For US training providers
CPD accreditation for US training providers
Published 1 September 2026 · 6 min read
US training providers work in a market where the terminology is different: what the UK, Canada, Australia, and India call CPD, US professional bodies usually call CE (Continuing Education), CEU (Continuing Education Unit), PDH (Professional Development Hour), or PDU (Project Management Institute's term). The underlying concept is the same — structured, documented, ongoing professional learning — and the market for external quality assurance on that learning is enormous. Here's what CPD accreditation means for a US provider, how it maps to CE/CEU terminology, and how AssuredCPD's UK-issued mark works if you're based in the US.
The short version: AssuredCPD is a UK-based independent CPD accreditation body. We assess non-regulated professional-development courses from providers based anywhere in the world — including the US — against a published Standards Framework, with a decision in five working days and public pricing. What that gives a US provider is a UK-issued, independently verifiable CPD mark and a directory listing, plus the documentation structure US professional bodies typically look for. What it isn't: an ANSI/IACET-accredited CEU issuer, a state-board pre-approval, or automatic acceptance by any specific US professional body.
How CPD maps to CE and CEU in the US
The US professional-training landscape has multiple overlapping systems, and terminology is the first thing to get straight.
State-level regulated CE: most US professional licensure sits at state level. State CPA boards mandate CPE (Continuing Professional Education) hours for accountants; state engineering boards mandate PDH (Professional Development Hours) for licensed engineers under the NCEES model; state bars set CLE (Continuing Legal Education) rules for attorneys; state medical boards recognise CME (Continuing Medical Education) accredited through ACCME. Each state sets its own rules and its own pre-approval requirements for external providers.
General professional development: most professional learning US buyers actually pay for — corporate training, industry short courses, coaching programmes, non-regulated certificates — sits outside the state-licensed CE system entirely. This is the CPD layer. Independent CEU issuance in the US is standardised by ANSI/IACET; independent CPD accreditation, as we practise it, is the UK-native equivalent quality signal. Both are legitimate; they're different marks with different governance.
The two systems don't compete — they cover different work. If your course needs to satisfy a specific state board's licensure requirement, that board's own pre-approval process is the answer. If your course is professional development that a range of learners will document to a range of bodies, independent CPD accreditation gives you a portable quality signal that a UK-issued mark makes travel-ready.
Why a US provider might want a UK-issued CPD mark
Three reasons come up regularly:
- International credibility on US-made content. US providers increasingly sell into UK, EU, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific markets where CPD is the local term. A UK-issued CPD mark reads native in those markets in a way an IACET-accredited CEU sometimes does not.
- Independent signal for non-CE professional development. For coaching programmes, corporate training, and non-regulated certificates, buyers ask "who says this is any good?" "Assessed against a published framework by a named independent assessor" is a stronger answer than "we wrote it ourselves" or "attendees fill in a happy sheet."
- Documentation for learners' own CPD/CE returns. Learners in many US professions log their CE or PDH annually to maintain licensure. Even where our mark isn't a state-board pre-approval, our assessment produces exactly the documentation — learning outcomes, hours justification, verifiable certificate — that a learner typically needs to submit.
Who this is for — and who it isn't
| Good fit | Not a fit |
|---|---|
| Non-regulated professional-development courses and coaching programmes | Courses needing specific state-board CE pre-approval (CPA, engineering, legal, medical) |
| Corporate training programmes seeking external quality assurance | ACCME-accredited CME (US medical continuing education) |
| Digital learning aimed at international markets | Anything requiring ANSI/IACET-accredited CEU status specifically |
| Certificates and micro-credentials outside formal licensure | Regulated qualifications requiring US Department of Education recognition |
Whether specific US professional bodies — AICPA-affiliated state CPA boards, state engineering boards operating under the NCEES model, state bars, state medical boards accepting ACCME-accredited CME, HRCI/SHRM for HR professionals, PMI for project management — will accept our-accredited courses towards members' CE requirements varies by body and by state. Many state boards have their own pre-approval processes for external providers that sit alongside independent accreditation. Our assessment gives learners the documented outcomes and hours those bodies typically ask for, but where state-board pre-approval is the strict requirement, that's a separate process from ours.
