As the 2025 education compliance deadline nears, Kaplan Professional is urging Australian financial advisers to review their individual education requirements.
Advisers who do not qualify for the 10-year experience exemption must complete their studies to meet regulatory standards and maintain their professional status.
Kaplan Professional has structured its postgraduate financial planning courses across six annual study periods. However, advisers aiming to meet the compliance deadline effectively have just five study periods, or 10 months, available in 2025 to complete their education.
The 2025 study schedule includes:
Kaplan Professional CEO Brian Knight reported increased enrolments in 2024, with each study period seeing over 300 first-time participants.
“There have been large numbers of subject enrolments every study period and the number of enquiries about education pathways and individual requirements has increased significantly,” he said.
He said this trend reflects the urgent need for advisers to meet the deadline, with many needing to complete between one and eight subjects.
“The feedback from advisers is that they are keen to avoid a last-minute scramble – we are seeing many who are enrolling in multiple subjects per study period or consecutive intakes,” Knight said.
Knight highlighted the organisation’s focus on assisting advisers with their education pathways, adding that the demand for support has grown significantly.
“We are contacting licensees and individual advisers frequently to advise them about education pathway progress – how many subjects are left to complete and mapping out personalised study plans based on individual circumstances; we are looking at this data weekly,” he said.
Kaplan Professional has increased its support for advisers by providing more tutoring sessions and regularly updating licensees and individuals about their education progress. The organisation is also helping advisers create tailored study plans based on their specific circumstances.
Knight also noted a continued influx of new entrants into the financial planning profession, with many enrolling in postgraduate courses for the first time.
This trend, he said, is encouraging for the long-term future of the industry amid calls for accessible financial advice to help Australian workers manage rising living costs and mental health pressures.
“There are still large numbers of new entrants enrolling in postgraduate financial planning courses for the first time in each study period, which is a positive sign for the future of the profession,” he said.
Kaplan Professional has seen strong demand for specialist credentials such as the Accredited Behavioural Finance ProfessionalSM and Chartered Retirement Planning CounsellorSM.
Advisers who hold a Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning or higher and are active on the Financial Adviser Register can apply for these designations without additional coursework.
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Knight advised advisers who have not started or completed their education requirements to act promptly to avoid missing the deadline.
“Whether they have not started their studies, have completed some study with another education provider, or are currently studying with Kaplan Professional, it is recommended that they make contact with Kaplan Professional as soon as possible,” he said.
Enrolments for Kaplan Professional’s 2025 intakes are now open.
Advisers planning to join Study Period 1, starting on Jan. 12, 2025, are encouraged to finalise their enrolment early to access course materials from Dec. 16, 2024.
