What is the International Coaching Federation?
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is a nonprofit professional body for coaches, founded in 1995 and based in Lexington, Kentucky. It does three things: it credentials individual coaches (ACC, PCC, MCC), it accredits coach training programs, and it publishes the Core Competencies and Code of Ethics that both are measured against.
The ICF doesn't train coaches itself. You train with an independent school, and the ICF assesses you afterward. Its August 2026 statistics list 29,354 active ACC holders, 27,035 PCC holders and 2,800 MCC holders worldwide.
"ICF coaching" is shorthand for coaching practiced to those standards: the coach works to the ICF Core Competencies, follows the ICF Code of Ethics, and usually holds or is working toward an ICF credential.
What is ICF accreditation, and why does it matter?
ICF accreditation applies to training programs, not to people. A school's program is accredited at Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 when the ICF has reviewed its curriculum, hours, faculty, and assessment against its standards. People earn credentials. Programs earn accreditation.
It matters for a practical reason. Graduates of an accredited Level 1 or Level 2 program apply for a credential on the simplest route, which the ICF reviews in about 4 weeks and charges the lowest application fee for. Applicants with non-accredited training use the Portfolio path, which takes about 14–18 weeks, costs $300–$375 more, and requires them to submit their curriculum to show it meets ICF standards.
Accreditation confirms that a program met the ICF's minimum standards. It does not rank schools against each other, so it is a starting filter, not the whole decision.
What's the difference between ACC, PCC, and MCC?
ACC, PCC, and MCC are three rungs of the same ladder, separated mainly by how much you have trained and how much you have coached. The ACC is the entry credential, the PCC is the working professional standard, and the MCC is the master level, open only to coaches who already hold or have held a PCC.
| ACC | PCC | MCC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coaching education | 60+ hours | 125+ hours | 200+ hours |
| Coaching experience | 100+ hours | 500+ hours | 2,500+ hours |
| Of which paid | 75 hours | 450 hours | 2,250 hours |
| Minimum clients | 8 | 25 | 35 |
| Recent hours | 25 in the last 18 months | 50 in the last 18 months | None published |
| Mentor coaching | 10 hours | 10 hours | 10 hours, with an MCC |
| Prior credential | None | None | PCC |
| Written exam | ACC Exam | ICF Credentialing Exam | ICF Credentialing Exam |
| Application fee, ICF member | $175–$475 | $375–$750 | $675 |
| Application fee, non-member | $325–$625 | $525–$900 | $825 |
| Renewal | Every 3 years, 40 CCE credits | Every 3 years, 40 CCE credits | Every 3 years, 40 CCE credits |
Requirements checked against the International Coaching Federation's credentialing pages on October 8, 2026. ICF updates its requirements from time to time, so confirm current details with ICF before you apply.
You don't have to climb in order at the start. A coach who meets the PCC requirements can apply for the PCC without holding the ACC first. Only the MCC has a prerequisite.
What do you need for an ACC credential?
An ACC credential requires five things: 60 or more hours of coaching education, 100 or more hours of coaching experience, 10 hours of mentor coaching, a demonstration of your coaching skill, and a passing score on the ICF ACC Exam.
Education
At least 60 hours. Completing an ICF-accredited Level 1 or Level 2 program satisfies this with one certificate.
Experience
At least 100 hours with 8 or more clients, 75 of them paid, all logged after your training began. At least 25 hours must fall within the 18 months before you apply.
Mentor coaching
10 hours over three months or more. Level 1 and Level 2 programs include it.
Skill assessment
Level 1 and Level 2 graduates complete this inside their program. Portfolio applicants currently submit one recorded session with a transcript.
Exam
A score of 460 or higher on the ACC Exam.
Symbiosis Coaching's ICF Level 1 programs for the ACC cover the education, mentor coaching, and skill assessment in one program.
One change is scheduled. From April 1, 2027, the recorded performance evaluation for the ACC and PCC is replaced by an enhanced mentor coaching requirement. If you train through an accredited program, the program absorbs the change and you do nothing differently.
