Academic program policies

Insurance Institute courses are offered to members of the Insurance Institute. You must maintain membership in the Insurance Institute in order to register for courses and obtain confirmation of grades. Apply or renew.

The following programs have additional eligibility requirements.

Students should have some general insurance knowledge before beginning this program. The Insurance Institute recommends that potential students first complete one of the following:

• two years of experience working as an insurance industry professional (broker, agent, underwriter, analyst), or

• GIE courses C81 and C82, or

• CIP course C11.

Students should have some general insurance knowledge before beginning this program. The Insurance Institute recommends that potential students first complete one of the following:

• two years of experience working as an insurance industry professional (broker, agent, underwriter, analyst), or

• GIE courses C81 and C82, or

• CIP course C11.

Students must apply for admission to the FCIP program and must hold a CIP designation, maintain Insurance Institute and CIP Society membership throughout the program, and provide proof of prior education/experience that meets the specific requirements. Learn more.

Course availability in a given term may be subject to demand, and registration opportunities for a specific course may be limited by the number of available spaces.

In addition, some courses have prerequisite requirements. Descriptions of the individual courses and programs provide details of course prerequisites and recommended prior study.

Registration for a given term closes when classes are full or, at latest, the deadline posted on the course registration page. Late registrations are not accepted. 

The Institute reserves the right to withdraw, limit, cancel, or adjust any course due to insufficient enrolment. When it is necessary to cancel or change a class, we will make every effort to contact registrants. It is the student’s responsibility to keep contact information up to date with the Insurance Institute.

If a course is cancelled, registered students may transfer to another course in the same program (if available and if space permits) or choose to receive a full refund for course fees paid.

Membership fees are not refundable.

Textbook fees can be refunded if the books have not been received by the student at the time of cancellation, or if they are returned to the Institute in resalable condition (perfect and unmarked).

If you wish to withdraw from a course, you must submit a request to the Insurance Institute. The following deadlines apply for submission of withdrawal requests:

1. Two weeks from the start date of the course:

Deadline to obtain a refund of your entire course tuition fee less an administrative fee.

2. Six weeks from the start date of the course:

Deadline to withdraw with a “W” notation on your academic record. If you withdraw after this date, the course is listed on your academic record with a failing grade.

In the event of a withdrawal, course material fees will only be refunded if the books are returned and arrive at the Insurance Institute in resalable condition (perfect and unmarked). All return shipping fees are the responsibility of the student.

Membership fees are not refundable.

Registration in a course cannot be transferred to a different semester. If you change your mind about the timing of your course, please submit a request to withdraw (see the Withdrawals section above) and then register for the course again later when you are ready to proceed.

Registration in a course cannot be transferred to a course in a different program.

Two types of transfer are possible:

1. Transfer to a different online class of the same course in the same term (if available): Available at no additional cost.

2. Transfer to a different online course within the same program and the same term (if available, and if prerequisites have been met):

A transfer fee applies, along with payment for new course materials and any difference in course fees. Materials fees for the original course will be refunded if the books are returned and arrive at the Insurance Institute in resalable condition (perfect and unmarked). All return shipping fees are the responsibility of the student.

Requests for the above two types of transfer are accepted up to the end of the second week of the course (by the second Monday after the course start date). All transfer requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis and are subject to availability of space in the requested class/course.

All members of the Insurance Institute are expected to adhere to the Academic Integrity policy, which outlines concepts and expected behaviours relating to plagiarism, academic dishonesty, confidentiality of information, copyright, professionalism, and breaches of academic integrity. Review the academic integrity policy.

In addition, the following provisions apply when participating in Insurance Institute courses using online discussion boards:

• You are expected to respect the principles of confidentiality and copyright and to avoid plagiarism in your postings.
• You are expected to treat other participants with courtesy and respect at all times.
• Posts that respectfully praise or criticize an idea are acceptable if they add to the discussion at hand.
• Personal attacks and inflammatory behaviour are not tolerated.
• Use of foul language and/or obscene images is not tolerated.
• The Insurance Institute course websites are to be used for academic purposes only.
• Public forum posts should be reserved for matters of interest to the general course community. Private discussions should be taken off-line.
• Threads or posts perceived to have been made with the intent of promoting a commercial endeavour will be deleted.
• Posting the same message repeatedly or posting an unsolicited commercial message, either to one or multiple topics or boards, is considered spam. Duplicate messages may be deleted or consolidated by Institute representatives, and posting privileges may be revoked.
• Responses to a particular thread should pertain to the discussion at hand. Posts on a new topic should be started in a new thread.
• Any messages posted in a discussion forum will remain available to other class participants for as long as that particular discussion board is accessible online. Please post carefully and with due consideration to the content of the post.

