AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners)

The American Institute of Certified Planners is the professional institute within the American Planning Association that certifies practicing planners and promotes continuing education and professional development.  AICP leads the way in requirements for certification of professional planners, ethics, professional development, planning education, and the standards of practice. Certified planners are skilled at finding solutions to current community problems in ways that will carry a community toward long-term goals. Certification requires specific education and experience plus passing a rigid examination in planning. Only 14,000 planners in the nation hold AICP certification.

AICP Certification Maintenance

Certification Maintenance

AICP Certification

2007 Exam

For candidates interested in taking the 2007 AICP exam, the May, 2007 application and fee submission deadline is February 6, 2007, and the testing window is May 7-21, 2007. Information on exam registration, submission deadlines, and exam dates will be posted at the APA website at www.planning.org/certification/appinfo.html.

Exam Study Materials

• planningpa.org/career_aicp.shtml
• www.apacolorado.org/career_center/AICP/aicp%20notes.pdf
• www.washington-apa.org/career/aicp.shtml
• www.floridaplanning.org/treasurecoast/05_aicp_links.asp
• www.planning.org/certification/examprep.htm

Everyday Ethics for Practicing Planners (October 2001)
Carol D. Barrett
American Institute of Certified Planners: Washington, D.C.

The Practice of Local Government Planning (3rd edition, 2000)
Linda C. Dalton, Charles Hoch, and Frank So
International City Management Association: Washington, D.C.

Planning the Built Environment (2000)
Larz T. Anderson
Planners Press, American Planning Association: Chicago

AICP Exam Scholarship

AICP offers one Reduced Exam Registration Fee Scholarship each year to an Alaska planner taking the AICP exam. This program was put into place to offer assistance to approved applicants who may defer taking or are unable to take the AICP exam because of the high cost.

Scholarship recipients pay reduced fees to AICP as follows:

• First time AICP applicants: $125 (combined $60 application and $65 exam fee)
• Previously approved AICP applicants: $65 (exam fee only)

Please note that if scholarship recipients pay the regular instead of the reduced fees before receiving notice of selection, AICP will promptly refund the fee difference to the candidate.

APA will start the exam application for the scholarship recipient. If you are applying for the scholarship, please do not start an application.

Scholarship recipients are selected based upon the selection criteria listed below.  Alaska has only one scholarship available annually.

Reduced AICP Exam Fee Scholarship Selection Criteria

Applicant shall submit a written explanation of financial hardship (including financial hardship caused by a budget cutback in a firm or agency), which necessitates the request.

• The applicant selected will be otherwise unlikely to take the exam without the reduced fee.  Please provide sufficient information that the PDO can assess your financial need relative to other applicants.  Specific documentation will not be required.
• The applicant's employer will not subsidize the exam fee.  Please provide a letter from your employer stating that it is the policy of the department to not subsidize the cost of taking the AICP exam.
• Preference will be given to applicants that help diversify the APA/AICP membership.

The nomination/selection of scholarship recipients will be kept strictly confidential. It is ultimately up to the Chapter PDO to decide what constitutes financial hardship. The above criteria merely gives the general framework.

If you would like to apply for the scholarship for the May or November 2007 testing session, please send a brief letter of application by January 15, 2007 to:

Laurie Cummings, AICP
HDR Alaska
2525 C Street, Suite 305
Anchorage, AK 99503

For more information contact Laurie Cummings, AICP