NCCA Accredited Certifications – The full list for 2024

Which NCCA certification is best for you?

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This article compares the best NCCA-accredited personal trainer certifications, looking at each of the top CPT choices, so you can pick the best training certification for your journey as a fitness professional.

We discuss each personal training certification based on these topics:

• Pricing for each personal trainer certification
• Curriculum content in each certification
• Quality of study material options
• Exam difficulty and study time
• Continuing education and career prospects

After you finish this review, you will know which NCCA-approved certification fits your unique needs and goals.

We also cover:

• What is the NCCA
• Why NCCA accreditation is important for your certified personal trainer certification
• Some differences between NCCA accreditation and non-NCCA accreditation

We promise to help you understand NCCA accreditation and what makes it absolutely crucial in the fitness industry. The best personal trainer certifications are accredited by the NCCA.

Okay, let’s get right into it!

We highly recommend that you take our helpful quiz to find the best NCCA certification for you.

The Trainer Academy team encompasses fitness professionals who cary many of the most regarded NCCA accredited certifications. The team has worked at gyms, and facilities around the world, helping both clients and other coaches improve performance.

We have a high level of understanding when it comes to reviewing the different personal training programs. We know how to separate the good and bad certifications and which ones businesses like to see on a trainer’s resume.

Our Top NCCA Accredited Certification

SAVE up to 60% with exclusive discounts from ISSA

ISSA Personal Trainer Certification Program

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• The #1 rated and reviewed certification program
• NCCA Accredited, 10,000+ Gym Partners
• Huge variety of self-paced courses that you can do remotely
• ISSA exam is an untimed, open-book test and available online
• Students who pass final exam are set up with a free professional website

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Best NCCA Accredited Certification Reviews

Regardless of which certification you choose, all of the best personal trainer certifications are NCCA accredited.

But what is the NCCA?

In 1977, in cooperation with the federal government, the National Commission for Health Certifying Agencies (NCHCA) was founded.

Their main mission was to create gold standards of excellence for certification programs in the health, wellness, and fitness industries.

The NCHCA then changed its name to the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).

NCCA is a non-profit, independent organization founded in 1987 by the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE).

ICE is one of the two main organizations in the United States that accredit certificates and certifications, such as personal trainer certifications.

The NCCA gives accreditation to a range of fitness-related certifications including nutrition certifications as well as non-fitness professional certifications.

The NCCA’s primary goals are as follows:

• Establish quality accreditation standards
• Evaluate a program’s compliance with its standards
• Recognize programs demonstrating compliance with its standards
• Monitor and enforce continued compliance with its standards
• Provide the highest-quality certification to all professionals alike

Moreover, the NCCA’s Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs were the first set of standards developed by the credentialing industry for professional fitness certification programs.

They were developed to help enhance the safety, health, and overall wellbeing of the public, and to provide the highest-quality fitness certification programs.

As a matter of fact, NCCA has accredited over 315 programs from more than 130 organizations.

Fitness certification and credentialing programs that receive NCCA Accreditation demonstrate both excellence and compliance with the NCCA’s Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs.

Our favorite pick for NCCA accredited fitness certifications are the ISSA CPT, followed closely by the NASM CPT and the NCSF CPT.

You can check out our free NASM CPT study guide and NASM practice exam, as well as the free ACE guide and ACE practice test for a sneak peek at these top accredited fitness certifications.

When you start off as a young personal trainer, knowing a bit about nutrition as well can go a long way. If you have both CPT and Nutrition certs it also allows you to be a one-stop-shop for your clientele, which is why we recommend getting both when start out as a fitness professional.

Gyms will want to hire you because you can be both trainer and nutritionist and your scope of practice is much larger, meaning you have the freedom to candidly discuss all aspects of fitness with your clients.

It’s just a good idea, and you can kickstart your career and standout in a crowded fitness marketplace from the get-go.

While this might seem expensive, both ISSA and NASM have some great deals that combine both CPT and Nutrition certs.

The ISSA offers a buy-one-get-one-free on the ISSA CPT and Nutrition Coach for a total of just $828 or $69 per month over 12 months.

