PMP requirements 2026: PMP certification eligibility

Short answer

To apply for the PMP you need an education, project leadership experience from the last 10 years and at least 35 contact hours of project management training. An active CAPM replaces the 35 hours. How many months of experience you need depends on your education. Between 24 and 60.

How much experience you need

This is how the PMP Examination Content Outline, July 2026 edition, sets it:

Education	Minimum project leadership experience
Secondary school	60 months
Associate's level, higher certificate or a completed technical or vocational program	48 months
Bachelor's degree or higher	36 months
Bachelor's or postgraduate degree from a PMI GAC accredited program	24 months

All of it must be within the last 10 years and non-overlapping. Three parallel projects in one year count as 12 months, not 36. This is the most common mistake in applications.

If your diploma does not map neatly to one of these levels, find out early which level PMI will accept. It is the difference between 48 and 60 months.

What counts as experience

PMI looks at what you did, not at your job title. You could be an analyst, a team lead or a department head. What matters is that you led a project or part of one: you planned, managed risks and stakeholders, controlled schedule and budget and owned the result. The approach does not matter. Predictive, agile and hybrid projects all count.

In the application you describe each project briefly: its goal, your role, what you did and how it ended. Use action verbs. "Built the risk register and reviewed it with the client every week" works better than "participated in risk management".

What counts as the 35 hours

The ECO lists the accepted sources:

PMI Authorized Training Partner (ATP)
China Registered Education Provider (REP)
PMI GAC accredited programs
project management courses at accredited universities
employer-sponsored programs
training companies and consultants
self-paced online courses with an end-of-course assessment

Books and practice exams on their own do not count. The training has to match the topics of the current ECO.

What changes for live training

PMI has announced that from late Q4 2026, live training will count toward PMP eligibility only if it is delivered by an ATP, a REP or an accredited academic program. PMI has not set the exact date yet and says it will announce it in advance. Training you finish before that date stays eligible under the current rules.

INSTAR is a PMI Authorized Training Partner Premier, so our live course counts both now and after the change.

Check yourself in 15 minutes

Find your education level in the table.
List your projects from the last 10 years with start and end dates.
Remove overlaps and count the months.
Check that you have proof of 35 hours of training or an active CAPM.
Keep contacts of people who can confirm your experience. PMI audits a share of applications, and then you will need their signatures.

FAQ

Do I need the job title Project Manager?

No. PMI counts project leadership work, not the title.

Can CAPM replace the 35 hours?

Yes, if your CAPM is active when you apply.

My experience is older than 10 years. Does it count?

No. Only months from the last 10 years count.

Does a recorded online course count?

Under the current rules, yes, if it has an end-of-course assessment and matches the ECO.

Next step

Match your diploma and months of experience against the table. Then look at PMP exam prep at INSTAR. The next start date and price are in the "Next course" block at the end of this article.

Sources

Checked on 11.11.2026:

PMP requirements in 2026: education, experience and 35 hours of training