial/ADM applications, the program list should identify Group programs the organization anticipates offering in the year following approval. If all program offerings have not yet been determined, submit the known course offerings and remit fees based on that program offering level. If, during the year, the organization will exceed the number of program offerings included in the initial application, please contact the organization's National Registry Account Manager and request an upgrade to the program level.
- Descriptive/Promotional Material: Applicants must submit representative descriptive/promotional materials. These materials should demonstrate how the organization will disclose the significant features of a program in advance, consistent with requirements of Section 8 of the 2026 Standards. These materials are meant to provide advanced notice to potential participants when determining if the program is suitable for their CPE requirements. This documentation also communicates, where applicable, that the organization is registered with NASBA as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. Descriptive/Promotional Materials should be exemplary of the course submitted for the review.
- Course Evaluation: Applicants must submit a representative course evaluation. The evaluation should demonstrate how the organization will evaluate learning activity quality and participant feedback consistent with Section 4, Paragraphs 4.04- 4.04.2. The objectives of evaluation are to assess participant and instructor satisfaction with specific programs and to increase subsequent program effectiveness.
- Certificate of Completion: Applicants must submit a representative certificate of completion. The certification should demonstrate how the organization will provide participants with documentation of program completion consistent with Section 9 of the 2026 Standards. The certificate of completion is meant to provide program participants with documentation of their participation in a program/course. The certificate of completion should be exemplary of the course submitted for review.
Group Program Additional Materials:
- Participant Engagement Documentation: Participant engagement documentation should be submitted with the application to demonstrate how the program includes participant engagement related to course content at least once during each full credit of CPE, as required by Section 5.01.1. Sponsors should provide evidence of what is specifically planned for the program, such as prompts, activities, discussion questions, polling questions, case scenarios, or other materials showing where participant engagement will occur.
- Completion Verification Documentation: An explanation of the planned Completion Verification requirement is needed for submission with a group application. The purpose of this documentation is to satisfy the requirements of Section 6, Paragraph 6.01 and 6.01.1. CPE program sponsors must maintain a process to monitor individual attendance at group programs. For non-technology-based methods, the application should describe how attendance or participation is monitored, who is responsible for verification, what records are retained, and how the sponsor determines the amount of CPE credit awarded. Participant self-certification alone is not sufficient. When a sponsor uses technology-delivered attendance prompts or verification mechanisms to verify attendance, those mechanisms must occur at least three times per 50-minute CPE credit hour and must lack predictability, consistent with Section 6.01.1. The completion verification/monitoring mechanism does not have to be related to course content, but if it is, the items used for this component can also fulfill the requirement for group Participant Engagement.
Use of the Group Applicant Checklist available on the templates page of our website can assist the organization during program development.
Courses identified as Taxes, Accounting, or Auditing Fields of Study will be reviewed for content and technical accuracy by an outside, independent CPA. If there are areas of non-compliance, the Instructional Design Reviewer will send an email to the main contact on the account with an Instructional Design Report attached. Each element on the modification report must be addressed. The organization will have two weeks from the date of the email to submit course corrections. Non-responsiveness to requests for modifications and/or the inability to complete the modifications in a reasonable time frame may lead to closing the application. Once the course is compliant with the Standards, the application will be accepted and the organization will be approved for sponsorship.
6. Content Review
One program for each instructional delivery method for which the organization is applying is reviewed for content and technical accuracy.
• Program/Course Materials are required for submission with an application to demonstrate that the program content is current, accurate, technically correct, and consistent with the course description, learning objectives, delivery format, and CPE Credit awarded. The purpose of this documentation is to satisfy the requirements of Section 4, Paragraph 4.01. This documentation is meant to establish that the course content aligns with the recommenced CPE, what is being advertised, and that the material is current, accurate, and technically correct. The course slide deck, handouts, detailed speaker notes & scripts, case studies and/or exercises will be reviewed for content appropriate for CPE credit. Participant Engagement components should be included to show where they are placed within the course content.
• Author & Reviewer Bios: Biographies of program instructor/developers and reviewers are required for submission The classroom or conference instructor/presenter is a vital part of the content delivery; the organization is required to provide biographies of the instructor/developer and reviewer. Qualifications listed in instructor/author biographies must show evidence of expertise in the subject matter and instructional strategies. This documentation is also meant to ensure that individuals acting as the course reviewers have subject matter knowledge and are separate from the development team. A biography, resume, curriculum vitae, or comparable written documentation may be used if it contains enough detail to establish the individual’s relevant qualifications. Links to webpages or LinkedIn profiles should not be submitted as the sole evidence of qualifications because the documentation must be retained and available for review. Applicants should provide a stable document containing the relevant qualification information.
7. Observation
Programs presented in an online format are reviewed for content and technical accuracy. It is required as part of the review for the organization to schedule an observation for NASBA to review. If a program is not currently being presented for other participants, then NASBA will need to observe a demonstration. The review will be conducted by either a National Registry Account Manager or an outside, independent CPA. The program will be reviewed for content, technical accuracy, participant engagement, and completion verification. Process time depends upon the agreed-upon date for program review.
8. Request for Modifications
If there are areas of non-compliance, a National Registry Account Manager will send an email requesting modifications. Each element included on the modification report must be addressed. If there are any questions, please contact the Account Manager assigned to the application. Applicants will have two weeks from the date of the email to submit the modified documentation and materials. Non-responsiveness to requests for modifications and/or the inability to complete the modifications in a reasonable time frame may lead to closing the application.
9. Application Approved
Once the initial application is approved, the organization will be provided with a National Registry of CPE Sponsors ID number and approval letter.
While the review focuses on the one fully developed program submitted with the application, approval is not granted on a course-by-course basis. Approval is granted for the respective delivery method for the number of programs (or credits) to be offered in the instructional delivery method for the upcoming year, which is indicated on the application. Approval is granted for one year and must be renewed annually at the sponsor level.
Upon approval, the expectation is that the same requirements demonstrated during the application review process will be implemented to all other programs that are developed and offered to CPAs for CPE credit under the organization's Registry membership. Therefore, if the organization was required to make modifications to documentation or the CPE program during the application process, those same modifications should be considered and implemented to all other programs offered under the Registry membership.
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