National Course Policies and Procedures

Please do not purchase nonrefundable airline tickets until you receive your official course confirmation from ASA.

ASA agrees to make a good-faith effort to ensure that its course sites comply with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and its regulations and guidelines. If you need special assistance at one of our course sites, please contact ASA's Education Department at least two weeks in advance of the course to allow us enough time to make any necessary arrangements. Your request will be held in confidence.

You are expected to use a calculator in class. Real Property courses require a six-function calculator (HP12C recommended). Machinery and Equipment courses require a calculator capable of doing exponential calculations. Business Valuation courses require a financial calculator able to perform annuity, compound interest and present value calculations.

Classroom Courses (taught in-person/ face-to-face):

• There is no charge for cancellations received more than 30 calendar days before the first day of a course.
• Cancellations within 30 days of the start of the course will be charged a $100 cancellation fee.
• If ASA is not notified in advance of the start date of the course, you will be considered a "NO SHOW" and will not be eligible for a refund.

eLearning (webinars, OnDemand, audio recording self study):

• Virtual classes, Webinar Series classes and Webinars are non-refundable once downloadable student materials have been posted to ASA’s website.  Prior to that, cancellations must be submitted in writing to education@appraisers.org.  Refunds will be processed in 5-7 days.
• OnDemand courses and audio recording courses are non-refundable as registrants have immediate access to all course materials.
• If you are unable to attend the LIVE offering of a webinar and the cancellation window has passed, you may inquire as to whether a webinar recording is available within 30 days of the live offering.  If available, you will be provided access to the recording; however, for various reasons, not all ASA webinars are recorded.
• In the event ASA must cancel a webinar or virtual class due to unforeseen circumstances, registrants will be notified as soon as possible and refunds will be processed within 5-7 business days. Please Note: refunds may not be used as a credit for upcoming offerings.

The option to challenge a course is available for Business Valuation (BV) and Machinery and Technical Specialties (ME/ MTS) courses.  

The price for challenging a course is the same as attending in person and includes all the course materials. To successfully "challenge" or test out of a BV or MTS course means you studied the course material on your own (without attending the course) and passed the course examination. Once you successfully challenge a course, you will be eligible to enroll or challenge the next course in the POV series.

Students have one (1) year from the date of their registration to review the materials and complete the proctored exam. All challenge examinations must be proctored - see “Proctor Requirements” below for eligibility information.  ASA now offers online proctored exam sessions every month.  Visit the upcoming class schedule to register (look for ASAEXAM-ONL). Courses may ONLY be challenged in sequential order. Retake/challenge applications and Proctor/ Exam requests may take up to ten (10) business days to process so please plan accordingly.

To set up an MTS Course Challenge or Retake Exam please complete and submit the Retake / Challenge Application.

To sign up for a BV Course Challenge online, use the links below:

• BV201
• BV202
• BV203
• BV204
• BV301
• BV302

8 Hour BV POV Curriculum Challenge Exam

For Business Valuation Principles of Valuation (POV) classes only. 
ASA accepts successful completion of the BV 8 Hour Curriculum Challenge Exam in lieu of successful completion of the four BV POV courses. The Challenge Exam is geared toward experienced business valuation professionals who already have mastered the competencies taught in the POV courses. More Details

Most classes are limited in size. Enrollees are registered on a first-come, first-served basis. If the number of registrants for a class reaches the limit, additional registrants will be placed on a wait list. Courses may be cancelled at the discretion of ASA. 

For In-Person Classes - the onsite course administrator will do their best to ensure that you enjoy ample lighting, space, ventilation and freedom from distractions. Prohibited activities include smoking, recording and using cellular telephones during class.  Classroom use of laptop computers is at the instructor's discretion. Voice amplification for instructors is provided when necessary. Meals and refreshment breaks are provided; stretch breaks are encouraged.

For Virtual Classes - To meet the needs of our diverse pool of students, ASA offers both virtual classes (where the instructor and students all meet virtually for class at set dates/times) as well as "hybrid" classes (where some students are in-person in the classroom and others attend virtually).  Both the virtual and hybrid formats provide attendees the opportunity to share the same educational experience as if everyone was in the classroom together.  This short video demonstrates how this alternative format works. 

If you have any issues with a course please send an email to education@appraisers.org in order to generate a ticket. Your concerns will be examined by your Discipline Education Chair and the specific course lead. After a full review of the complaint, you will be notified of the result.

ASA is approved as a course provider on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. All courses for which CPE credit is available are properly noted. 

The dress code for ASA classes is business casual.

Substitutions are permissible if ASA has been notified prior to the first day of class. It is your responsibility to transfer to the substitute registrant all course-related information, materials, schedules and pre-class assignments. Any prerequisite education and experience is applicable to the substitute registrant.