What do you need for a PCC credential?
A PCC credential requires 125 or more hours of coaching education, 500 or more hours of coaching experience with at least 25 clients, 10 hours of mentor coaching, a skill assessment, and a passing score on the ICF Credentialing Exam. Of the 500 hours, 450 must be paid and 50 must fall within the 18 months before you apply.
The education requirement is cumulative. A coach who completed a 60-hour Level 1 program needs 65 more hours to reach 125, not a fresh 125. Completing a full Level 2 program gives you the simplest application, the Level 2 path, which the ICF reviews in about 4 weeks. Portfolio applicants submit two recorded sessions with transcripts and wait about 18 weeks.
The 500 hours set the pace. At 5 client hours a week, they take about two years to earn.
Symbiosis Coaching's ICF Level 2 programs for the PCC cover the education, mentor coaching, and skill assessment in one program.
How many coaching hours do I need for ACC? For PCC?
You need 100 hours of coaching experience for the ACC and 500 hours for the PCC. The MCC needs 2,500.
- ACC: 100 hours, at least 75 paid, with at least 8 clients. 25 of the hours must be in the 18 months before you apply.
- PCC: 500 hours, at least 450 paid, with at least 25 clients. 50 of the hours must be in the 18 months before you apply.
- MCC: 2,500 hours, at least 2,250 paid, with at least 35 clients.
The hours carry forward. The 100 hours you log for the ACC count toward the 500 for the PCC, and those count toward the 2,500 for the MCC. Only hours coached after the start of your coach training count, so coaching you did before you enrolled cannot be logged.
You record the hours yourself in a coaching log: client name and contact details, start and end dates, and paid and pro bono hours for each client.
Symbiosis Credentium™, included with every Symbiosis Coaching Level 1 and Level 2 pathway, gives students access to barter coaching hours outside their classes. The ICF counts barter as paid, so these hours go toward the 75 paid hours for the ACC and the 450 for the PCC.
What counts as a paid coaching hour?
A paid coaching hour is any hour for which you received something of value. The ICF does not set a minimum fee, so an hour billed at a token rate counts the same as one billed at full price.
The ICF counts four things as paid:
- Direct payment from the client, in any amount.
- Barter, including coaching exchanged for coaching, or for goods or services.
- Internal coaching that is part of your job at your employer.
- Third-party coaching, where an organization pays you to coach its people.
Peer coaching counts as barter only when you arrange it outside your training program. Practice sessions that are part of your course do not count as experience hours. Coaching you give away is pro bono, and it still counts toward your total: up to 25 of the 100 ACC hours and up to 50 of the 500 PCC hours can be unpaid.
For internal and third-party clients whose names are confidential, the ICF accepts a reference letter from the organization that verifies your hours.
What is mentor coaching, and how many hours are required?
Mentor coaching is feedback on your own coaching from a more experienced credentialed coach, measured against the ICF Core Competencies. Every ICF credential requires 10 hours of it, completed over at least three months, with at least 3 of the hours one-on-one.
It is not coaching on your life or your business. The mentor listens to you coach, live or on a recording, and tells you where you meet the competencies and where you fall short.
PCC, MCC, or renewed ACC
Your mentor holds a PCC or MCC, or an ACC renewed at least once.
PCC or MCC
Your mentor holds a PCC or MCC credential.
MCC only
Your mentor holds an MCC credential.
From January 1, 2027 there is one more condition. Any new mentor coaching hours must be with a mentor who holds the ICF's new Mentor Coach Specialization (MCS). Hours completed before that date still count. ACC holders also need 10 hours of mentor coaching each time they renew, as part of their 40 continuing education credits.
Accredited Level 1 and Level 2 programs build the 10 hours in, so graduates do not arrange them separately.
For practice before you work with real clients, Symbiosis Cognium™ lets students coach 52 AI personas. Those sessions build skill, but they are not client hours and do not count toward the ICF's experience requirement.
