Exercise Physiologist Certification: ACSM-EP and the 2027 Rule

The main exercise physiologist certification is the ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-EP), from the American College of Sports Medicine. You need a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, exercise physiology or kinesiology, current adult CPR/AED, and a $460 exam ($350 for members).

From August 15, 2027, your degree must come from a program accredited by CAAHEP, the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, or one that has started that process.

What Is the ACSM Exercise Physiologist Certification and Who Is It For?

ACSM says a Certified Exercise Physiologist conducts and interprets physical fitness assessments and develops exercise prescriptions for people who are healthy or have medically controlled diseases. In plain terms, you test how fit someone is, then you write the plan.

It’s the credential to look at if you’re finishing an exercise science degree and want clinic, hospital, rehab or wellness work. ACSM’s 2024 annual report counted 12,158 active ACSM-EP holders on December 27, 2024. That’s nearly three times the 4,187 who held the clinical version, the ACSM-CEP.

One thing to settle early. This credential is a certification from a professional organization. It isn’t a license, and it doesn’t replace a degree. It sits on top of one.

What Are the ACSM-EP Requirements Right Now?

ACSM’s eligibility policy, revised February 6, 2026, sets requirements by the date your degree is awarded. Here’s the side-by-side.

The coursework is where transcripts trip people up. Your official transcript has to show these seven areas:

• Exercise physiology, as a stand-alone course of at least 3 credits
• Strength and conditioning, principles-based (activity-only courses don’t count)
• Applied kinesiology or biomechanics
• Anatomy and physiology
• Exercise testing and prescription, covering healthy and special populations
• Special populations, such as cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, older adult and pregnancy content
• Health risk appraisal

If ACSM audits you, you’ll upload all your documents and may need to send course descriptions. Read our exercise science courses guide to see how real course titles line up with that list.

What Does the August 15, 2027 CAAHEP Rule Change?

Starting August 15, 2027, ACSM-EP and ACSM-CEP candidates must graduate from an Exercise Science or Exercise Physiology program that CAAHEP accredits, or one that has started the CAAHEP process. Before that, a bachelor’s from a regionally accredited school with the right coursework is enough.

ACSM says the change aligns its credentials with adjacent health occupations such as nursing and dietetics. That’s a real change for online students. A degree that’s good for the coursework list can still fall short if the program isn’t accredited or in process.

“In process” has two stages, and ACSM’s September 2026 update describes both:

1. Formal inquiry. The school fills out a free CAAHEP form that takes about two minutes. The Committee on Accreditation for the Exercise Sciences (CoAES) then sends a self-study packet.
2. Request for Accreditation Services (RAS). The school asks CAAHEP for a formal review with leadership approval. CoAES schedules the review and site visit within 30 days of getting the self-study report.

ACSM’s May 12, 2026 announcement added those two stages as an eligible pathway. The August 15, 2027 date didn’t move. If you graduate from an in-process program, you’ll have to provide proof of its status, and RAS confirmation letters can come from the department chair.

One older detail deserves a flag. ACSM’s October 29, 2025 announcement described a temporary exemption through August 14, 2029 for later graduates who send transcripts, course descriptions and a program director’s attestation. The current policy page doesn’t repeat it. Ask ACSM before you count on it.

How Do You Check Whether a Program Is CAAHEP-Accredited?

CAAHEP accredits individual programs, not whole schools. So a school’s name on the list doesn’t mean every degree it sells is covered. Here’s how to check:

1. Open CAAHEP’s Find an Accredited Program tool and search the school.
2. Look for the profession Exercise Science (bachelor’s level) or Exercise Physiology (master’s level).
3. Match the degree name and level to the one you’re applying to. Concentrations often appear in the listing.
4. If the program says it’s in process, ask the department chair for the formal inquiry or RAS confirmation in writing.

We pulled CAAHEP’s public list on September 29, 2026. It showed 125 bachelor’s programs in Exercise Science and 28 master’s programs in Exercise Physiology with continuing or initial accreditation. CAAHEP flags only one program as distance-delivered, an associate degree in personal fitness training. That flag comes from schools, so it doesn’t prove other programs are campus-only, but it tells you how few online options show up.

