CFA Exam

The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program is the most highly respected designation for investment management professionals. It is the accepted benchmark for technical excellence in national and international financial markets, with networks across the world.  CFA is the globally recognized mark of distinction for measuring the expertise, experience, and ethics of investment professionals.

Top Chartholder Careers   

Top careers include portfolio managers, research analysts, chief executives, consultants, relationship managers, corporate financial analysts, risk managers, and investment bankers.

CFA at BYU Marriott

The finance major is the best preparation for passing the CFA exam, as the core courses closely mirror the various sections of the CFA. Students can expect to average a total of three hundred hours of study time to prepare for the exam. The national passing average for the CFA Level 1 exam is forty-one percent. BYU Marriott’s CFA program participants average over seventy-five percent. Our passing rate is evidence that BYU Marriott’s support and preparation resources are helping students find success. Additionally, if an applicant to the BYU Marriott finance program is pursuing or has achieved the first level of CFA certification, it will be noted positively by the admission committee. Students interested in receiving emails with more information about the CFA program at BYU, please enter your information here

Book Orders

Kaplan Schweser Publishers has given BYU a discounted group rate on CFA books (for Levels 1, 2, and 3) and the Essential Self-Study Package (including the online Question Bank, which normally is an additional cost). Here is a link of everything included in the Kaplan set:

https://www.schweser.com/cfa/level-1/study-packages?1-select=2&pkg-select=2.

These book sets are available to BYU students for $299 even though the online cost is $699. If you want to place a textbook order, please enter your information on the 2024 tab and after you book order is placed, your BYU student account will be charged $299 and you will be able to pick up your book set in 610 TNRB after it is delivered. Please place your order on the link below and orders will be done in batches throughout the year. Please send an email to finmajor@byu.edu to confirm that we have received your book order.

http://2024 CFA Textbook Orders – https://bit.ly/BYUCFAtextbookorders

Exam Costs and Deadlines

For all exam registration costs and deadlines please visit the CFA website. The costs and deadlines change from year to year. Please note, there is an early registration period for each exam that reduces $300 off the cost of the exam if you register early.

Scholarship Information

CFA Institute Scholarships – We have very limited scholarships this year as there are only six scholarships made available to BYU through the CFA Institute University Affiliation Program. These scholarships waive the one-time CFA program enrollment fee (if applicable) and reduce the exam registration fee (including access to the curriculum eBook) to $600. Interested students who are very serious about taking the exam can apply online.

You will need to attach a résumé and a cover letter to your online scholarship application outlining the following:

  • Reasons for wanting to take the exam, including a future career plan
  • A study plan to ensure passage of the exam
  • Other work experience or special needs

CFA Scholarship applications are open to apply from September 1, 2024 through November 15, 2024 as a deadline for those planning to take the May 2025 exam. All applicants will be notified of the scholarship decisions in December 2024. We highly suggest that students who don’t receive a scholarship can still benefit from the early registration deadline (October 16, 2024), which discounts $300 off the cost of the exam if you register by October 16th. If we still have scholarships remaining, another review of applications will be done on February 1, 2025 for all other 2025 exams. A panel of professors will review the materials and choose the scholarship recipients. Preference will be given to undergraduate students pursuing asset management careers. Please attach a resume and cover letter to your online application even though BYU is not listed as a college that requires it (they haven’t updated their system as to our requirement). If your résumé and cover letter are not attached to the application, you will not be considered for the scholarship.