What Kaplan Professional Education does

Kaplan Professional Education is a U.S.-headquartered (Fort Lauderdale, FL) provider of professional licensing exam preparation and continuing education, operating as a division of the Kaplan, Inc. education conglomerate under the legal entity DF Institute, LLC. The business serves individual professionals across seven verticals — investment management (CFA, FRM, CAIA) via Schweser, insurance and securities licensing and CFP certification via Kaplan Financial Education and the College for Financial Planning, real estate licensing and CE via Dearborn/REcampus, accounting CPE for CPAs and corporate finance staff via SmartPros and the Loscalzo Institute, engineering and architecture licensure via PPI (operated since 1975), and IT certification training via CyberVista. Content is delivered through a combination of live online instruction, on-demand self-study, blended learning, and corporate group programs.

The business is supported by multiple owned sub-brands (Schweser, Dearborn, PPI, College for Financial Planning, SmartPros, Loscalzo, CyberVista), a multi-channel go-to-market combining self-serve e-commerce, dedicated inside-sales phone lines per brand, enterprise sales to Fortune 500 companies and CPA firms, and an affiliate partner program for real estate education. Revenue is generated primarily through subscription/recurring fees for exam-prep and CE courses, supplemented by corporate/enterprise training contracts and affiliate revenue share. Key regulatory and brand assets include NASBA CPE sponsor registration, state-approved real estate content across multiple U.S. jurisdictions, WCAG 2.1 accessibility compliance, and CFA Institute Prep Provider Guidelines compliance held by Schweser.

Strategically, the portfolio has been built largely through brand acquisitions (PPI, Schweser, Dearborn, College for Financial Planning in 2017, CyberVista) under the Kaplan, Inc. parent, with no venture funding, no public listing, and a reported 1,001-5,000 employee base. Andrew S. Rosen serves as Chairman and CEO. The company has no documented AI/ML capabilities in the available data; core technology is online learning platforms and live virtual instruction. Customer base is broad and long-tail across verticals, with cumulative reach cited as 4 million+ PPI outcomes since 1975, hundreds of thousands served through Schweser, and tens of thousands of real estate candidates annually.

Name

Kaplan Professional Education

Legal name

DF Institute, LLC

Website

https://kaplanprofessional.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Kaplan Professional Education is a division of Kaplan, Inc. that provides licensing exam preparation and continuing education to individual professionals and corporate clients across finance (CFA, FRM, CFP), insurance, securities, real estate, accounting CPE, engineering, architecture, and IT certification verticals via sub-brands including Schweser, Dearborn, PPI, SmartPros, and CyberVista.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Education and Certification Training

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Services (61), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (61171), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Finance, Accounting & Risk (CFA/CPA/FRM) Certifications (EDAAANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Real Estate, Appraisal & Mortgage (Agent/Broker CE, Appraiser CE) (EDAAALAI), Financial Services & Insurance (FINRA, CFP, IAR, Insurance CE) (EDAAALAJ), Education Professionals (Teacher/Administrator CE, CPD) (EDAAALAE), Accounting, Audit & Tax (CPA/CA/ACCA CPE) (EDAAALAA), Engineering & Technical Professions (PE, Engineering CPD) (EDAAALAF), Accounting & Finance Certification Prep (CPA, CMA, CFA, FRM) (EDANAIAD), Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

Keywords

• Professional certification prep
• Licensing exam preparation
• Continuing professional education
• Financial designations training
• Professional education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Lauderdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Certification Exam Prep: Courses and study materials for professional certifications including CFA, FRM, CAIA, CFP, insurance and securities licensing exams, and engineering/architecture licensure exams. Delivered through live online instruction and online self-study courses.
2. Continuing Education (CPE): Continuing professional education for accountants and other professionals to maintain licensure. Includes online training, live group programs, conferences, and blended learning options.
3. Corporate Training Solutions: Customized accounting and finance training and CPE support to Fortune 500 companies, CPA firms, industry associations, and state societies
4. Affiliate Partnership Revenue Share: Affiliate partners earn revenue share for driving course enrollments through branded portals

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kaplan Professional Education provides licensing exam preparation and continuing professional education (CPE) courses for individual professionals and corporate clients across financial planning, insurance, securities, real estate, engineering, architecture, and accounting industries. Offerings are delivered through live online instruction, online self-study, blended learning, and corporate training programs, and are sold under multiple sub-brands including Schweser, Kaplan Financial Education, Dearborn Real Estate Education, PPI, College for Financial Planning, and SmartPros.

