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PMP Certification Cost in the USA (2026) – Simplified
What does the PMP cost in US dollars?
The PMP exam fee is US$405 if you are a PMI member and US$655 if you are not. PMI membership costs about US$154 a year, plus a one-time US$10 joining fee.
Membership costs about US$164 in the first year and takes US$250 off the exam fee. Join PMI first, then pay for the exam.
Submitting the application is free. You pay again only if you retake the exam, move your appointment late, or renew after three years.
US$405
Exam fee for PMI members
One payment, after PMI approves your application.
US$655
Exam fee for non-members
The same exam, without the member discount.
US$154
PMI membership for a year
Plus US$10 the first time you join.
US$250
What membership saves
On the exam fee. It also cuts your renewal fee later.
What does PMI charge?
These are the United States prices. PMI prices by region, so the amount at your checkout follows the country on your PMI profile.
| What it is | PMI member | Non-member | When you pay it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application | Free | Free | You submit it and wait for approval |
| Exam fee | US$405 | US$655 | After PMI approves your application |
| Retake, second and third attempt | US$275 | US$375 | Only if you do not pass |
| Moving or cancelling your appointment inside 30 days | US$70 | Charged by the test vendor when you reschedule | |
| Not turning up for a booked exam | You lose the whole exam fee | You then pay the retake fee to sit again | |
| PMI membership for a year | About US$154, plus US$10 the first time | Before you pay the exam fee, or you will be charged the non-member rate | |
| Renewal, every three years | US$60 | US$150 | At the end of each three-year cycle, with 60 PDUs |
Exam and retake prices read off PMI’s United States store on 10 September 2026. Membership pricing is confirmed at PMI’s checkout. Several training sites currently quote US$445 and US$675 for the exam; PMI’s own store returns US$405 and US$655.
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Join PMI before you pay
Membership costs about US$164 in the first year and takes US$250 off the exam fee. You save money on the first payment, not later.
Two rules to know. Your membership must be active on the day you pay for the exam. If you join afterwards, PMI will not refund the difference.
Membership also gives you the PMBOK® Guide free, a renewal fee of US$60 instead of US$150, and your local chapter.
What else will you pay for?
- 35 contact hours of training. PMI will not accept your application without it. Self-paced courses cost a few hundred dollars. Live classes cost more.
- Study material and mock exams. Often included with training. Buy them separately only if your course has no full-length mocks.
- A retake. Only if you need one. You get three attempts in one year, and the retake costs less than the first attempt.
Buy your training from a PMI Authorized Training Partner. That is what makes the 35 hours count on your application.
How do I apply?
- Check you are eligible: education, project experience and 35 contact hours.
- Create or log in to your PMI.org account and start the application.
- Enter each project clearly: your role, what you did, the outcome and the dates.
- Submit and wait for approval. An audit happens only if you are selected.
- Pay the exam fee at the member or non-member rate.
- Schedule with Pearson VUE, at a test centre or online.
- Sit the exam: 180 questions in about 230 minutes, with breaks.
PMP exam details, simplified
What does it cost to keep the PMP?
You need 60 PDUs every three years and a renewal fee: US$60 as a member, US$150 if your membership has lapsed.
PDUs can cost nothing. Reading, mentoring and volunteering all count. The education PDUs must be taught, so most people buy those in one pack.
See how renewal worksQuestions people ask about PMP fees
Yes. Membership costs about US$164 in the first year and takes US$250 off the exam fee. It also cuts renewal from US$150 to US$60, gives you PMI standards free, and includes your local chapter.
US$275 for members and US$375 for non-members. You get three attempts inside your one-year eligibility period.
One year from approval, with up to three attempts. If the year runs out, you pay and apply again from the start.
Most employers do. PMI issues the receipt in your name with the certification on it, which is what a reimbursement claim needs. Ask first whether your employer pays on purchase or only on a pass.
No. PMI prices by region and charges in the local currency of the store your PMI profile points at. The India fees are here.
PMI changed exam pricing during 2026 and several sites have not updated. The figures on this page were read off PMI’s own United States store on 10 September 2026.
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Who wrote this
Kavita Sharma trains PMP candidates as a PMI Authorized Training Partner and has renewed her own PMI credentials through several cycles.
- Significant Contributor to the PMBOK® Guide Sixth Edition and Contributor to the Eighth Edition
- Author of Pass PMP in 21 Days – Study Guide and Pass PgMP in 21 Days
- Holds PMP and PgMP
- Sixteen years delivering projects and programmes, and the last ten coaching candidates through PMI credentials