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Last verified: March 31, 2026 | Source: BACB, Special Learning

BCBA CEU Requirements: Complete Guide

Everything Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts (BCaBAs) need to know about continuing education requirements for certification maintenance.

Quick Reference

Credential Cycle Total CEUs Ethics Supervision General
BCBA 2 years 32 4 minimum 3 minimum 25 remaining
BCaBA 2 years 20 4 minimum N/A 16 remaining
Common error: Many sources incorrectly state the BCBA cycle is 3 years. The correct cycle length is 2 years.

What Counts as an Approved CEU?

CEUs must come from a BACB Authorized Continuing Education (ACE) provider. The BACB maintains a directory of approved providers.

July 2026 Change: Effective July 1, 2026, the BACB ACE Provider standard adds participation monitoring: asynchronous or recorded CE must include at least 3 knowledge-check questions per CEU (or other active responding). Passive recordings with no active responding no longer count on their own. Article-and-quiz, journal clubs, and podcasts remain valid when they meet this.

Approved CEU formats include:

FormatAccepted?
Live webinars and workshopsYes
Video-based courses with knowledge assessmentYes
In-person conferences and seminarsYes
University coursework (pre-approved)Yes
Article + quiz (no video)No (as of July 2026)
Code word attendance verification onlyNo (as of July 2026)

Credentialing Bodies

This table lists only bodies whose current standing we can evidence today. A body not listed here is not a statement about that body either way.

BodyFull NameSL Approval
BACBBehavior Analyst Certification BoardACE Provider #OP-14-2437
QABAQualified Applied Behavior Analysis Credentialing BoardApproved

Cost Comparison

OptionCEUsPricePer CEU
CE Library (Special Learning)32.5$199/year$6.12
CE Bundles (Special Learning)32.5$199/year$6.12
Build Your Own (Special Learning)Flexible$299/year or $49/monthVaries
Individual conference6-12 typical$200-800$20-65
Individual webinar1-2 typical$30-75$15-40

RBT Requirements (Different from BCBA)

Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) have completely different requirements from BCBAs.

Current: RBTs have zero continuing education requirements.
In effect since 1 January 2026: RBTs must earn 12 Professional Development Units (PDUs) per 2-year cycle. The first deadline is January 2028 — nothing is due in 2027.
Important distinction: PDUs and CEUs are different and mutually exclusive per the BACB. CE-designated courses do NOT count as PDUs for RBTs.

About this page: This reference page is maintained by Special Learning (BACB ACE Provider #OP-14-2437). Data is verified against BACB published standards. 32,000+ customers in 140+ countries trust Special Learning for continuing education.

Questions? Contact contact@special-learning.com or call 916-264-9651.

Related: What Is ABA Therapy? • BCBA vs RBT
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