Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) and Equivalent Courses

NOTICE: Extension of Current USPAP

The Appraisal Standards Board voted on February 19, 2021 to extend the effective date of the current 2020-21 USPAP through December 31, 2022. Click here to learn more. Questions? Read the FAQs.

Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) Courses

Since its inception, The Appraisal Foundation (Foundation) has worked to foster professionalism in appraising by establishing, improving, and promoting the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). The Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989 recognizes USPAP as the generally accepted real property appraisal standards and requires that for federally related transactions appraisers comply with USPAP. Federal, state, and local agencies, appraisal services, and many professional appraisal organizations require compliance with USPAP. Please contact your educational provider for a schedule of course offerings or your state appraisal regulatory agency for information they may have on courses offered in your state.

2020-2021 USPAP Courses
Course Title	Hours	Delivery Mechanism	Audience	Count Toward Real Property USPAP Requirements?	Count Toward Real Property QE/CE Requirements?*
7-Hour National USPAP Update Course	7	Classroom and Online	Real Property Appraisers	Yes	CE Real Property Credit
7-Hour USPAP Update Course for Non-Residential Real Property	7	Online	Real Property Appraisers	Yes	CE Real Property Credit
7-Hour USPAP Update Course for Mass Appraisal	7	Classroom	Real Property and Mass Appraisers	Yes	CE Real Property Credit
7-Hour USPAP Update Course for Personal Property	7	Classroom	Personal Property Appraisers	No	No
7-Hour Residential Review and Compliance Course	7	Classroom and Online	Real Property Appraisers	No	CE Real Property Credit
15-Hour National USPAP Course	15	Classroom and Online	Real Property Appraisers	Yes	QE or CE Real Property Credit
15-Hour USPAP Course for Business Appraisal	15	Classroom	Business Appraisers	No	No
15-Hour USPAP Course for Personal Property	15	Classroom	Personal Property Appraisers	No	No

*State appraiser regulatory agencies will grant credit to students who have completed a National USPAP Course or an equivalent only if the course is taught by an Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) Certified USPAP Instructor who also holds an active, in good standing Certified General or Certified Residential credential in at least one U.S. state or territory.

Who is required to take USPAP courses?

Real property appraisers are required to take the 15-Hour National USPAP Course (or its equivalent) to obtain a state credential. Once credentialed, all real property appraisers must take the 7-Hour National USPAP Update Course (or its equivalent) once every two calendar years. The 7-hour course focuses on changes to USPAP.
In addition, appraisers of all types of property (business valuation, personal property, and real property) are often required to comply with USPAP because of their affiliation with various appraisal trade organizations. For example, Appraisal Foundation Sponsors who confer personal property designations must implement the minimum personal property qualifications, or the Personal Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria. These criteria include USPAP requirements. For details, please review the Personal Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria booklet.

See the table above and USPAP-related and other discipline-specific courses for the Foundation’s courses that may be required by Appraisal Foundation Sponsors, local, state, or federal agencies.

Please contact your state or educational provider for a schedule of course offerings or your state appraisal regulatory agency for information they may have on courses offered in your state.

Can I take USPAP online or in the classroom?

Yes! The Foundation has online and classroom versions of the real property USPAP Courses available for purchase. The Foundation and McKissock, a leading developer of online education, have partnered again to develop online versions of the real property version of the current 15-Hour National USPAP Course and 7-Hour National USPAP Update Course. Education providers interested in offering these online Foundation courses through McKissock should contact Emily Onuffer at emily@mckissock.com for additional information.

Please note some state regulatory agencies may not allow USPAP to be taken online. Be sure to check with your state appraisal regulatory agency for details.

The classroom versions of the National USPAP Courses are also currently available. Please contact your educational provider for a schedule of course offerings or your state appraisal regulatory agency for information they may have on courses offered in your state. Please note: Because of COVID-19, some states are currently allowing the classroom-only courses to be taught synchronously (live) online. Again, check with your state appraisal regulatory agency for details.

To order print copies and/or PDF copies of USPAP or the USPAP course student manuals, please visit the Foundation store.

Who can teach a USPAP course?

Only AQB Certified Instructors may teach the above courses. Please visit the USPAP Instructor Program webpage to learn how to become a certified instructor.

Can I develop my own USPAP course?

Yes! The Foundation has once again partnered with McKissock to offer online versions of several USPAP Courses. However, education providers can develop their own equivalent courses. Providers interested in developing an equivalent version of a USPAP course must:

Download and review the checklists at our USPAP Equivalent Course materials folder for specifications on developing equivalency for distance education delivery systems for the USPAP courses.
Submit their courses to the Appraiser Qualifications Board for USPAP equivalency.
Submit their courses to the International Distance Education Certification Center (IDECC) for certification (www.idecc.org).
Confirm that all instructors who teach their USPAP Courses have obtained the Certified Distance Education Instructor (CDEI) designation from IDECC. Instructors who have not earned the CDEI designation will not be permitted to be listed as an instructor of IDECC-certified courses. For more information, please visit IDECC's website at www.idecc.org.

Please note some state regulatory agencies may not allow USPAP to be taken online. Be sure to check with your state appraisal regulatory agency for details.

Can I order a manual for a USPAP course?

The 15-Hour National USPAP Course and 7-Hour National USPAP Update Course student manuals are the only course manuals available for purchase. Ordering information is available on the Foundation's Store webpage sor by calling 800-348-2831.

All other course materials must be reproduced by education providers from electronic copies provided by the Foundation, and a license agreement must be signed. To obtain a license agreement please call 800-348-2831.

Education providers may purchase either printed versions of classroom material for the courses they provide or may enter into a license agreement with the Foundation to receive electronic copies of the manuals that they may then reproduce on their own. For information on offering the National USPAP courses, please contact Brigitte Coulton at brigitte@appraisalfoundation.org . To order print copies of USPAP and/or the USPAP course student manuals, please visit the Foundation store.