Certified Scrum Professional® (CSP®) for Certified Scrum Developers (CSD®)

As of 1 January 2018, earning a CSP® via application is only available to certificants who exclusively have a Certified Scrum Developer® (CSD®) certification.

If you have a Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®) or Certified Scrum Product Owner® (CSPO®), and would like to pursue your CSP under the new progressive model launched 1 January 2018, learn more and find educational offerings here.

Participating in professional development activities can lead to your certification.

To apply to become a CSP, you must satisfy three eligibility criteria:Scrum Education Units

  • Be a current holder of only an active CSD credential (If you hold a CSM or CSPO, you will not be able to obtain a CSP through the application process).
  • Have a minimum of 36 months of successful Agile/Scrum work experience gained within the past five years, implementing Scrum inside organizations as team member, Product Owner, ScrumMaster, or "Other." (Provide details for "Other" in the "How did you use Scrum on this job" field at the bottom of the Work Experience section of your profile page. Align your experience to the basic Scrum roles as much as possible.)
  • Gather and submit 70 Scrum Education Units (SEUs) from the past three years. Note that SEUs earned from your CSD certification (up to 24 SEUs) put you well on your way. Your CSD training can be more than three years old. All other SEUs need to have been earned within the past three years. See our Earn SEUs for your CSP page for more details.

How to apply

To apply, begin at your dashboard on the Scrum Alliance website. You can access your CSP application by using a link called "Apply for CSP Certification" (under "Actions").

If you are entering the CSP application process for the first time, you will be required to enter prerequisite information to your profile page, including:

  • Your Work Experience section must show 36 months of "Scrum Role" experience with the details requested. Select your Scrum role from the dropdown menu, add the dates you were in that role, the contact information of the person who can verify your experience, and enough detail in the "How did you use Scrum on this job" field (at the bottom of the page) to let our reviewers see your experience. If you choose "Other" as your role, make sure you provide details to align your experience to the basic Scrum roles as much as possible. All fields must be completed for the total months of your Scrum role to be calculated and added to your application.
  • Your profile must include a bio and your contact information.

You need the required information at this stage in order to proceed. When all required profile items have green check marks, you may advance to the CSP application.

The total cost for CSP certification is $250. The CSP certification fee is two-tier: The $100 nonrefundable fee is paid at the time you submit your application for review. The $150 certification payment is requested only when your application is approved.

You will have a link to your CSP application on your dashboard during your application process. On your CSP application, add your Scrum Experience Summary and your SEU information (see "Managing SEUs" below). You must show a total of 70 SEUs and at least 36 months of Scrum Role experience along with your Scrum Experience Summary in order to submit your application. Once all your required information is filled in, the "Pay $100 Application Fee and Submit" button will appear. This $100 application fee is nonrefundable. Pay the application fee to submit your application.

After the application payment is processed, your application will be reviewed.

Please allow up to eight (8) weeks for your CSP application to be reviewed.

During the review process, the CSP reviewers may contact you to ask for clarification of certain areas of your application. You will be notified of this need via comments on your application itself (still accessible to you on your dashboard) and via email.

Once you are approved

When your application is approved, you will receive an email from Scrum Alliance with a link to pay the $150 certification fee.

License and certificate

Once your payment is processed, Scrum Alliance staff will add the CSP certification to your account. You will then receive a welcome email with a link to accept the CSP License Agreement.

You will be able to download your CSP certificate from your dashboard. Your new credential is effective for two years from the date your application was approved.

Managing SEUs

You can log and manage the SEUs you earn in advance – even before you apply for your CSP certification. You will see a "Manage SEUs (for CSP Application)" link under Actions on your dashboard profile. As you enter SEUs, they will be listed there. You can enter them by choosing the Category under "Enter an Education Unit" and then by clicking the "Create New" button and completing the required information for each item. You can find helpful information about how to categorize SEUs correctly on the Earn SEUs for your CSP page.

Note: Scrum Alliance® has discretion to determine whether SEUs are acceptable, considering factors such as content, quality, and accuracy of the source material.

You can also enter additional SEUs from your CSP application itself by selecting the "Add/Adjust SEUs Attached to This Application" link. At this link, you can choose from your SEU list the specific SEUs you want to apply to your CSP application. You must show at least 70 SEUs to be able to submit your application. The total is calculated for you on the application, based on the maximum allowed for each category. You can, however, show as many SEUs as you like.

Once your application is processed, you can continue to use "Manage SEUs" to record SEUs you want to use in the future for certification renewals. These SEUs will be saved in your profile.

What do you do after you receive your CSP certificate?

Incorporating Scrum principles and practices into your world of work takes diligence, patience, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Demonstrate your expertise and strengthen your skills by:

  • Sharing your experience with the Scrum Alliance community by contributing an article to our website
  • Attending Scrum Alliance Gatherings
  • Letting others know about your accomplishments with a CSP certificate, CSP logos, and an active, editable profile on the Scrum Alliance website
  • Specializing further as a ScrumMaster or Product Owner through the Path to CSP program.

Renew your certification

You must renew your CSP level credential every two years. You will receive a reminder email from Scrum Alliance 90 days before your certification expires. Please be aware that, to maintain your certification, you will need to obtain 40 SEUs within each two-year period. Renewals automatically include foundational certifications, such as CSM, CSPO, CSD, A-CSM™, and A-CSPO™. The renewal fee is $250. Visit the Renew your CSP page for more information.

For more information, please visit our Help Center.

SEU FAQs

How is the value of an SEU calculated?
An SEU is based on a 1:1 ratio of contact hours to points. For example, eight contact hours (or a full day of training) is equivalent to eight SEUs.

How do I earn SEUs?
Many educational activities easily count for SEU credit. Reading books, attending mentoring or training sessions, and volunteering are just a few ideas. Your participation hours drive how many SEUs the activity will earn. For example, if you attend a Scrum Gathering® and participate for the entire three days, you will earn a maximum of 24 SEUs. For more information on SEUs, see our list of applicable categories of activities.

I do a lot of training and coaching. Which SEU category does this fit into?
There are two areas that we review for CSP applicants. One is "Experience," which should be highlighted by updating your Scrum Alliance® Profile/Work History. The other is participation in learning opportunities where you are the student and not the facilitator. These generally count as SEUs.

In instances where you are the trainer, these hours would best fit the Experience requirement on your Scrum Alliance profile.

There are three exceptions. In these cases, your training experience can be counted for SEUs:

  1. You are a co-trainer, learning alongside a more experienced trainer. These hours can be SEUs in Category F.
  2. You've researched and prepared training materials. These hours can be SEUs in Category E.
  3. You have volunteered training for nonprofit organizations other than your employer. These hours can be SEUs in Category D.

How many SEUs will I need for my initial CSP application?
You will need 70 SEUs. Each SEU is the equivalent of one hour of an educational activity.

How many SEUs will I need to maintain my CSP credential?
You will need 40 SEUs accumulated over two years to renew your CSP. Each SEU is the equivalent of one hour of an educational activity.