CySA+ CEUs: Your complete guide to renewing your CompTIA certification

Maintaining your CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) certification requires earning 60 continuing education units (CEUs) every three years. This comprehensive guide walks you through CySA+ renewal requirements, activity options and the submission process to keep your certification current.

Your CySA+ certification demonstrates your cybersecurity analysis expertise, but like all valuable credentials, it requires ongoing professional development to stay relevant. The CompTIA Continuing Education (CE) program offers multiple pathways to earn your required CEUs while advancing your cybersecurity skills.

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What are the CySA+ renewal requirements?

Your CySA+ certification remains valid for three years from your exam pass date. To maintain active status, you must complete CompTIA-approved continuing education activities that meet these core requirements:

• Relevance standards: At least 50% of your activity content must relate to one or more CySA+ exam objectives
• Documentation needs: Submit all required documentation on time to receive CEU credit
• Financial obligations: Pay continuing education fees before your expiration date ($50 annually, totaling $150 over the full renewal period)

Some renewal activities qualify for automated submission, which streamlines the process and eliminates manual documentation requirements.

Top CySA+ CEU earning opportunities

Earn additional CompTIA certifications

Pursuing higher-level CompTIA certifications provides significant professional development value while meeting your renewal requirements. Earning the CompTIA Security X certification (formerly CASP+) grants you the full 60 CEUs needed for CySA+ renewal.

Other qualifying certifications include CompTIA PenTest+, and newer specializations may be released in the future that also qualify for CEU credit.

Complete non-CompTIA industry certifications

Many respected cybersecurity certifications from organizations like ISC2, GIAC, EC-Council, and ISACA qualify for CySA+ renewal CEUs. Popular options include CISSP, CISA, CEH and GSEC certifications.

Before pursuing this path, check CompTIA's current approved certification list, as eligible certifications may change when exam objectives are updated.

Participate in professional training courses

Training remains the most flexible way to earn CySA+ CEUs while building job-relevant skills. Options include:

• Self-paced online courses - Earn one CEU per training hour
• Instructor-led workshops - Combine networking with professional development
• Vendor training programs - Stay current with security tools and technologies
• College coursework - Earn 10 CEUs per three-to-four credit hour class

Ensure your chosen training covers topics relevant to threat detection, vulnerability assessment, incident response, or other CySA+ domain areas. Platforms like Infosec Skills are a great way to earn CEUs while you build your skills.

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Contribute to the cybersecurity community

Active participation in the cybersecurity field through content creation and knowledge sharing qualifies for CEUs:

• Create instructional materials: Develop training content, earn two CEUs per hour (30 CEU maximum)
• Publish industry content: Blog posts (1 CEU each, 18 maximum), whitepapers (4 CEUs each) or books (50 CEU maximum)
• Teach and mentor: Share your expertise through formal instruction or mentoring relationships (1 CEU per hour, 30 maximum)
• Conference participation: Attend cybersecurity conferences and webinars (1 CEU per hour, 15 maximum)

Support CompTIA exam development

Subject matter experts can earn CEUs by participating in CompTIA exam development workshops. These workshops help shape future certification content while providing one CEU per participation hour.

Calculating your CySA+ CEUs

Meeting the 60 CEU requirement becomes straightforward when you understand the calculation methodology. Most activities award one CEU per hour of participation, making it easy to track your progress.

Example CySA+ renewal plan:

• Complete 30 hours of cybersecurity training courses: 30 CEUs
• Publish three industry blog posts: 3 CEUs
• Attend two cybersecurity conferences (15 hours total): 15 CEUs
• Mentor junior analysts for 12 hours: 12 CEUs

Total: 60 CEUs

CompTIA provides a CEU Assessment Tool to verify your activities meet program requirements before submission. This helps prevent issues during the renewal process.

Submitting your completed CEU activities

CompTIA offers two submission methods for your earned CEUs:

Manual submission process

Log into your CompTIA certification account to upload activity documentation. Required information typically includes:

• Activity completion certificates with your name, dates and hours earned
• Course syllabi or content descriptions demonstrating CySA+ relevance
• Publication URLs and content descriptions for written work

Automated submission benefits

Certain activities trigger automatic CEU credit without manual documentation:

• Earning qualifying higher-level CompTIA certifications
• Passing the current CySA+ exam version
• Completing CompTIA recertification exams

These automated options eliminate paperwork while ensuring timely renewal processing.

Earn your CySA+, guaranteed!

Get hands-on experience and live expert, instruction. Enroll now to claim your Exam Pass Guarantee!

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CySA+ certification maintenance summary

Successful CySA+ renewal requires earning 60 CEUs within your three-year cycle through approved professional development activities. Focus on activities that advance your cybersecurity analysis skills while meeting CompTIA's relevance standards.

Start planning your renewal early to avoid last-minute stress. Many cybersecurity professionals begin earning CEUs immediately after certification to spread the requirement across their full renewal period.

For more on CySA+, visit the Infosec CySA+ hub and watch our CySA+ exam update webinar with CompTIA.