Which Online Programs Are Confirmed on CAAHEP’s List?

Four programs on our list are confirmed on CAAHEP’s official list. One is Lake Region State College’s associate degree in Fitness Trainer Technician. It’s accredited under Personal Fitness Training, which isn’t the Exercise Science or Exercise Physiology accreditation ACSM’s rule names. That leaves three.

Northeastern State is the one that matters most for the ACSM-EP, because the EP is a bachelor’s-level credential. CAAHEP lists the program under Exercise Science, with initial accreditation granted March 18, 2022, even though the degree title is Health and Human Performance. It has two options of 21 hours each, Clinical Health and Wellness and Exercise Science, and it requires a minor.

Its courses include Physiology of Exercise, Advanced Fitness Assessment, Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Advanced Exercise Prescription. The program page says no certifications are related to the degree, so don’t expect the department to handle your ACSM application for you.

The two master’s programs point more toward the ACSM-CEP. Lebanon Valley adds a 600-hour in-person clinical internship and doesn’t require the GRE. University of Mary starts each fall, and its next cohort begins September 6, 2027. Our clinical exercise physiology master’s ranking compares all 15 online options.

Watch degree names. CAAHEP lists Arizona State University’s accredited bachelor’s as the BS in Clinical Exercise Science. The online degrees from Arizona State on our list, such as the online BS in Kinesiology, have different titles. Ask whether your exact degree is the accredited one before you pay a deposit. Our certification-ready ranking tracks the evidence for each program.

How Does the ACSM EP Exam Work?

You take the exam at a Pearson VUE test center or online from home or work. ACSM’s candidate handbook says the ACSM-EP exam has 140 questions, of which 125 are scored and 15 are trial questions that don’t count. You get a 210-minute seat time.

Your result is scaled from 200 to 800, and 550 passes. You see your score and pass or fail status as soon as you submit. Since July 10, 2025, the exam has matched the 12th edition of ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription.

Here’s how the scored questions divide up:

A few timing rules matter. Once your application is approved and paid, you get a three-month window to schedule and reschedule. A $50 extension adds three more months, up to three extensions and one year total. If you fail, you can retest after 15 days, up to four attempts in 12 months. After a fourth miss, you wait 12 months.

For prep, ACSM names ACSM’s Resources for the Exercise Physiologist, third edition, as its official study book. Its practice exam has 50 multiple-choice questions. ACSM also says you can take the exam without buying any prep materials.

What Is the ACSM-EP Pass Rate?

ACSM publishes pass rates every year in its certification annual report. These are the ACSM-EP numbers for the last three reported years.

About 7 in 10 first-time test takers passed in 2024. So roughly 3 in 10 didn’t. And repeat test takers passed only a little over half the time.

Don’t compare this with the CSCS number. NSCA reported that 41% of candidates passed both sections of its exam in 2024, but that’s a different test and a different group of candidates. Our CSCS certification guide has the details.

How Much Does the Exercise Physiologist Certification Cost?

The exam fee already includes a $50 non-refundable application fee. Membership saves you $110 on the exam, which is $460 minus $350, so price out ACSM membership before you register.

Here’s a worked example. A non-member who fails once and passes on the retest pays $460 plus $235, or $695. A member in the same spot pays $350 plus $235, or $585. Those totals leave out study books, prep courses and CPR/AED and first aid classes.

How Do You Renew the ACSM-EP?

Your certification is valid for three years. To recertify, you need 60 continuing education credits (CECs), current CPR and a $70 fee, all per ACSM’s recertification page. You can also retake the exam instead.

ACSM lists ways to earn credits, including its online courses, its annual health and fitness summit and its regional chapter meetings. Credits earned through ACSM after February 22, 2025 post to your account automatically.

If you miss the deadline, you get a six-month grace period with an $80 late fee. After that, reinstatement costs $225. Put your renewal date on a calendar the day you pass.