Coursework 

All assignments and discussion posts must be submitted by the deadlines indicated in the course documentation. A request for a deadline extension may be considered in extenuating circumstances if submitted to the course instructor in advance. If the request is accepted, the instructor will provide a revised deadline for the item, which shall be final. Work that is submitted late without the instructor’s permission may not be accepted; at a minimum, it will be subject to a grade penalty.

Tests and midterm exams are delivered through the course web page on a date set by the Institute. Students are responsible for writing the tests on the days indicated on the course website. Forgetting the test date or going on vacation during the course will not entitle a student to an alternate test date.

Once an item has been graded, it may not be revised and resubmitted for regrading unless explicitly authorized in writing by the instructor.

Exams: Risk Management

Evaluation in Risk Management courses includes a 90-minute final exam delivered through our exam platform, which is separate from the course website. When writing a Risk Management final exam, the Institute’s Exam Rules and Requirements apply. View exam rules.

Please note that the Insurance Institute does not issue the Canadian Risk Management (CRM) designation or administer the standardized CRM exams. The exams administered by the Insurance Institute form part of the course grade only. To pursue the CRM designation, students must also contact the Global Risk Management Institute to register for the corresponding GRMI standardized exam.

Grades

There is no minimum grade required on any single evaluated component, but students must obtain a minimum of 60% in total to receive a passing grade for the course.

For ACIP, CMGA, Commercial Insurance, and Risk Management courses, the following grades are awarded.

Passing grades:

H = 80–100%

B = 75–79%

C = 65–74%

D = 60–64%

Failing grades:

X = 55–59%

Y = 40–54%

Z = 0–39%

FCIP grades are issued as percentages, and there is no Honours status. The following grades are awarded for FCIP courses (courses beginning with a code of the form F5XX).

Passing grades:

60–100%

Failing grades:

0–59%

Other FCIP Notations

I Incomplete (a temporary notation pending completion of coursework)

W Withdrew

Results

During the course, you can view grades for specific components (discussion, assignments) by logging in to the course website.

Final course results are available for paid members of the Institute. You will be notified by email when your course results are released and will then be able to see your results by logging in to your account on the Insurance Institute website.

There are no rewrites or continuing tuition options for courses in these programs. Courses that are not completed successfully must be retaken in full.

Appeals

For ACIP and FCIP courses, you can appeal your final course grade, as well as any grade for a specific assignment or other course component that contributes to the overall course grade.

• Appeals of both failing and passing grades may be considered.
• All appeals are final and are not subject to further review.
• Appeals can result in a grade either increasing or remaining the same.
• Appeal fees are non-refundable.

Final grade appeal: A final grade appeal is a formal request to double-check the addition and transposition of grades for the assessed components of a course. A request to appeal a final grade must be received at the Insurance Institute within 30 days of final course results being posted on the website. An appeal fee applies.

Evaluated component appeal: You may appeal any evaluated component that contributes to the final grade for the course. The component in question will be reviewed by the course instructor. A request to appeal an evaluated component must be received by the instructor within 30 days of the posting of a grade for the component. For assignment or discussion marks, your request must be accompanied by a detailed analysis of why you think your work merits a different mark, with reference to the criteria in the assessment instructions and grading rubric that were provided.

There is no fee for this form of appeal. 

Students who successfully complete all the requirements of their program will receive a letter of confirmation and will be awarded a printed certificate. The letter of confirmation is issued within a few weeks of program completion. Printed certificates are issued at the annual convocation ceremonies held by local Institutes and chapters across the country.

Additional provisions apply to specific programs as follows.

This program can be completed in two ways:

1. Students who successfully complete all three courses in the Canadian Managing General Agent program and pass the CMGA Comprehensive Exam will be awarded the Canadian Managing General Agent designation and will be entitled to use the post-nominal letters CMGA.
2. Students who successfully complete all three courses in the Canadian Managing General Agent program but do not complete the CMGA Comprehensive Exam will be awarded a Managing General Agent Certificate. Learn more.

Students who successfully complete all three Risk Management courses through the Insurance Institute will be awarded a Risk Management Certificate issued by the Insurance Institute.

The Insurance Institute does not award the Canadian Risk Management (CRM) designation. Students who wish to pursue the CRM must meet additional requirements set by the Global Risk Management Institute (GRMI) and should contact GRMI when beginning the Risk Management program. Learn more.