Top Planning Schools

For planners looking to recruit as well as those looking for suitable programs, this comprehensive list of planning programs at five dozen colleges and universities across the country includes costs, enrollment and student-to-faculty ratios.

For planners looking to recruit as well as those looking for suitable programs, this comprehensive list of planning programs at five dozen colleges and universities across the country includes costs, enrollment and student-to-faculty ratios.

If you want to find the next generation of talented advisors, you may need to know which schools are educating them. The CFP Board certifies 372 educational programs, from certificates to Ph.Ds. See the 35 standout colleges, universities and other educational programs that made our list.

Special report card: See the colleges, universities and other institutions training new planners.

See which institutions made the list this year.

With an anticipated spike in demand for advisors over the next few years, financial planning is one of the best industries to get into. Here are 30 standout schools for a career in planning.

What are the top financial planning schools nationally? Check out this list to see where the next generation of advisors are coming from (and who the next generation of clients may be working with).

A catalog of some of the nation's top planning schools is a resource for both planners-to-be and today's advisors

The academic landscape for financial planning is shifting rapidly. Here's where to find the next generation of advisors.

Every recognized profession has its top colleges. Medical and law schools in the U.S. date back to the 18th century. As a much more recent profession, financial planning has spent much of the last four decades developing its own system of education and professional certification. As many of the current crop of planners near retirement, they don't have to look too far to figure out where the next generation will come from. The answer is in all the schools. Not only has the number of programs been on the rise - up 15% since the past year and a half, according to the CFP Board - but enrollment in the programs themselves has generally been increasing, too. With so many CFP Board-registered programs out there, Financial Planning focused on 10 worthy institutions. We talked to veteran planners and industry leaders to get a sense of which 10 programs belonged in an overview. Our list is not a ranking. Like this survey itself, the information we've gathered is just a starting point. Think of it as Financial Planning Education 101, an introduction.

Advisors of the future are gravitating toward financial planning programs. Here are the schools on many students' short lists.