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TL;DR: You qualify for the PMP® if you have the experience leading projects that matches your education level (24 to 60 months, all within the last 10 years) and 35 hours of project management training finished before you apply. Most people can check that against the table below in a minute. This guide is for the cases the table doesn't settle: degrees from outside the US, vocational awards, unpaid work, experience close to the 10-year cutoff, old training, an active or lapsed CAPM®, and the December 1, 2026 change to live training.
What Are the PMP® Requirements in 2026?
You need one row from this table, plus the training. These are PMI's current rules, in force since the new exam launched on July 9, 2026.
| Your education | Experience leading projects | Within |
|---|---|---|
| High school diploma, GED or equivalent | 60 months (5 years) | Last 10 years |
| Associate's degree or vocational trade school diploma | 48 months (4 years) | Last 10 years |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36 months (3 years) | Last 10 years |
| Bachelor's or postgraduate degree from a PMI GAC-accredited program | 24 months (2 years) | Last 10 years |
On top of that, every path needs 35 hours of project management training, completed before you submit the application. An active CAPM® replaces the 35 hours.
Experience is counted in months, and months on overlapping projects count once. Two projects that both ran through March give you one March, not two.
If you clearly meet one row, you are done here. Go to our PMP® application guide for how to fill in the application. The rest of this page is for the "it depends" cases.
Does My Degree Count If It's Not a US Degree?
Usually, yes. PMI doesn't go by the name of your qualification. It goes by the level that qualification sits at in your country's qualifications framework, mapped to international scales (the European EQF and UNESCO's ISCED).
- High school path: completion of secondary or upper-secondary school (EQF level 4, or your country's equivalent).
- Associate's path: an associate's-level degree, a higher certificate, or an advanced technical or vocational program at the short-cycle tertiary level (EQF level 5).
- Bachelor's path: a bachelor's degree or higher from a recognized institution, or a professional or vocational qualification formally mapped to bachelor's level (EQF level 6).
You don't have to prove the level when you apply. You do if your application is audited. If your certificate or transcript doesn't state its framework level, PMI asks for one of these:
- A link to or extract from your national qualifications register
- An official statement from the awarding body or the relevant ministry confirming the level
- A formal evaluation by a recognized national body
Find out which of these you can get before you apply, especially if your degree is old or the institution has since merged or closed.
Does a Vocational or "Advanced" Certificate Count as a Degree?
Sometimes. This is where people misjudge their path most often.
A recognized vocational diploma or advanced technical program at the post-secondary level fits the 48-month path, the same as an associate's degree.
The 36-month path is stricter for anything that isn't a degree. A non-degree award qualifies only when a competent authority has explicitly mapped it to bachelor's level. PMI's exam content outline is direct about it: words like "advanced," "professional" or "graduate" in the title are not enough without an official level mapping.
If you can't find that mapping, plan on the 48-month path. If you already have 48 months, the question doesn't matter.
Does a GAC Degree Lower the Requirement?
It lowers the experience requirement to 24 months. It doesn't change your degree level.
GAC is PMI's Global Accreditation Center, which accredits specific project management degree programs. Graduates of an accredited bachelor's or postgraduate program need 24 months of experience instead of 36. Your GAC coursework can also count toward the 35 training hours.
A degree from the same university in a non-accredited program doesn't qualify. Check that your specific program is on PMI's GAC list, not just your school.
Does Unpaid or Volunteer Experience Count?
It can. PMI says the experience doesn't have to be paid, but it has to take place in a professional setting, and you have to have led and directed the project.
| Examples that may count, if you led them (our reading) | Doesn't count (PMI's list) |
|---|---|
| A defined project for a nonprofit or professional association | School and university projects |
| A funded community initiative with a sponsor, budget and deadline | Academic research for a degree program |
| A volunteer system migration for a charity's operations | Planning personal events, like a wedding |
| Leading a workstream within a larger program | Home improvement projects |
| Routine, operational or administrative work |
Two tests settle most cases. Did the work have a beginning, an end and a specific outcome? And did you lead it, or just take part? Running the same monthly newsletter for a club is operations. Leading the launch of its new membership system is a project.