Is the ACSM-EP a License, and What About ASEP’s Credential?

No, the ACSM-EP isn’t a license. Louisiana is the state we’ve confirmed that licenses one type of exercise physiologist: its State Board of Medical Examiners has a licensure page for clinical exercise physiologists. If you plan to work there, read that board’s rules first.

You’ll also see another credential in search results. The American Society of Exercise Physiologists (ASEP) offers its own Exercise Physiologist Certified (EPC) board exam to members who have submitted transcripts and been approved. It’s a separate credential from ACSM’s, with its own education requirements. Check which one your target employers name before you pay for either exam.

What Jobs and Pay Go With an Exercise Physiologist Certification?

BLS counts 8,560 exercise physiologists nationally. The May 2025 median wage is $59,460, and the range from the 10th to the 90th percentile runs from $42,760 to $80,560. O*NET rates growth for 2024 to 2034 as much faster than average and projects 1,700 openings.

Pay varies by place. BLS annual mean wages are highest in Washington at $81,870, Minnesota at $72,750 and Massachusetts at $72,210, though those states have small headcounts. The certification doesn’t set your pay. Your employer, your setting and your state do.

Our exercise physiologist career guide covers the day-to-day, and our exercise physiologist salary page has the state table. If cardiac rehab appeals to you, see the cardiac rehab specialist guide.

ACSM-EP vs ACSM-CEP vs CSCS: Which Credential Fits You?

These certifications get mixed up because they overlap. They answer different questions.

The ACSM-CEP is the clinical path, and it’s tougher. ACSM audits every application, and its 2024 first-time pass rate was 65% (341 graded, 220 passed). University of Mary reports an 80% cumulative pass rate for its graduates from 2015 to 2025. Our guide to the ACSM clinical exercise physiologist certification walks through it.

If coaching athletes is your goal, the CSCS fits better. If you don’t have a degree yet, our personal trainer certification comparison covers credentials that don’t need one.

What Should You Do Now Based on Where You Are?

Your timeline decides what matters.

1. You’ll graduate before August 15, 2027. The current requirements apply, and you can test in your final semester. Confirm your transcript covers the seven coursework areas and get your CPR/AED card.

2. You’re starting a bachelor’s now. Choose a CAAHEP-accredited or in-process Exercise Science program and verify it yourself. See our online bachelor’s in exercise science ranking for costs and formats.

3. You have a bachelor’s in something else. Compare your transcript to ACSM’s seven areas and ask ACSM about gaps before you pay for more classes. Our career changer ranking lists programs that accept any bachelor’s, but check each program’s CAAHEP status separately.

4. You want the clinical credential. Look at a CAAHEP-accredited master’s in exercise physiology, and plan your 600 clinical hours early. Start with the online exercise physiology degrees list.

What Are the Downsides of Aiming at the ACSM-EP?

The credential is useful, but three things are worth knowing before you plan around it.

The 2027 rule narrows your online choices. One fully online bachelor’s on our list is confirmed on CAAHEP’s list. If you need a certain school, a certain price or a certain state, that limit will bite.

The job market is small. BLS counts 8,560 exercise physiologists, and the median wage is $59,460. Personal training and group fitness instruction employ far more people. BLS counts 322,930 exercise trainers and group fitness instructors, with a median wage of $47,160. Check three postings for the job you want and see whether they name the ACSM-EP.

The rules can move again. ACSM will reassess the requirement in August 2029, and it has already changed the pathway once in 2026. Re-check ACSM’s policy page before you enroll and again before you apply.

And about 3 in 10 first-time test takers don’t pass. Budget for a retest.

How We Checked These Facts

We read ACSM’s certification, policy and recertification pages, its candidate handbook and its 2024 annual report on September 29, 2026. The CAAHEP list is from CAAHEP’s public program search on the same date. Program details come from each school’s own pages, recorded in the program reviews linked above.

ACSM can change dates, fees and rules. Confirm on ACSM’s exercise physiologist page before you register or enroll. If you find something on a school page that contradicts what we’ve written, tell us.