What does it cost to sit each AML certification?

How this was collected

We took the standard entry price each issuing body publishes for its own credential: the certification package for CAMS, CGSS, and CFCS, the course fee for each rung of the ICA AML ladder, and the exam application fee for CFE. Every row is read from the body's own page (int-comp.org, acfcs.org, acfe.com) or, where acams.org blocked every direct request, corroborated across several independent sources quoting that ACAMS page. A credential is included once we have a figure we can attribute; where the published figures conflict, the row ships with no number rather than a guess.

Newest figure in this dataset verified 2026-07-28. The methodology page explains how each one was sourced.

What the dollar-priced credentials cost

Across the 3 credentials ACAMS, ACFCS, and ACFE price in dollars, the standard entry fee runs from $480 to $2,095, a spread of $1,615 between the cheapest and the dearest way into this field. That is the single most useful thing this dataset says: the choice of body, not the choice of study method, is what actually moves your bill.

What the ICA ladder costs, in pounds

The International Compliance Association prices its AML ladder in pounds, and we leave it in pounds. Climbing from the entry Certificate to the Diploma multiplies the course fee by roughly 5.9 times, before the GBP195 membership that is added at checkout for anyone who is not already an ICA member. Any dollar figure for these rows would be our conversion, not the body's price, so we publish none.

What we could not price

One credential in this matrix carries no usable published entry fee, so it is listed in the table below but held out of every figure above. Filling those cells with a plausible-looking number would make the medians tidier and the page less true.

• CGSS certification package: Secondary sources quote a $1,695 package, a $2,180 bundle, and a $695 member exam fee, which do not reconcile, so no figure is shipped.

Full data table

Limitations

• These are entry prices, not the true all-in cost. Mandatory membership, retakes, and recertification fees sit on top, and they differ by body. The cost guides and the eligibility and cost tool walk through the multi-year totals.
• ACAMS and ACFCS both price lower for public-sector and government candidates, so a government employee pays less than the figures compared here.
• The ICA rows are course fees for a taught qualification, not a standalone exam fee, so they buy a different thing than the CFE application fee does. Comparing them tells you what each route costs to enter, not that the routes are interchangeable.
• The CAMS and CGSS figures were corroborated across secondary sources rather than read from acams.org directly, which is a weaker standard than the rest of the table.

Verification log

• 2026-07-28: CAMS certification package (private sector) checked against acams.org CAMS page, corroborated not direct-fetched
• 2026-07-28: CGSS certification package checked against acams.org CGSS page, corroborated not direct-fetched
• 2026-07-28: ICA Certificate in Anti Money Laundering course fee checked against int-comp.org course page
• 2026-07-28: ICA Advanced Certificate in Anti Money Laundering course fee checked against int-comp.org course page
• 2026-07-28: ICA Diploma in Anti Money Laundering course fee checked against int-comp.org course page
• 2026-07-28: CFCS certification package (private sector) checked against acfcs.org FAQ
• 2026-07-28: CFE exam application fee checked against acfe.com CFE exam FAQ