Academic Scholarships

In support of our mission, to provide access to the most relevant, comprehensive alternative investments education, we offer CAIA exam scholarships to eligible individuals at our Academic Partner institutions.

Welcome to the scholarship guidelines for our CAIA Academic Partner institutions—designed to provide exclusive access to discounted exam registration, free curriculum, and career-enhancing opportunities for both faculty and students.

 

CAIA Academic Partner Scholarship Guidelines

 

Scholarship Exam Cycle

Scholarship recipients may use the scholarship for any of three upcoming exam cycles.  Any scholarship awarded between July 1 and December 31 can be used for the March or September exam cycle in the subsequent year, and the March exam in the following year. Any scholarship awarded between January 1 and June 30 can be used for the September exam cycle in the current year, or the March or September cycle in the subsequent year.

For example:

A scholarship awarded on February 15, 2025, may be used for the September 2025 exam cycle, the March 2026 exam cycle, or the September 2026 exam cycle.

A scholarship awarded on July 20, 2025, may be used for the March 2026 exam cycle, the September 2026 exam cycle, or the March 2027 exam cycle.

Once registered for an exam, regular exam policies apply.

 

Academic Partners Student Scholarship Guidelines

  • Exam registration fee of US$350 (standard registration fee is US$1395) – INCLUDES free access to the official CAIA Curriculum, ensuring convenience and the most recently updated, CAIA-developed curriculum. 
  • The standard enrollment fee of US$400 will be waived for all scholarship recipients. 
  • Students must be nominated by a designated CAIA faculty contact from the Academic Partner institution.  
  • To be considered eligible, each student must be enrolled at an approved CAIA Academic Partner institution when nominated for the scholarship. 
  • The CAIA Association shall award scholarships in its sole discretion. All decisions are final. 
  • Students can earn more than one scholarship, but they can only use one at a time. For example, if they get a scholarship for the first exam and pass, they can then apply for another scholarship for the second exam. Each scholarship must be used before applying for the next one.
  • Scholarships must be awarded prior to registering for the exam.
  • Student scholarship Candidates are not permitted to be combined with other discounts.

Award Process:

The CAIA Academic Partners designated faculty contact will forward a link to the online application with instructions for the nominated student to complete. Once the student’s application is reviewed for approval by the Academic Partners Scholarship Team, a representative of the CAIA Association will contact the student with instructions on how to complete registration at the discounted rate.

 

Academic Partners Faculty Scholarship Guidelines

  • Exam registration fee of US$350 (standard registration fee is US$1395) – INCLUDES free access to the official CAIA Curriculum, ensuring convenience and the most recently updated, CAIA-developed curriculum. The standard enrollment fee of US$400 will be waived for all scholarship recipients. 
  • When registering for the exam, the faculty member must be employed with an approved CAIA Academic Partner institution and teach a minimum of six credit hours per year. 
  • The CAIA Association shall award scholarships in its sole discretion. All decisions are final. 
  • Faculty scholarships are awarded for first-time exam fees only. They are not available for retake Candidates. 
  • Faculty scholarships may be used for the CFA Stacking Program if the Candidate is eligible. 

Award Process:

If you are an interested faculty member from one of CAIA's Academic Partner institutions, please contact academic@caia.org. Once the application is reviewed, a representative of the CAIA Association will contact you with instructions on how to complete registration at the discounted rate.