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Maintain your Atlassian Certification

Maintain your certification

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Atlassian Certifications are valid for 24 months.

Once earned, all Atlassian certifications are active for two years. After two years, certification holders, also known as candidates, are granted an additional 90-day grace period to renew their certification.

To renew a certification, a candidate can earn continuing education units (CE units). The intent of this approach is to encourage ongoing learning and Community involvement, while providing candidates the flexibility to build renewal paths that are valuable to their learning journey. The candidate can also choose to retake their exam instead of earning CE units.

Here are the two paths to renew a certification:

  1. Continuing education units - After earning a certification, a candidate can use continuing education (CE) units to renew the certification before it expires. CE units are earned by completing coursework and/or participating in Atlassian events.

  2. Exam retakes - Candidates may also opt to retake the exam to renew their certification. However, the retake can only be completed within six months prior to the expiration date.

Continuing education units (CE)

How are CE units earned?

CE units are earned by completing activities. Each activity will have unique CE unit values.

There are two types of activities - learning and events.

Learning - Completing a course on Atlassian Learning or attending/watching a webinar from Atlassian’s Live Learning Program.

Also, members of the Atlassian Partners Program may use courses on the Enablement Academy.

Atlassian Event - Attending or presenting at an Atlassian event, either in person or virtually. This includes both local and global events.

How are CE units submitted?

Candidates will enter CE units in the CM Connect candidate portal. The following information will be required:

  • The type of the activity - learning or event

  • The date of the activity

  • The name of the activity

  • Proof of completion or attendance - this will be a screen shot showing course completion or attendance

Detailed instructions will be included in the CM Connect candidate portal.

How will I view progress?

The candidate portal will include a dashboard to show renewal progress. This is an example of the dashboard.

Continuing education units (CE) for ACA and ACP certifications

Each type of certification will require different totals of CE units for renewal.

ACA - Atlassian Certified Associate. These are entry level exams that cover usage of the Atlassian solutions. ACAs require 50 credit units to renew.

ACP - Atlassian Certified Professional. These are exams that are explicitly for admins. ACPs require 100 credit units to renew.

Note that the same CE units will be applied to both types of exams. That is, the candidate will not need to earn separate CE units if they hold both types of certifications. Also, all CE units earned can be applied to all certifications held.

Here is the breakdown of activities and their CE units.

Limits* - The number of times the activity can be used for one renewal cycle. The logic behind this is to encourage a variety of activities. Specifically, that renewals include ongoing learning. While it is possible to renew with just events, we are hopeful that candidates will include course completion as part of the renewal process.

Example path

The table below shows an example of earning and renewing certifications.

FAQs

Can CE units be used for all certifications that are up for renewal? Yes, CE units will be applied to all unexpired certifications. For example, if a candidate has three certifications and earns 10 CE units, those units can be applied to renew all three certifications.

What if there is not enough time to renew before my certification expires? If a candidate does not have enough time to renew, they can submit a support ticket to have their certification extended for six months. Please be sure to include your CM Connect ID (ATnnnnnnnn) or the email address associated with the certification.

What is the earliest date that will be accepted for the activities used for CE units? Any activities completed since the retirement of pro skill badges in February 2024 will be eligible.

When does a renewal period start? The start date of the renewal period is based on the date of the activity that triggers the renewal. The inactive date will be two years from the date of the activity, and the expiration date will be three months after the inactive date. The logic is the same if the activity takes place either before or during the suspension period.

For example, if a candidate takes a course July 1, 2026, and that entry triggers the renewal, the new inactive date would be July 1, 2028 and the new expiration date would be October 1, 2028.

Will I be provided with instructions on how to attach proof of the activity? Yes, instructions will be provided.

Which courses are included? Any course on Atlassian Learning can be used to earn CE units, regardless of topic. Be sure to complete each lesson in the course. Also, attending or viewing webinars on Atlassian Live Learning can be used to earn CE units. Candidates who are part of the Atlassian Partners Program may also use courses on the Enablement Academy.

What about courses on other platforms? For the initial rollout of the renewal program, courses on platforms such as LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, and Udemy are not included. However, these, and other platforms are being evaluated for future inclusion.

