Lifelong learning
Supporting learning and professional development for all members
Qualification to Associate or Fellow is a key foundation block as members move through their career. To ensure that our members can develop their skills and knowledge, we offer a wide range of training and resources for continuing professional development.
Working towards Associate and Fellow status
Delivering a current, robust curriculum and exams support to members
This year, we delivered 33,000 online examinations globally and put over 600 access arrangements in place to enable candidates requiring additional support to take IFoA exams.
We continued to conduct extensive post-examination reviews of all candidate scripts. We simplified results delivery for students for the September 2024 session. And in December 2024, we launched a new area on IFoA Communities specifically for student members, designed to help those training to qualify to feel informed, supported and part of the wider profession.
Ensuring our syllabus content is current and appropriate is a key priority and we review this on an annual basis. We are currently reviewing our end-to-end learning offer, including the curriculum, assessment design and assessment delivery.
This began with a workshop at Staple Inn with key stakeholders including our examiners, module leads, IFoA Board, the Board of Examiners, employers, senior executives and Council representatives. We will continue to bring this group together as work progresses and keep members updated at key points in the project.
We have moved to closed book and closed web exams in order to enhance security and integrity. This will also significantly lower the risk of plagiarism or the misuse of artificial intelligence.
However, we faced challenges in the run-up to the April 2025 examination session. Significant technology issues meant we had to transition, at speed, from online exams to mainly in-person invigilated exams.
We were able to successfully deliver secure exams for the April session and work continues to ensure that IFoA examination processes are robust and sound.
online examinations globally
access arrangements in place to enable candidates requiring additional support to take IFoA exams
Anschelli Thanaperaigasam, IFoA student member and Senior Business Development Executive, Malaysian Life Reinsurance Group Berhad
My actuarial journey has been as much about personal growth as it has been about technical learning. Working through the exams has strengthened my resilience and sharpened my problem-solving skills. With each exam, I gain a deeper understanding of the curriculum, giving me the confidence to contribute meaningfully to my career.
Ritesh Gupta, IFoA student member at the Institute of Actuarial and Quantitative Studies
Studying to become an actuary has been one of the most intellectually rewarding journeys I've taken. The exams are challenging, but I enjoy the process of learning and growing. The curriculum has given me a strong foundation in analytical thinking, and I can see how each step brings me closer to a fulfilling and impactful career.
Xinyue Yuan, IFoA student member and PhD student of Actuarial Science
My journey through the IFoA actuarial qualification examinations has not only solidified my mathematical and statistical acumen but has also reshaped my way of thinking. Actuarial science has taught me to decipher complex problems from a structured perspective, to drive decision making with data, and to find the optimal solution amidst uncertainty. I believe that learning actuarial science has brought me not only the improvement of professional competence, but also a transferable research perspective and analytical skillsets.
New Qualifiers
Celebrating the success of our Fellows and Associates
Qualifying as an IFoA actuary, after several years of hard work, is a huge achievement.
This year over 983 members were awarded Fellowship and 913 reached Associateship.
All our qualifiers should be proud of their hard work and they are recognised in a special pull-out section of The Actuary magazine and a dedicated page on our website.
This year, we also celebrated this key milestone at new qualifier events in Dubai, India, China and the UK, with over 360 qualifiers being congratulated by Kalpana Shah and Kartina Tahir Thomson from the Presidential Team.
Chinwe Nzewi, IFoA Fellow and Actuary, Model Operations, Just Group
It has been a long journey to qualification – it's not for the faint-hearted! And so I feel a great sense of achievement for actually having made it to becoming an actuary, part of a highly-esteemed profession. Becoming a qualified actuary has opened up various career possibilities for me and I look forward to exploring these some more.
Adeetya Tantia, IFoA Fellow and Associate Risk Modelling Consultant, Hymans Robertson
After several years of study and hard work, qualifying as an actuary is an achievement which I'm really proud of. It's been exciting to move to the next level of my career and to have the freedom to think more creatively about how I could use my actuarial skills in my current role and in the future, to drive growth and innovation.
Wentan Wang, IFoA Fellow and Manager of Actuarial Services, PwC China
As actuaries, we help enterprises and society to find their way amid uncertainties. The process of learning actuarial science may be full of challenges, but every effort will bring you one step closer to your dreams and career goals.
Supporting members with learning and development throughout their actuarial career
Actuarial education and development are not static, and actuaries must continue to improve and extend their knowledge and skills throughout their careers.
For example, we increasingly see areas of actuarial work in which climate and AI-related risks play a role.
Such risk needs to be understood and considered by actuaries in the same way as other major risks, such as interest rate risk and mortality risk.
This year we have revamped the Climate Risk and Sustainability course, which is available on our Virtual Learning Environment. The course now provides a much more inclusive, engaging and interactive way of learning.
Joey Zhou, IFoA Fellow and Associate Professor at Nanyang Technological University
As a facilitator of this course, I’ve witnessed how this content equips actuaries with essential tools to respond to a rapidly evolving risk landscape. As with many executive-level programmes today, staying current is critical – the course is reviewed and refreshed to reflect advances in science, regulation, and market expectations. This year’s update, led by a dedicated group of volunteers, integrates new thinking, ensuring that our content remains both forward-looking and grounded in professional practice.
Members are keen to build up their knowledge and understanding of how artificial intelligence can support and enhance their actuarial skills.
Our ‘Introduction to AI’ e-learning course was launched in October 2024 and has been accessed by over 200 members to date.
In July 2024, in partnership with the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI), we announced access for all IFoA members to the CISI Certificate in Ethical Artificial Intelligence course to provide a CPD opportunity. Additional materials were launched on the VLE, giving depth to this course which has been well received by members.
Matthew Edwards, IFoA Fellow and Council member
The CISI AI course is a great example of actuaries collaborating with adjacent groups. The course is not actuarial, which is partly why it fills a useful gap. It provides a good high-level overview for senior AI managers and stakeholders of all the relevant issues: risk management, systems issues, data sources, testing, regulations and standards. Try it for yourselves!
The IFoA’s accreditation of universities programme has 74 agreements in place with 50 universities
The IFoA’s accreditation process enables the IFoA to confirm that students who gain exemptions from IFoA exams have performed at an equivalent level to those with direct passes in IFoA exams.
Having an accredited programme reinforces a university’s reputation and lends additional strength to its student recruitment profile.
Accreditation enables a university to teach a course that is equivalent to, but does not need to be identical to, that of the IFoA.
This promotes innovation in both programme content and assessment methods, including coursework. It also allows an accredited programme to include aspects of actuarial research, which may be a strength of the institution.
This year, we have developed a new and more streamlined process to manage the reaccreditation of the 54 programmes whose current arrangements will expire in 2025.
We have also reviewed and approved new accreditation-by-subject agreements for Asia Pacific University in Malaysia, Monash University in Australia, Tel Aviv University in Israel, Queen Mary University of London in the UK and Shangai International Studies University and the University of International Business & Economics in China.
In addition, Patkar Varde College in India, in affiliation with the University of Mumbai, was granted an additional exemption for IFoA subject CP1 for its Postgraduate Master of Science in Actuarial Science.
Akash Rughani, Program Director, Institute of Actuarial and Quantitative Studies at Patkar Varde College
It’s a prestigious moment as our MSc program gains accreditation from the IFoA. This milestone will significantly benefit students in India, expediting their professional and academic journey to Fellowship.
Next page: Setting the standard