The same tests apply to paid work. A "Project Manager" title doesn't make routine operations count, and no title is needed for project work that does. Our guide to PMP® eligibility without a PM title covers coordinators, engineers, analysts and team leads, and our military experience guide covers service records.
How Does the 10-Year Window Work?
All the experience you claim must fall within the 10 years before you submit the application. The window moves with your submission date, not with the date you started the paperwork.
That matters in two situations:
- Your best projects are old. Every month you wait, your oldest month falls out of the window. If you are only a few months over the line, delays can push you under.
- Your eligibility expires. After PMI approves you, you have one year to pass. If that year runs out, you have to reapply (with no waiting period), and your experience is counted again against a window anchored to the new submission date, so it has moved forward by at least a year. PMI says this is deliberate, to keep every claim inside the 10-year limit.
If you are close to the minimum, count your months carefully before you apply. List each project with start and end dates, remove overlaps, and drop anything older than 10 years. Our application guide has a worked example.
Does My Old Training Still Count?
Often, yes. PMI says qualifying training does not expire, and you can combine hours from several courses to reach 35. The condition is content: the training has to have covered project management topics aligned with the current exam content outline. PMI suggests comparing an older course's content with the current outline.
What can count:
- College or university project management courses (one classroom hour = one training hour, so a course that met three hours a week for 15 weeks gives 45 hours)
- Employer-sponsored project management training
- An older PMP® prep course, including one for the previous exam
- Self-paced, on-demand courses that ended with an assessment
What doesn't:
- Books and practice exams on their own
- The non-project-management parts of a broader course. If one module of a business course covered project management, count only that module's hours.
Keep the certificates, transcripts or syllabi. You don't upload them when you apply, but PMI will ask for them if you are audited.
What Changes for Training on December 1, 2026?
From December 1, 2026, live, instructor-led training (in person or online) counts only if one of these delivers it:
- A PMI Authorized Training Partner (ATP)
- An eligible accredited higher-education program, including GAC programs
- A Registered Education Provider (REP), for candidates in China
Three things don't change:
- Courses finished before December 1 stay eligible. PMI says they count under the rules in place when you took them, even if you apply after the change.
- Self-paced, on-demand courses from any provider still count, as long as they align with the current exam content outline and end with an assessment.
- The 35-hour total is the same.
If you are about to book a live course from a provider that isn't an ATP, either finish it before December 1 or check that the provider is a PMI ATP or an accredited academic program.
Does My CAPM® Waive the 35 Hours?
Only if it is active. An active CAPM® replaces the whole 35-hour training requirement.
An expired CAPM® doesn't. If yours is in its suspension period, PMI says to renew it before you apply so the waiver applies. If it has fully expired, you need the 35 hours like anyone else.
What If I Don't Qualify Yet?
Work out which gap you have:
- Short on months? Keep leading projects and write them down as you go, with dates, objectives and outcomes. The record will make the application faster when you get there.
- Short on training? That is the easy one. A self-paced course covers it in a few weeks.
- Not leading projects yet? PMI points people in this position to the CAPM®. It needs no project experience, and an active CAPM® later waives the PMP® training requirement.
You can start studying for the exam before you qualify. Study from the current exam content outline, since the exam you sit follows the outline in force on your exam date.
Ready to Apply?
Once you have confirmed your path:
- Follow the PMP® application guide for the experience descriptions, the audit, and timing.
- Check the current exam fees and whether PMI membership saves you money.
- Read what PMP® certification involves if you are still deciding.
Want a quick read on where your knowledge stands while you sort out the paperwork? Try PrepPilot's free PMP® practice quiz. It takes a few minutes and needs no signup.