With 2025 – the education deadline year – just around the corner, leading education provider Kaplan Professional has stressed the importance of existing financial advisers (who do not meet the 10-year experience exemption) having a clear understanding of their individual requirements to meet the 31 December 2025 deadline. While Kaplan Professional has six study periods every year for its postgraduate financial planning courses, those who need to meet the education deadline only have five study periods (10 months) remaining next year to complete their requirements. The five key study periods for 2025 are: Study Period 1 – starts 13 January 2025 (early access available from 16 December 2024) Study Period 2 – starts 10 March (early access available from 10 February) Study Period 3 – starts 5 May (early access available from 7 April) Study Period 4 – starts 30 June (early access available from 2 June) Study Period 5 – starts 25 August (early access available from 28 July) While there is an increased sense of urgency as total subject enrolments for 2024 were at its highest since 2021, the fact that consistently over 300 individuals started their studies for the first time in each study period this year, indicates that there is still a lot of study to do (between one to eight subjects) to meet the 31 December 2025 deadline. Kaplan Professional CEO Brian Knight said the major focus this year has been supporting advisers to meet the deadline and that will remain the same next year. “There have been large numbers of subject enrolments every study period and the number of enquiries about education pathways and individual requirements has increased significantly. “The feedback from advisers is that they are keen to avoid a last-minute scramble – we are seeing many who are enrolling in multiple subjects per study period or consecutive intakes. “We are contacting licensees and individual advisers frequently to advise them about education pathway progress – how many subjects are left to complete and mapping out personalised study plans based on individual circumstances; we are looking at this data weekly. “At our end, we are doing everything in our power to support advisers and licensees in the race to the finish – we are putting on more individual tutor sessions for every subject and have a dedicated team in place to support advisers with their education pathway and individual requirements,” he said. Knight acknowledged that while the surge in enrolments has been driven largely by the looming education deadline, there are other interesting trends to note. “There are still large numbers of new entrants enrolling in postgraduate financial planning courses for the first time in each study period, which is a positive sign for the future of the profession. “Now that thousands have met the standard required of them before the deadline, they are not stopping; large numbers are going on to complete the Master of Financial Planning – whether that be to stand out from their peers, interest in specialist elective subjects or to achieve a professional designation with the Financial Advice Association Australia and SMSF Association. “We have also had significant take up of our College for Financial Planning® designations – namely the Accredited Behavioural Finance ProfessionalSM and Chartered Retirement Planning CounsellorSM – both of which advisers are able to apply for immediately without any further study if they have completed the Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning (or higher) and are currently listed as active on the Financial Adviser Register,” he said. Knight had the following advice for those who still need to meet the 31 December 2025 education deadline. “Whether they have not started their studies, have completed some study with another education provider or are currently studying with Kaplan Professional, it is recommended that they make contact with Kaplan Professional as soon as possible. “We can support you with a personalised study plan regardless of your individual circumstances or requirements – whatever you need, we will help you,” he said. Enrolments for all of Kaplan Professional’s intakes next year are now open. Those who wish to enrol in Study Period 1 (commencement date 13 January 2025) are encouraged to finalise their enrolment early to take full advantage of the four-week early access period that starts on 16 December 2024.