A passing score for an ASA is 75% and above. Grades are provided as “Pass/Fail” only and course examinations are not returned to students after grading.  All “Pass/Fail” notifications are e-mailed to students within two weeks of the conclusion of the course.  Exam results are not provided by telephone. If you owe any course-related fees to ASA or you have not met the course prerequisites, your results will be withheld until such accounts/prerequisites are settled in full. All requests for further exam information and/or guidance will be referred to the appropriate Discipline Education Chair.

At the instructors' request (and to allow you to concentrate on your learning objectives) ASA does not provide for wireless internet in the classrooms. Wireless internet is available in your sleeping room and often in the "common" or lobby areas of many of the course venues.

For In-Person Classes - Students are responsible for making their own lodging reservations and for costs associated with lodging, meals and transportation. At most course locations, special group lodging rates have been negotiated and a reserved block of rooms will be held for up to 21 days before the course start date. At the three-week point, hotels usually release the room block for sale to the general public. Hotel reservations generally may be cancelled without penalty up to 48 hours before the arrival date but students should check with their hotel as to its individual cancellation policy.

Most courses require preparation prior to arrival at the course site and the first class meeting. Pre-reading assignments (if any) will be emailed to you upon registration. 

If you do not pass a course examination, or have an "incomplete" course status, you have one year from the conclusion of the course to retake the relevant examination. Please see "Proctor Requirements" above for information on obtaining a proctor for a retake exam.

To request a Retake Exam please complete and submit the Retake / Challenge Application.

ASA now offers online examination proctoring sessions for students who need to take a proctored course exam, a challenge exam, or re-take an exam.  Each monthly open examination session is monitored by a virtual proctor eliminating the need to find a local proctor for your exam.  You will be provided login information and instructions on accessing the exam after registering for the session.  Registration information may be found on ASA's Class Schedule (look for ASA EXAM ONL) . 

For those wishing to take their exam in person with a local proctor, individuals/locations qualified to proctor an ASA exam include:

• A designated ASA member who:
• Is unrelated to the examinee
• Does not work for the same organization as the examinee
• An official testing center
• A university, library, or testing center
• A public library
• ASA national course site (must be prearranged)

Proctors are required to be present with the examinee throughout the exam.

ASA courses usually run from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on regular classroom days and from 8:00 a.m.to noon on exam days. Please see the individual course descriptions for information on which days are scheduled for classroom lecture and which are designated as exam administration days.

Your classroom will be secured during the lunch break; however, please be aware that the venue staff will enter the room from the "back of the house" to bus tables, etc. If you have any personal valuables, you should make arrangements to store them during the time you'll be out of the room. When rooms are locked for lunch, they will not be unlocked until after lunch is over.  At the end of the day, please take all your belongings, table tents, name badges, etc. with you as the venues frequently use the rooms in the evening for other events. ASA is not responsible for lost or stolen items.

Required textbooks and their prices are listed on the ASA website. Most textbooks can be ordered from ASA during the course registration process. Textbooks which are not available through ASA are generally available through online and retail bookstores.

Tuition rates and fees are listed with the course descriptions.

ASA reserves the right to limit enrollments, cancel courses, change faculty assignments or reschedule individual courses/groups of courses. Should changes or cancellations occur, registered students will be notified immediately.

Records for all students who attend and successfully complete ASA courses are retained electronically in ASA’s database for at least five years. 

Retained records include:

• Proof of participation;
• Date and location of course;
• Instructor information;
• Number of CE/CPE hours earned; and
• Pass/fail grade.

ASA courses are updated at regular intervals and as regulations and standards are updated or changed.

ASA course instructors are ASA-designated members who are noted industry experts in their fields with extensive experience in the areas they instruct.

ASA course exams are multiple choice exams that contain 100 questions. You must answer a minimum of 75/100 questions correctly to pass an exam. If you do not pass an exam, you are allowed to retake an exam once within one calendar year of the original exam date. If a passing grade is still not received, you will need to retake the course.

Class attendance is an essential part of the educational process. To successfully complete and receive course credit, you are expected to attend the educational event (on time) for which you are registered, and to remain in class for its complete duration.  All course absences are noted by Instructors.

Attendance for webinars and/or other internet-based courses is monitored through your login and your documentable participation in the class (interacting with the instructor, other enrolled students, submitting course assignments, etc).

Each ASA discipline works independently to vet and choose instructors for their respective  courses. If you are interested in becoming an instructor, please contact your discipline’s Education Chair for more information.

Upon successful completion (i.e. a passing score) of a course, you will receive an electronic Certificate of Completion (Sample Certificate of Completion).  Certificates of Completion may also be downloaded online.  Login to ASA's website and select "My ASA Courses" from the left hand navigation.  Please note: A Certificate of Completion is NOT the same as a credential/designation from ASA.  The certificate simply verifies that you passed an ASA course.  Please contact asainfo@appraisers.org with any questions.