The American Council on Education (ACE) recommends credits across 9 EC-Council certifications.
TAMPA, Fla., Mar. 10, 2025 : EC-Council announced today that the American Council on Education (ACE) has approved 9 certification exams for academic credit recommendations across academia degree programs in the United States.
ACE, a learning services and evaluations provider helps learners document their skills and gain access to academic credit for formal training taken outside of traditional colleges. ACE works with the military, government clients, general education providers, and the business world to evaluate military training, corporate courses, certificates, exams, and on-the-job training.
Bridging the Gap Between High School and College
Part of EC-Council Academia’s mission is to help add value to academic degree programs, adding stackable credentials in the form of EC-Council certifications to students at affordable rates. Using official content, students would then be able to bypass standard exam eligibility processes, moving forward to attempting EC-Council certification exams regardless of their work experience.
In 2021, EC-Council announced 5 certifications that were approved by ACE for recommended post-secondary credit. This has since increased to 9 certifications, with a new focus on entry level cybersecurity certifications, making certification for credit more accessible for academic students. The End-User Cybersecurity and Cyber Novice levels across 4 certifications (CSCU, NDE, EHE, and DFE), now represent 12 recommended credits. With additional scholarships in place for U.S. students across the Essentials Series (NDE, EHE, and DFE) via EC-Council’s ONCD Pledge, these certification exams are now available to students at highly affordable rates.
Approved Certifications
The following certifications have been approved by the American Council on Education (ACE):
| END USER CYBERSECURITY: | |
| Certified Secure Computer User (CSCU) | (3 Credits) |
| CYBER NOVICE: | |
| Network Defense Essentials (NDE) | (3 Credits) |
| Ethical Hacking Essentials (EHE) | (3 Credits) |
| Digital Forensics Essentials (DFE) | (3 Credits) |
| CYBER TECHNICIAN: | |
| Certified Cybersecurity Technician (CCT) | (3 Credits) |
| CORE BLUE TEAM / RED TEAM: | |
| Certified Network Defender (CND) | (3 Credits) |
| Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) | (3 Credits) |
| CYBERSECURITY SPECIALIZATION: | |
| Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI) | (3 Credits) |
| EC-Council Certified Incident Handler (ECIH) | (3 Credits) |
Jay Bavisi, President and CEO of EC-Council addressed this accreditation, stating, “Since the launch of our EC-Council Essentials Series in February 2022, we have completed our certification track from end user to cyber novice levels, confidently skilling up students for entry-level roles in the cybersecurity industry. With the recent credit recommendations by ACE, we firmly believe this track will accelerate students, giving them multiple options to obtain an industry credential, while having this count for credit within their academic programs.”
Wesley Alvarez, Director of Academics goes on to say, “Due to a significant increase of student participation in cyber clubs, after school programs, summer camps, and other extracurricular activities that include industry certifications, we are seeing a growing number of students work together to study and obtain these credentials in and outside of the classroom. We are pleased to now add additional value in the form of credit recommendations from ACE, so their hard work can count towards advancing their studies as they work towards graduation.”
About EC-Council Academia
EC-Council, the inventor of Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification course and exam, has a mission to provide Cybersecurity education and certifications to students across the world to prepare them for their future careers. Founded in 2001, EC-Council offers over 200 different training programs and certifications – ranging from End-User Security to highly technical Penetration Testing to Information Security Management, and many other tactical courses. Recognized under the U.S. Department of Defense 8140 and an ISO/IEC 17024 Accredited Organization, EC-Council holds these and many other distinctions and accreditations by prestigious agencies worldwide – making EC-Council’s certification programs highly desirable and valued within the cybersecurity global communities.
The EC-Council Academia partner program offers free partnership opportunities to academic institutions globally. These partnerships establish cybersecurity ecosystems through education that support students, alumni, faculty, employees, and the local communities at large. Through established partnerships, academic institutions can access extensive discounts on learning resources, technologies, and certifications, offering students opportunities to obtain stackable credentials to become more competitive as they enter the workforce. The program also focuses on initiating faculty development, scholarships, and cyber competitions. To date, EC-Council supports over 2,000 education networks and institutions globally. EC-Council Academia works with academic institutions at all levels, including over 250 National Centers of Academic Excellences (N-CAEs) as designated by the National Security Agency, contributing to certify tens of thousands of students annually with industry-leading credentials.
For more information on EC-Council Academia, please visit www.eccouncil.org/academia.