This is virtually the same price as their CPT cert by itself so there’s no reason not to go for it.

NASM’s current offer is $999 for their Nutrition and Fitness Bundle, but make sure to check the website for any changes.

When NASM has a good offer it’s hard to pass it up.

Let’s talk about why NCCA accreditation is so important.

NCCA is the gold standard in accreditation for fitness professionals all over and ensures the programs adhere to modern standards of practice in the certification industry.

Fitness professionals and personal training certifications accredited by this certifying body are highly respected by employers, as these certifications highly exceed accreditation standards.

If you’re interested in how to become a fitness trainer when you get certified, know that ensuring you get an NCCA accredited certification will mean you can work more places.

For those who are new to the personal training career, that’s what makes NCCA Accreditation a very important factor to consider when choosing a personal training certification.

The most successful personal trainers will often go for one of these gold-standard certifications with NCCA accreditation.

Trainers with NCCA accredited certifications typically have a higher personal trainer salary than those who are non-NCCA certified.

Having an NCCA accredited personal trainer certification ensures employers that you have the highest level of competency and credibility for training clients, that you are responsible, and that you are professional and will probably be making more money as a personal trainer when you start than someone without a NCCA accreditation.

The NCCA stands for National Commission for Certifying Agencies and is the organization responsible for ensuring that certifications meet the guidelines and standards to ensure fitness professionals, among other professions, have the skills and knowledge required to perform their on-the-job duties.

NCCA-Accredited Vs. Non-NCCA Accredited: What’s the Difference?

So we know that NCCA accreditation is important and that it matters in the fitness industry, but why?

Let’s discuss the basics, the difference between accreditation and non-accreditation.

For a fitness program to become accredited, the program must meet several standards of excellence set by an accrediting organization.

Official accreditation means that the program has been vetted for educational excellence, complies with its set of standards, and promotes student success.

On the other hand, if a program is non-accredited, there is no way to verify the quality of their education or their integrity.

In other words, it’s difficult to trust the program’s legitimacy.

Therefore, we can conclude that becoming a personal trainer and earning a certification from a non-NCCA accredited program is very risky, and will close many doors to work and employment opportunities.

Without NCCA accreditation, employers may not recognize your level of competency and knowledge in the field.

Just because a program is “accredited” does not mean that the accreditation is relevant to the ultimate use of that certification.

To set yourself apart from other fitness professionals and maintain the utmost professionalism and competency in your field, your best bet is to stick with NCCA-accredited programs for group fitness and personal training. It will ensure your personal trainer career outlook is brighter than without a NCCA accreditation.

Which NCCA-Accredited Personal Training Certification is the Most Respected?

Any program which receives a NCCA accreditation carries a certain amount of respect. Of the above programs, NASM, NSCA, ISSA, and ACE are all very well known. The others on this list all carry respect, but not the same name recognition.

Types of Personal Trainer Certification

While all CPTs cover roughly the same information, each organization offers a slightly different focus in terms of coverage.

For example, NASM’s personal training certification covers more corrective exercise content than ACE, whereas ACE’s CPT gives you the most in terms of behavioral coaching. The NSCA CPT gives you the most in terms of strength and conditioning resources, and ISSA describes how to build a fitness business better than the other programs.

So, when choosing a training certification, consider what skills you want to focus on.

What to Look for When Choosing a Personal Training Certification

The below criteria should give you an overview of some of the aspects you’ll want to consider when choosing your certification.

As mentioned above, an accredited certification gives you peace of mind, knowing that the program you pick has been vetted by experts. This means not only will you learn accurate information, once you’re certified, you can put your certification on a resume and this will carry some weight.

Each of the certifications on this list differs in terms of price. When you start off your training career you may have a limited budget so you’ll need to consider the cost before you pick your certification.

The above certifications cost anywhere from $199-$829 for the most basic plan.

While cost is an important consideration, often, you get what you pay for, and it may be worth it in the long terms to consider the pricier options like NASM or ISSA, just because of the quality you get in the long term.

