The Ethical Finance Candidate Pathway
Begin before you begin.
The Candidate Pathway is the Institute's on-ramp for currently-enrolled students. It brings serious students into formal affiliation with the Institute before they enter the workforce.
Candidate status is a recognized affiliation, not a designation. Candidates are formally registered with the Institute and listed in the public registry under Candidate status. Candidates may identify themselves as "Ethical Finance Candidate, Institute of Ethical Finance" on academic and pre-professional materials, including resumes and LinkedIn profiles.
Candidate status is not a credential. Candidates do not use a post-nominal. There is no "EFC" abbreviation. There is no "EFP Candidate" abbreviation following a name. This is the line that protects the integrity of the EFP and CEFP designations — and Candidates are bound to respect it.
Eligibility.
Candidate status is open to currently-enrolled students at accredited institutions of higher education in the following or related disciplines:
- Finance
- Accounting
- Business administration
- Economics
- Public administration with a financial management focus
- Other fields where the candidate can credibly demonstrate financial responsibility in academic or pre-professional work
Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible. Candidate status terminates twelve months after expected or actual graduation, on conferral as an EFP, or on voluntary withdrawal.
What's included.
- Registration fee:
- $45, one-time.
- Listing in the public Registry
- under Candidate status.
- Statement of Affiliation
- (a precursor to the Integritas Oath, signed at registration).
- Candidate certificate
- — a dignified but visibly modest certificate, distinct from the EFP certificate. No foil treatment.
- Study materials
- for the EFP Assessment.
- Pathway to the EFP
- — Candidates may sit the EFP Assessment at the student rate of $95 during their final twelve months of enrollment or within twelve months of graduation. On passing, the Candidate is conferred as an EFP with full post-nominal rights.
What Candidates may and may not do.
Use rules are short, plain, and binding.
- "Ethical Finance Candidate, Institute of Ethical Finance" may be used in full or abbreviated to "Ethical Finance Candidate" in identifying contexts.
- No post-nominal initials may be used. "[Name], EFC" is not permitted. "[Name], EFP Candidate" is not permitted.
- Candidates may identify themselves as registered with the Institute on academic-affiliation lines, in resumes under an Affiliations or Memberships heading, and in student organization rosters.
- Material misrepresentation of Candidate status — including representation as an EFP — results in termination of Candidate status and disqualification from future EFP consideration for a period of three years.