How it works from United States, practically
The process is identical to a UK application:
- Submit your course materials via our application form. Everything is online — no in-person meeting, no time-zone dance.
- A named assessor reviews the course against the Standards Framework: aims and structure, learning outcomes, delivery and accessibility, assessment of learning, CPD-hour justification, and currency.
- Decision within five working days of a complete submission, in writing, with reasons. If the deadline is missed, the assessment fee is refunded.
- On accreditation, you receive the AssuredCPD mark for the course, a public listing in the provider directory, and every learner certificate carries a code anyone can check on the verification page.
Time-zone note: our team is UK-based, so acknowledgement of a submission from the US may arrive during the following UK working day, which for Eastern Time is early afternoon and for Pacific Time is late morning. The five-working-day assessment clock starts on receipt of a complete submission.
Pricing
The same public prices apply worldwide — there's no international-provider surcharge and no per-certificate fee. All figures are in GBP:
- Single course: £350 first year, £245 renewal
- Membership (5–50 courses): £975 to £3,330 per year
- Free resubmission within 60 days of a Partially met decision
- No lock-ins, no application fees
Full pricing on our pricing page. Approximate USD equivalents move with the exchange rate; the invoice is in GBP.
What we're honest about
Three things worth being explicit about, because they matter to a fair choice:
- We are not a government body, in the US or the UK. We do not issue state-approved credentials and are not a substitute for state-board licensure.
- We are not IACET-accredited and do not issue ANSI/IACET CEUs. That is a separate accreditation held by other issuers.
- We are not connected to any US state licensing board, ACCME, HRCI, SHRM, PMI, or any specific US professional body. Where any of them accepts our-accredited courses, that's their own decision.
- We are UK-based. Correspondence, assessment, and support run on UK working hours. All contracts and invoices are UK jurisdiction and in GBP.
These aren't caveats to hide — they're the reason our mark means what it means. An independent, published, checkable standard is a specific kind of credibility, distinct from government regulation, and the two are complementary rather than interchangeable.
FAQ
Can US training providers be CPD accredited by AssuredCPD?
Yes. AssuredCPD is a UK-based independent CPD accreditation body, and we assess courses from providers based anywhere in the world provided the course is delivered in English and the provider owns or is licensed to deliver the material submitted. What accreditation gives a US provider is a UK-issued, independently verifiable CPD mark on their course, alongside listing in our public provider directory.
How does CPD accreditation map to US CE, CEU, PDH, and PDU terminology?
CPD (Continuing Professional Development) is the umbrella term used across the UK, Canada, Australia, India, and other English-speaking markets for structured ongoing professional learning. In the US, the same underlying concept is usually called CE, CEU, PDH, or PDU depending on the profession. Our accreditation produces a documented CPD record — learning outcomes, justified hours, verifiable certificate — that learners can typically submit to whichever CE/CEU/PDH/PDU system their profession uses.
Will my CPD accredited course be accepted by US state licensing boards?
That depends on the board. Many state boards for CPAs, engineers, lawyers, and medical professionals have their own pre-approval processes for external CE providers that operate separately from independent accreditation. Where a state board's pre-approval is the strict requirement, that's a process you'd complete with that board directly. Our assessment gives learners the documented outcomes and hours those boards typically require in a submission, but board pre-approval is a separate track.
Is AssuredCPD accreditation the same as an ANSI/IACET-accredited CEU?
No. IACET operates the American National Standard for CEUs in the US and accredits other organisations to issue standard CEUs under that ANSI framework. AssuredCPD is a UK-native independent CPD accreditation body and issues a UK CPD mark. Both are legitimate quality signals with different governance and different market recognition.
How much does CPD accreditation cost for a US provider?
The same as for any provider. AssuredCPD publishes all prices in GBP on its pricing page — £350 for a single course in the first year, memberships from £975 per year for up to five courses. There are no per-certificate fees, no minimum contract, and no separate international-provider surcharge.