What is the ICF Credentialing Exam, and what's on it?
The ICF runs two written exams. ACC candidates take the ACC Exam: 60 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes. PCC and MCC candidates take the ICF Credentialing Exam: 78 scenario questions in about three hours. Both are scored from 200 to 600, and 460 passes.
| ACC Exam | ICF Credentialing Exam (PCC, MCC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 60 multiple-choice, one correct answer | 78 scenarios, pick the best and the worst response |
| Time | 90 minutes, including an optional 10-minute break | About 3 hours, including an optional 10-minute break |
| Tests | Knowledge of the ICF Core Competencies and Code of Ethics | Judgment in applying them to real coaching situations |
| Passing score | 460 on a 200–600 scale | 460 on a 200–600 scale |
| Delivery | Pearson VUE test center, or online with remote proctoring | Pearson VUE test center, or online with remote proctoring |
You sit the exam last, after the ICF has approved your application, and the first attempt is covered by your application fee.
To prepare, Symbiosis Credentium™ includes 10 sample tests for the ACC exam and 10 for the PCC exam.
The PCC and MCC exam is changing. From November 10, 2026 a redesigned PCC-MCC Exam is available, with 80 questions: 44 scenario questions and 36 multiple-choice knowledge questions. Anyone testing on or after April 1, 2027 takes the new version. Either exam earns the same credential.
How long does it take to get ICF certified?
Most people need 9 to 15 months to earn an ACC from a standing start. Training takes about 6 months, the 100 coaching hours usually take a little longer, and the ICF adds about 4 weeks to review an application from an accredited program.
The coaching hours are what stretch the timeline, not the course:
| Training | Coaching hours at a steady pace | ICF review | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACC | 60+ hours, typically 4–6 months | 100 hours at 3 a week is about 8 months | 4 weeks (accredited program), 14 weeks (Portfolio) |
| PCC | 125+ hours, typically 6–12 months | 500 hours at 5 a week is about 2 years | 4 weeks (Level 2 path), 18 weeks (Portfolio) |
| MCC | 200+ hours | 2,500 hours at 10 a week is about 5 years | 18 weeks |
You can start logging hours as soon as your training begins, so the two run side by side. As one example, the Symbiosis Certified Life Coach program runs 24 weeks at one two-hour live class a week and delivers 95 ICF training hours.
The weekly paces above are illustrations, not ICF figures. Someone coaching inside their job will move faster than someone building a practice from nothing.
What's the difference between ICF Level 1 and Level 2?
Level 1 and Level 2 are the ICF's accreditation tiers for training programs. A Level 1 program has 60–124 hours and prepares you for the ACC. A Level 2 program has 125 hours or more and prepares you for the PCC. Level 3, at 75 hours or more, is for PCC holders working toward the MCC.
Leads to the ACC
60–124 hours. Suits new coaches, and managers adding coaching skills.
Leads to the PCC
125+ hours. Also accepted for the ACC. Suits coaches who plan to practice professionally.
Leads to the MCC
75+ hours of advanced education for coaches who already hold a PCC.
The levels are not stages you must pass in order. If you already know you want the PCC, a Level 2 program covers the ACC requirements on the way, and you can apply for the ACC once you have finished the program and logged 100 coaching hours.
Seeing "ACTP" or "ACSTH"? These are the labels ICF used before Level 1 and Level 2. Certificates from those programs are still accepted.
Symbiosis Coaching offers both: Level 1 programs from 65 to 95 ICF training hours, and Level 2 programs from 135 to 325 hours. For the full picture, see ICF Level 1 vs. Level 2: which path is right for you?
What's the difference between a coaching certificate and an ICF credential?
A coaching certificate comes from your school and shows that you finished its program. An ICF credential comes from the ICF and shows that you also met its experience, mentoring, and exam requirements. The certificate is one of the inputs to the credential.
So a graduate of a Level 1 program holds a certificate, for example Certified Life Coach, on the day they finish. They hold the ACC only after they log 100 coaching hours, apply to the ICF, and pass the ACC Exam.
