PMP eligibility
PMP 35 contact hours explained
To apply for the PMP, you need 35 hours of project management training. A qualifying course gives you those hours and the certificate to prove them; an active CAPM certification also counts instead. You still need the education and project experience PMI asks for.
Below: how to get the 35 hours, what counts, the certificate you need, and what changes on 1 December 2026.
Your 35 contact hours questions, answered
- hours of training PMI requires
- 35
- hours of training PMI requires
- contact hours our PMP course gives you
- 60
- contact hours our PMP course gives you
- Saturdays, live in person or online
- 7
- Saturdays, live in person or online
- our PMI Authorized Training Partner number
- #4456
- our PMI Authorized Training Partner number
- 01
How to get 35 contact hours for the PMP
Take a qualifying project management course and keep its certificate. Our PMP course gives you 60 contact hours over seven Saturdays. An active CAPM, or qualifying coursework in a PMI GAC-accredited degree, can also cover them.
- 02
PMP 35 contact hours online
Online training counts. Self-paced courses with an end-of-course assessment count; live online classes count, but from 1 December 2026 only from an Authorized Training Partner or one of the other starred providers. Education Edge is ATP #4456. Is a self-paced 35-hour course enough?
- 03
35 contact hours certificate
Your certificate should show the course title, the provider, the dates and the hours. Keep it with your application records: PMI can ask for it if your application is audited.
- 04
Do the 35 contact hours expire?
PMI's handbook has asked candidates to record education hours "regardless of when they were accrued", so a course you took years ago can still count if you kept the certificate. Confirm against PMI's current handbook before you apply.
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35 contact hours vs 35 PDUs
Different things. Contact hours get you eligible to sit the PMP. PDUs keep it once you have it: 60 every three years, at least 35 of them from education.
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How long is PMP training?
PMI's minimum is 35 hours. Our course runs seven Saturdays, 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time, live in person in Mississauga or online, for 60 contact hours.
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PMP hours requirement in full
35 hours of training, plus project leadership experience: 36 months with a bachelor's degree, 60 with a secondary diploma. Check your route.
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Does CAPM count for the 35 hours?
Yes. PMI accepts an active CAPM in place of the 35 hours; you still need the experience and the exam. How CAPM affects the PMP.
What counts as a contact hour
A contact hour represents an hour of qualifying instruction. The training must cover relevant project management learning objectives aligned with the PMP Exam Content Outline.
For a course covering several subjects, only the qualifying project management instruction should be counted. Time spent reading a book or completing practice exams independently does not, on its own, establish qualifying formal training.
PMI counts one hour of classroom instruction as one training hour. Its own example: a university or college course meeting three hours a week for fifteen weeks records forty-five training hours.
The providers PMI accepts
PMI accepts training from the providers below (names in PMI's own words). From 1 December 2026, live classes count only from the ones marked *.
PMI's list
- PMI Authorized Training Partner (ATP)*
- A provider PMI has authorized and lists in its own directory. Education Edge identifies its number as 4456.
- China Registered Education Provider (REP)*
- PMI's equivalent register for mainland China.
- PMI Global Accreditation Center for Project Management Education Programs (GAC)*
- A degree programme PMI's own accreditation centre has accredited.
- Project Management course(s) from Accredited Higher Education Institution*
- A university or college course, from an accredited institution.
- Employer/company-sponsored programs
- Training run by your own employer. Live in-house classes stop counting on 1 December 2026, unless delivered by one of the starred providers.
- Training companies or consultants (e.g., training schools)
- Commercial training companies. Their live classes count until 1 December 2026; their self-paced courses still count after it.
- Self-paced on-demand training courses including an end-of-course assessment
- On-demand courses count if they end with an assessment. The December 2026 change does not affect them.
*Effective December 1, 2026, live instructor-led training will only be accepted when provided by these education providers.
Choosing a qualifying course
Before booking, ask the provider:
- How many qualifying training hours does the course provide?
- Does the curriculum align with the current PMP Exam Content Outline?
- Is the delivery live, self-paced, or a combination?
- What completion requirements apply?
- What certificate or other evidence will I receive?
Keep the course title, provider name, completion dates, and certificate together. PMI may request documentation during an application audit.
Already hold CAPM or relevant academic training
An active CAPM can satisfy the PMP training requirement. You still need the education level and project leadership experience required for your application route.
Relevant coursework from a PMI GAC-accredited degree program may also count toward the training hours. Check the coursework and documentation rather than assuming any degree automatically provides the full requirement.
The planned change from 1 December 2026
PMI has announced a change to eligible providers for live PMP training from 1 December 2026. Live courses must be delivered through an ATP, a China Registered Education Provider, or an eligible accredited academic program.
PMI's notice leaves self-paced provider options broader and preserves eligibility for training completed before that date under the existing requirements. The course must still meet the applicable training standards.
Read our December 2026 training update and check PMI's current notice before booking.
Training hours and PDUs are different
Training hours help establish eligibility before certification. Professional Development Units, or PDUs, are used to maintain PMI certifications after they have been earned. Check the stated purpose of a course before using its hours in an application or renewal record.
Prepare with Education Edge
Our PMP certification course combines live teaching, guided practice, and application support. Check the course page for the current teaching hours, schedule, tuition, and completion requirements.
Common questions
- Do 35 training hours make me eligible on their own?
- No. You must also satisfy the applicable education and project-experience requirements.
- Should I complete training before applying?
- Yes, finish it first. You list the completed course in your application, and PMI can ask for the certificate if you are audited. PMI's own pages word the deadline slightly differently, so check its current instructions for your route.
- Is a training certificate the PMP certification?
- No. A course completion document records training. PMI awards PMP after its certification requirements are met.
Live teaching, guided practice and application support. The course page carries the current teaching hours, schedule, tuition and completion requirements.
See the PMP courseAsk about the PMP course · Check PMP eligibility
Sources
This page describes PMI's published requirements. The training requirement, the accepted-provider list and its footnote, the hour conversion, the CAPM credit and the GAC credit come from PMI's Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification Exam Content Outline for the July 2026 exam update, and from PMI's PMP certification pages.
Certification requirements change, and PMI describes the 1 December 2026 provider change as a planned update. Check PMI's current requirements before making a decision based on this page.