CFA Course - Chartered Financial Analyst Admissions 2025

CFA Admission is done on the basis of a 3-stage examination system. Candidates have to qualify all the 3 levels of examination crafted by the CFA Institute, USA.

CFA is a prestigious designation, well known worldwide. CFA serves as a golden standard in the investment and finance field globally.

To get a quick insight about the CFA admission process one must read through the table that showcases all the necessary information.  

To take admission to a CFA course, one has to first be aware of the eligibility norms. The eligibility requirements are set by the CFA Institute, USA. Candidates who are unable to fulfil all the requirements, will not be able to fill the CFA admission form. Candidates must ensure that they fulfil at least one of the specific eligibility norms and all of the general eligibility requirements.

Specific Requirements: (any one requirement to be fulfilled)

• The candidates must have completed their bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree in Commerce stream from a recognised university. or, 
• Candidates who are in the final year of their bachelor’s degree can also register. However, candidates must pass their graduation course prior to the date of registering for the CFA Level 2 examination. or, 
• Candidates must also have a minimum work experience of 4000 hours or an amalgamation of total of 4000 hours of work experience or higher education obtained over a minimum period of 3 consecutive years before registering for CFA Level 1 examination. or, 
• Candidates can also have a mix of work experience and education collected over a minimum of 36 months. However, the dates of education and practical job experience must not coincide. and,
• The work experience of candidates pursuing an internship or articleship or practising independently in their own businesses will also be considered as work experience if it is a paid one. It is not essential to work in the field of investment market but in any field. 

General Requirements: (all requirements to be fulfilled)

• An essential CFA admission norm is that the candidates must also have an international passport.
• Moreover, one must also be fluent in the English language to take CFA Admission. 
• Individuals are also required to put forward a professional and valid compliance statement.
• There are some countries with which the CFA Institute cannot work. Thus, candidates must ensure that they live in a CFA participant country.

The average CFA admission fee ranges between ? 1,00,000 to 5,00,000 in India. It is 10x more abroad. However, the CFA admission is still considered affordable when we look at the return on investment that applicants get after completing the CFA course.

The CFA admission 2023 is divided into 3 levels; CFA Level 1, CFA Level 2, CFA Level 3. CFA Level 1 Exams are conducted four times a year, while CFA Level 2 and 3 exams are conducted twice to offer CFA Admission 2023. Candidates have to qualify all the 3 levels to get the CFA certification.

The CFA entrance exam schedule for 2023 is listed below for your reference. Candidates who are planning to appear for the exam this year, must take a note of it.

CFA Exam 2023 Schedule

The CFA admission begins with the qualification of CFA 3 level entrance exam. The syllabus of the CFA course is designed by the CFA Institute and is common across India and abroad. Some of the primary subjects around which the CFA entrance exam syllabus revolves include ethical and professional studies, financial statement analysis, economics, fixed income, quantitative methods, equity investments, corporate issuers, derivatives, portfolio management, alternative investments and wealth planning.

The detailed level-wise CFA syllabus is given below. 

CFA Level 1: Basic aspects of the investment analysis are covered at this level. The level comprises a total of ten topics that will be covered using investment tools.

CFA Level 2: This phase comprises the application of investment tools and topics that are focused on the valuation of different types of assets.

CFA Level 3: In this level, an emphasis is laid on synthesizing all of the concepts and analytical methods in order to learn their applications for wealth planning and effective portfolio management.

The CFA Institute has a standardized CFA admission and selection procedure which is to be followed mandatorily both in India and abroad. The detailed selection process is highlighted below for your convenience. 

• To get admission into CFA, candidates have to qualify the CFA institute-level exams.
• Candidates with work experience are always given priority in the CFA selection process. So one has to achieve qualified work experience.
• The next step is to submit reference letters, minimum 2-3 reference letters are to be submitted defining your experience and professional character.
• Once all the process is complete, the candidates get the CFA charterholder certification.

The CFA admission application form will be available on the official website of the CFA Institute. There are a total of three levels of CFA course, for each level candidates have to register themselves. A candidate will only be able to register for the next level if he or she has qualified the previous level. While re-registration candidates have to follow the same procedure, with only one alteration that is they have to upload their previous CFA exam result. Given below is the detailed CFA admission application process.

Step 1: Check Eligibility Norms - The very first step is to look for the revised eligibility criteria, CFA admission includes set eligibility parameters which include both general eligibility norms and academic eligibility norms.

Step 2: Create your Account with the CFA Institute - The next step is to visit the official website of the CFA Institute and create your account using a valid email address, username and password. The CFA application form is to be filled online only. 

Step 3: Look if you Qualify for any Scholarship - A lot of scholarships are offered when applying for the CFA admission, candidates must get detailed information about the scholarships offered from the official website and must apply for the scholarship form along with the CFA admission application form.

Step 4: Pay the Examination Fee - After you have successfully registered for the CFA admission process, you have to pay the application as well as the examination fee using the provided payment gateway mechanism. The examination fee is to be paid online only. After paying the examination fee,  the candidates must download the receipt/ acknowledgement/ confirmation letter and save it for future reference.

Step 5: Schedule your Examination - The last and final step is to schedule your examination/ appointment in accordance with the available dates. Scheduling is obligatory and free of charge. When scheduling your CFA exam, you have to choose the date, time and exam venue. Candidates must download the acknowledgement/ confirmation letter for future reference.

When filling the CFA application form, a few documents are required. These documents are to be uploaded in the prescribed format at the time of registration of the CFA admission process. The documents that are to be attested must be authentic, as providing illegal documents can lead to cancellation of the CFA admission process and makes things tough for the candidate. 

• Name of the Applicant
• Scanned Recent Coloured Photograph of the Applicant
• Scanned Signature of the Applicant
• Class X Marksheet
• Class XII Marksheet
• Graduation Marksheet 
• Post Graduation Marksheet, if any
• Applicant’s Date of Birth Certificate 
• Applicant Gender Certificate 
• Exam Centre Preferred Location
• Applicant’s Mobile Number 
• Mobile Number of the applicant
• Applicant’s Email Address 
• Name of the Applicant’s Parents
• Permanent and Temporary Address of the Applicant
• Applicant’s Nationality
• Applicant’s Passport
• Applicant’s Employer Location
• Applicant’s Profession