Product overview

Kaplan Professional Education is a provider of licensing exam prep and continuing education for professionals in financial planning, insurance, securities, real estate, engineering, architecture, and accounting industries. The company operates through multiple sub-brands including Schweser (finance/investment designations), Kaplan Financial Education (insurance/securities), Real Estate Education (via Dearborn), Accounting Continuing Education, and PPI (engineering/architecture licensure). The portfolio also includes the College for Financial Planning (CFP certification and graduate programs) and CyberVista (IT training). Offerings are delivered through live online instruction, online/self-paced courses, and in-person training, serving individual professionals and enterprise clients with regulatory compliance and professional designation programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kaplan Schweser: CFA, CAIA, FRM exam prep and professional designations for finance and insurance professionals
• Kaplan Financial Education
• Dearborn (Real Estate Education)
• SmartPros
• Loscalzo Institute
• PPI, a Kaplan Company
• College for Financial Planning
• CyberVista

Products and services

• Schweser Exam preparation and continuing education programs for finance and investment professionals pursuing CFA, CAIA, FRM, and other investment designations, delivered through live online instruction and self-study materials.
• Kaplan Financial Education Prelicensing exam preparation, securities licensing courses, CFP certification education, insurance continuing education, and professional development for insurance and securities professionals.
• Real Estate Education (Dearborn) Real estate licensing exam preparation, continuing education, home inspection training, contractor licensing courses, textbooks, and instructor resources delivered through the REcampus platform.
• Accounting Continuing Education NASBA-registered continuing professional education (CPE) for accountants and CPAs, delivered through online training, live group programs, conferences, blended learning, and CPE administration services.
• PPI Engineering and Architecture Licensure Prep Licensure exam review materials and preparation courses for engineering (FE, PE, SE) and architecture (ARE 5.0) professionals, including corporate and university programs.
• College for Financial Planning CFP certification education, professional designations (CRPC, AAMS), and Master of Science graduate programs in personal financial planning and wealth management.
• CyberVista IT training and certification preparation for CompTIA, Cisco, Java, Microsoft, Oracle, and Amazon Web Services certifications.
• Corporate Training Solutions Customized accounting and finance training and CPE support delivered to Fortune 500 companies, CPA firms, industry associations, and state societies through Kaplan Financial Education powered by SmartPros.
• Kaplan Performance Academy Digital platform providing assessment, learning, and coaching services for professional development.

Quantifiable outcome

• Helped over 4 million engineering, architecture, and design professionals achieve licensure goals since 1975
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Affiliate Partners (Real Estate)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliate partners in real estate education can earn revenue share for driving course enrollments through portals branded for their organizations. Partners can provide discounts to students and reinvest funds in marketing activities to fuel business growth.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Mark Meldrum: Mark Meldrum is an emerging CFA prep brand that competes directly with Schweser on the investment-designation track, differentiated by lower pricing and a more video-centric, single-instructor delivery model.
• Wall Street Prep: Wall Street Prep offers financial training and certification prep that overlaps with Schweser and Kaplan Financial Education, with strong corporate-training penetration comparable to Kaplan's enterprise motion.
• Training The Street: Training The Street provides corporate financial training (modeling, valuation, Excel) that overlaps with Kaplan Financial Education's enterprise offerings to Fortune 500 and investment banking clients.

Direct peers

• The CE Shop: The CE Shop is a direct competitor in real estate prelicensing and continuing education, with an online-first delivery model and broad state approval coverage that mirrors Kaplan's Dearborn/REcampus offering.
• Dalton Education: Dalton competes with Kaplan in real estate, mortgage, and insurance licensing/CE, with a similar state-approved online course catalog and affiliate partner channel.
• 360training: 360training is a broad professional CE provider competing with Kaplan across real estate, insurance, OSHA, and financial-services licensing, often at lower price points with an enterprise and affiliate-driven model.
• Securities Training Corporation (STC): STC is a long-standing direct competitor to Kaplan Financial Education in FINRA securities licensing prep (Series 7, 63, 65), serving the same broker-dealer and individual customer segments.
• McKissock Learning: McKissock competes with Kaplan's Dearborn brand in real estate, appraisal, and home inspection CE/licensing, with comparable state-approved online course libraries.
• Becker Professional Education: Becker is a direct competitor across accounting (CPA), finance (CFA), and professional licensing prep, with similar live-online and self-study delivery and comparable enterprise and consumer GTM motions.
• Wiley Efficient Learning (Wiley CPA Review / CFA Review): Wiley's Efficient Learning division competes head-to-head with Kaplan in CPA, CFA, and securities licensing prep, with similar adaptive-learning platforms and instructor-led offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/KaplanProfessionalEd
• Facebookfacebook.com/KaplanSchweser
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kaplan-professional-cp

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kaplan Professional Education