Can I retake the exam more than once to renew? Yes, you may use this method for each renewal. However, the date for retaking the exam must be within six months of the expiration date.

Can I renew once using CE units and then retake the exam for the next renewal? Yes, either method can be used for each renewal cycle.

What happens if I do not earn enough CE units to renew? The certification will expire, and you will need to retake, and pass, the exam again to obtain the certification.

What happens if I earn more points than are needed to renew? The extra CE units will roll over to be used for the next renewal cycle(s) of earned certification(s).

Will Atlassian have virtual ACEs for communities that do not have a local chapter? Yes, the Certification Team will provide quarterly virtual Atlassian Community Events (ACEs), which will earn CE units as courses (10 CE units). These will also be recorded, as they will occur in the US time zones. See Atlassian Live Learning for details.

Are there any other changes to the certification lifecycle? There are no changes to the program regarding the timelines or grace period, also known as the suspension date. Certifications are granted for two years. After two years, the candidate is provided with a 90-day grace period to renew before the certification expires. There is also no change to the renewal timelines; renewals will be valid for two years, plus the 90-day grace period.

Will reminder emails be sent? Yes, reminder emails will be sent to candidates six months, three months, and one month prior to the expiration date.

Can I retroactively apply CE units? Previously earned CE units cannot be applied to a new certification. For example, CE units earned in April cannot be applied to renewing a certification that was earned in the following May.

Does taking a new certification extend any other certifications? No, taking an additional exam and earning a new certification will not renew an existing certification.

Why do some CE units have limits? The intent of this approach is to encourage both Community involvement and ongoing learning. While it is possible to renew by attending events, it is hoped that candidates will complete training as well.

Does the system calculate the points automatically? Yes, you only need to select the type of activity, and enter the date and name, and attach proof. The number of points, their limits, and remaining CE units needed to renew will be calculated automatically and displayed on the dashboard.

Can I take a course more than once? A course can only be used once to renew a certification within a cycle. A candidate may retake a course for a different renewal cycle.

Will submissions be verified? Yes, while this approach does include a high level of trust that candidates will enter valid activities, Atlassian will perform audits and review submissions for suspicious activity. Invalid submissions may result in suspension from the program, but an appeals process is included.

Can retired certifications be renewed? Only the active ACA and ACP certifications can be renewed. The following retired certifications can no longer be renewed:

  • ACP-200 ACP-CA Atlassian Certified Confluence Administrator for Data Center and Server

  • ACP-300 ACP-JSW Atlassian Certified in Agile Development with Jira Software

  • ACP-400 ACP-JSD Atlassian Certified Jira Service Desk Administrator

  • ACP-500 ACP-SA Atlassian Certified System Administrator

  • ACP-600 ACP-JPA Atlassian Certified Jira Project Administrator for Data Center and Server

If I upload more activities than are needed, will I gain extra time until the next renewal? Not really. Since the logic uses the date of the activity, no significant time is gained. For example, uploading 200 CE units will not extend the suspension date of an ACP certification for four years. The suspension date will still be two years from the date of the last activity. Instead, wait until the certification is about to enter the suspension period to earn and upload the final CE units needed to renew.

How do I get the most time between renewals? To get the most time between renewals, wait until the certification is about to enter the suspension period to earn and upload the final CE units needed to renew. As a best practice, check your progress after each upload.

Should I wait to upload all my activities as close to the suspension date as possible? No, this is not advised. The renewal logic uses the date the activity took place, not the date the activity was uploaded. It is a best practice to upload the activity as soon as it is completed, so as not to forget and to keep an accurate view of your renewal progress.

Why is my progress at 0% after I uploaded activities? This indicates you have renewed your certification(s). To view this event, you can check the suspension and expiration dates, or view the History tab for each certification under Continuing Education Progress.

Do I need to attend events to renew? It is not necessary to attend or present at events to renew. Your renewal requirements can be satisfied just by completing free on-demand courses on Atlassian Learning.

The Atlassian certification team is eager to share this new, simplified approach to help candidates maintain their certifications. We’re grateful for our community’s patience as we build out new programs and navigate changes to improve Atlassian certifications.

Please see our Certification Program FAQs for more.