This is why "ICF certified" is a loose phrase. A school can be ICF-accredited and a coach can be ICF-credentialed, but finishing an accredited course does not by itself make someone an ICF-credentialed coach. A credential also expires: it must be renewed every three years with 40 hours of continuing education.
Do employers actually require ICF credentials?
No law requires one. Coaching is not a licensed profession, and anyone can use the title "coach." In practice, though, most buyers now expect a credential: 73% of coaches in the 2025 ICF Global Coaching Study said clients and organizations expect them to hold a coaching certification or credential.
Where it matters most is organizational work. Companies that hire external coaches, and employers that hire internal ones, need a way to screen people they cannot assess themselves, and a credential that anyone can verify in the ICF's public directory does that job.
The same study reports that credentialed coaches earn about $10,000 a year more on average than coaches without a credential. That figure is self-reported and shows a pattern, not a guarantee. Experienced coaches are more likely both to hold a credential and to charge more.
How do I check whether a school is genuinely ICF-accredited?
Search for the school in the ICF's own Find Coaching Education directory. If the program is listed there at Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3, it is accredited. If it is not listed, treat the claim as unverified, whatever logo is on the website.
Four checks take about ten minutes:
Find the program, not just the school
Accreditation is granted program by program. A school can have one accredited course and several that are not.
Read the level
"ICF Level 1" and "ICF Level 2" are specific designations. "ICF-aligned," "based on ICF competencies," and "ICF-approved CCE" are not the same thing. CCE is continuing education for coaches who are already credentialed.
Ask whether accreditation is full or provisional
A provisionally accredited provider may not issue ICF-accredited certificates or display the accreditation logo.
Ask what the price includes
The 10 hours of mentor coaching and the skill assessment should be part of a Level 1 or Level 2 program, not extras.
You can check an individual coach or trainer the same way, in the ICF's Verify a Coach directory.
How much does an ICF credential cost in total?
An ICF credential has two costs: tuition paid to your school, and an application fee paid to the ICF. The ICF's fee is $175–$625 for the ACC, $375–$900 for the PCC, and $675 or $825 for the MCC, depending on your application path and whether you are an ICF member. Tuition is the larger and more variable part.
| Application | ICF member | Non-member |
|---|---|---|
| ACC, Level 1 or Level 2 path | $175 | $325 |
| ACC, Portfolio path | $475 | $625 |
| PCC, Level 2 path | $375 | $525 |
| PCC, Portfolio path | $750 | $900 |
| MCC, either path | $675 | $825 |
The application fee covers the ICF's review and your exam. ICF membership is optional and is charged separately each year. A member saves $150 on any of these applications.
As a worked example, a Symbiosis Coaching Level 1 pathway costs $2,623, with mentor coaching, the skill assessment, and Credentium access for coaching hours included. Add the ICF's fee and the total to reach the ACC is $2,798 for an ICF member, or $2,948 for a non-member. Symbiosis Level 2 pathways cost $4,147–$7,195, which puts the total to reach the PCC at $4,522–$7,570 for a member, or $4,672–$7,720 for a non-member.
Three costs are easy to miss when comparing schools: mentor coaching bought separately when a program does not include it, the higher Portfolio fee when a program is not accredited, and renewal every three years.
To compare providers, see the full comparison of six ICF-accredited schools. Current Symbiosis fees and installment plans are on the pricing page.
Sources
Requirements, fees, and dates on this page were checked against these ICF pages on October 8, 2026.
- Apply for an ICF credential: application paths, hours, mentor coaching, and fees
- Compare ICF credentials: ACC, PCC, and MCC side by side, and renewal
- Experience requirements: what counts as a paid hour
- ICF exams and the ACC Exam
- The updated PCC-MCC Exam, from November 10, 2026
- Mentor coaching replaces the performance evaluation, from 2027
- 2025 ICF Global Coaching Study: client expectations and income