Notices

Following a comprehensive program review, the Consortium’s founding partner associations are considering alternatives to the current certification program model. As a result of these considerations, the Consortium is enacting changes intended to honor existing certificants’ achievements, adapt to the evolving needs of the profession, and responsibly consider alternative models which better support the field.

These changes include discontinuation of future applications. All earned certifications will remain valid and be extended by two years. Recertification will not occur at the conclusion of each extension. 

Student Affairs Educator Certification was initiated in 2019 through the collaborative efforts of practitioners and student affairs preparation graduate faculty across professional associations, levels, and functional areas. The field has changed considerably in this time. The results of a comprehensive program review as well as low program participation rates and continuing education credit attainment have shown that the current certification model is not meeting the needs of the field as effectively as designed nor is it sustainable in its current format. While Certified Student Affairs Educators (CSAEd) report personal value, and despite significant promotional and support efforts across professional associations, the credential is not broadly recognized nor understood and has limited association with career and professional development. 

Professionals identify cost, time, and work demands as primary barriers to participation and limited plans to pursue certification. This change allows for thoughtful reconsideration of the model to continue recognizing current CSAEds and ensure that a potential future model is better aligned with supporting individual professionals and the field.

The certification model’s background and development began in 2019. Core elements included:

• A student affairs market analysis (survey and focus groups conducted in 2019).

• A practice/job task analysis (conducted between 2020 & 2021).

While this foundation was strong, the professional landscape has shifted considerably since 2019.

While there are many important external factors impacting higher education, those most heavily impacting participation in certification are:

• Limited professional development and travel funding.

• Restrictions on the use of professional development funds due to certification program content.

• Increased workload and time constraints.

• Evolving staffing models and career pathways.

These changes affect professionals’ ability to earn and maintain long-term credentials, as well as perceived “real world” utility of the current model for existing credential holders.

Participants report the primary benefits of certification as:

• Validating knowledge of the overall field and specialty areas, especially professionals without a graduate-level degree as well as professionals with graduate degrees in non-student affairs areas.

• Providing structure for intentional professional development.

Benefits such as Student Affairs Educator Certification’s incorporation into campus human resource practices, career advancement, and salary increases have emerged less consistently and more slowly than anticipated.

• The highest participation occurred during the pilot cycle in Fall 2022, followed by lower participation in subsequent cycles. These participation rates were significantly lower than projections based on the 2019 market analysis as well as updated projections in 2022.

• Continuing education earning rates among current CSAEds have been lower than anticipated.
  
  As of January 2026:

  • 63.5% of CSAEds have not reported earning any Core CEs since achieving their credential.

  • 17% have reported earning under 10 Core CEs.

  • 11.5% have reported earning 10-19 Core CEs.

  • 8% have reported earning 20 or more Core CEs.

• Financial projections initially anticipated long-term self-sufficiency of the Consortium as an independent organization, however, actual participation trends do not indicate organizational solvency under the current model.

The purpose of the review was to assess familiarity, value, and interest of various credentialing models given pressing contextual factors in higher education and certification program participation trends.

The review consisted of the following components:

• Credentialing Models Survey: 874 (out of 14,008) responses from members across the seven Consortium member associations with the following in their titles: vice president/provost, dean, assistant/associate vice president (AVP), senior director, associate/assistant director, director, coordinator.

• Focus Groups: 20 focus groups engaging 67 professionals (73% non-certified) across the six certification functional areas and early-career, mid-level, director/dean, and AVP-level positions.

• CSAEd Census: second annual survey of CSAEds who earned credentials between January 2023 and January 2025 generating 62 out of 289 responses.

The review identified the following key outcomes:

• Limited awareness of certification's value and who it serves.

• Lack of understanding of certification’s alignment with graduate education and professional development.

• Limited connections to on-campus human resources departments and talent management systems.

• Cost, time commitment, and exam preparation as significant barriers to access.

• Limited plans to seek certification and of supervisors to encourage their staff to seek certification.

• Interest in alternative models of credentialing.

Several respondents indicated interest in alternative credentialing and professional development approaches including stackable models and micro-credentialing particularly for:

• Early career professionals.

• Professionals new to higher education and student affairs who have external work experience.

• Professionals with graduate degrees outside of higher education and student affairs.

Achieving certification remains a significant professional accomplishment. Each Student Affairs Educator Certification credential that has been granted will be extended by two years from its original expiration date. Updated expiration dates will be reflected in CSAEd records and all credentials will continue to be recognized by the seven founding partner associations through this two-year extension.

Recertification will not occur at the end of this extended period. Credentials will then become a legacy designation, recognized by the seven founding partner associations. Names of CSAEds who have opted into the Certificant Directory by Sunday, May 31, 2026 will be publicized.

While CSAEds are not required to earn continuing education credits moving forward, partner associations plan to continue offering continuing education opportunities. The Consortium encourages CSAEds to maintain a record of earned CEs as part of one’s broader professional portfolio. Information about maintaining a CE record will be shared with CSAEds after May 31, 2026.

The Consortium was established as a collaboration among seven student affairs professional associations to support professional learning in the field. While it will no longer operate as an independent organization effective July 1, 2026, the founding partner associations will continue working collaboratively to provide meaningful education and professional development opportunities. Insights from past and current program experiences are guiding the exploration of alternative approaches to credentialing and professional learning that better reflect the evolving needs of student affairs professionals.

If your questions have not been answered within the provided FAQs, please contact info@studentaffairscertification.org.

Consortium website copy currently reflecting engagement with the program will be updated in June 2026.