Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (FCIA)

Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (FCIA)

FCIA is the fellowship designation of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA), and Fellows may fulfil certain reserved roles in Canada. The CIA describes a Fellow as able to apply the Canadian practice-specific standards, legislation, concepts and techniques its syllabuses define, with the required experience, and says the route takes seven to nine years on average including university, or one to three years after another recognised fellow-level credential.

Requirements

Pathways 1 and 2 — the CIA's own exams

• The ACIA.
• One FCIA specialty track — two online modules and three open-book, four-hour exams:
  • Property and casualty — PC Module 1, PC Module 2; F1PC Pricing, F2PC Estimating Unpaid Claims and Financial Reporting under IFRS 17, F3PC ERM, Economic Capital Modelling, and Stress and Scenario Testing.
  • Individual life and annuities — ILA Module 1, ILA Module 2; F1ILA Finance and Valuation, F2ILA Product Design and Pricing, F3ILA Risk Management.
  • Group benefits — GB Module 1, GB Module 2; F1GB Product Design and Group Benefits Environment, F2GB Group Benefits Product Pricing, F3GB Group Benefits Reserving.
  • Retirement benefits — RET Module 1, RET Module 2; F1RET Pension Funding and Regulation, F2RET Pension Financial Reporting, F3RET Pension Risk Management.
  • Finance, investments and ERM — FIE Module 1, FIE Module 2; F1FIE Financial Products, F2FIE Valuation and Financial Considerations, and F3FIE Risk Management or, in the banking option, F3BNK Banking Applications.
• The Advanced Professionalism and Leadership Course (APLC).
• Experience — 36 months in the last six years, including 12 months of Canadian experience in the last three, accrued as an ACIA.

Pathway 3 — from another body's fellowship

• For a fellow of a recognised organization (ASSA, CAS, DAV, IAAust, IFoA, SAI, SOA), by experience or fast track.
• 3A (experience): FCIA Module 2 of a track, the APLC, and three years of Canadian experience in the last four, after the first fellow-level designation.
• 3B (fast track): FCIA Module 2, the APLC, one track-specific FCIA exam in some cases (F1GB, F2PC, F1ILA, F2FIE, or a retirement exam that depends on the SOA exams credited), and three years of experience in the last six, including 12 months in Canada, after the first fellow-level designation.

Further Reading

• Becoming a Fellow — Canadian Institute of Actuaries
• FCIA syllabuses — Canadian Institute of Actuaries
• A Simplified Look at the CIA Qualification Pathways — Canadian Institute of Actuaries, March 2026
• FAQ for actuarial education in Canada — Canadian Institute of Actuaries