Many of these programs have payment plans, which cuts down on the amount you need to pay at one time.

Another key consideration you want to look at it is the study materials of the program you pick.

Some people like studying on their own with the textbook and they’ll want the minimal amount of materials. Others like the structure and the confidence they get from following a quality study system.

We feel that of all these certifications, ACE and NASM offer the most complete study packages, with ISSA coming a close third.

NASM gives you three different study package options, and they have the best online study videos of any of these certifications.

ACE also gives you the option of three study packages, and we find their web portal the easiest to navigate.

ISSA makes the process simple with one study package that gives you everything, and their online support rates the highest of all the certifications.

Before you choose your certification you may want to understand how long you’ll have to complete the exam, how many questions you have to answer and the passing grade you need to complete.

Each of these exams differs in difficulty. If you struggle with tests, you may want to choose an easier exam.

Of course, you may also want to prove yourself by taking on the challenge of a harder CPT test.

ISSA and NFPT give you one of the easier exams, while NASM is known as a harder exam option. NCSF is on the easy side as well, while ACE and NSCA land somewhere in the middle in terms of difficulty.

You want to know how much you’ll need to pay to retake your CPT exam should you fail the first time.

Some organizations like ISSA give you a free retake, while others, like ACE, will cost you $249 to retake.

Also, when you pick your study packages some of the more premium packages often give you a free re-take, like NASM’s Premium Self-Study program.

Popularity does not guarantee quality, but it does tell you something. It tells you which certification people want, and which program people know.

We determine popularity by enrollment figures and Google search data.

Based on this, NASM comes out on top, with ISSA and ACE coming in second.

Knowing which trainers make the most on average gives you an idea of what you might make.

On average, ISSA trainers make the most of all the certifications.

Of course, this is only a number, it does not guarantee your income.

Something you may want to consider is that both NASM and ISSA offer job guarantees with their certifications, meaning you will have an opportunity to be hired somewhere after being certified.

Each of the above certifications requires that you complete certain education courses in order to stay certified. These range from online quizzes to in-person seminars or you can even get additional certifications to help you re-certify.

Some of these certifications like NSCA give you a three-year period for recertification while most of the other make you recertify every two years.

So we covered what NCCA accreditation is and why it’s important.

NCCA accreditation, in a nutshell, is the gold standard in accreditation for fitness professionals and ensures the professionals hold utmost competency and remain intact in the field.

This is often favored by employers because it ensures them that you have the highest level of credibility for training clients and or groups.

Having an NCCA-accredited certification will definitely set you apart as a qualified fitness professional, too.

But what if your personal trainer exam is not NCCA-accredited?

Here’s what you’ll need to know.

ISSA, for example, was not NCCA-accredited at first, but then later did have an option to purchase NCCA-accredited ISSA-CPT exams.

This is great for trainers who have or are seeking ISSA-CPT certification.

Without NCCA accreditation, ISSA certified trainers may be at a disadvantage when job hunting, or trying to build their client base.

NCCA accreditation is the key to the many doors that lie ahead and await you in your personal trainer career.

Before you purchase a personal trainer program, please don’t forget to make sure your program is NCCA-accredited.

Your entire fitness career depends on this! (At least for the most part.)

By choosing an NCCA-accredited program, you are communicating to employers that you are competent, knowledgeable, and professional.

References

1. Thompson WR, Sallis R, Joy E, Jaworski CA, Stuhr RM, Trilk JL. Exercise Is Medicine. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. 2020;14(5):511-523. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827620912192
2. ‌Jordan M, Wolever RQ, Lawson K, Moore M. National Training and Education Standards for Health and Wellness Coaching: The Path to National Certification. Global Advances in Health and Medicine. 2015;4(3):46-56. doi: https://doi.org/10.7453/gahmj.2015.039
3. ‌Whitsel LP, Bantham A. It’s Time to Move: Integrating Physical Activity Assessment, Prescription, and Referral through Policy and Systems Change. Journal of Healthy Eating and Active Living. 3(1):1-6. Accessed January 5, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10546937/