Certified Student Affairs Educator (CSAEd™) is a voluntary credential to demonstrate your ongoing learning, competencies, and knowledge in student affairs work, and in six specific functional areas, including college unions (CSAEd-CU™).

It was developed collaboratively by student affairs associations, educators, and graduate faculty. The College Unions Student Affairs Certification is designed exclusively for college unions specialists and campus community builders who are mid-level and above, as well as student affairs educators looking to transition into college unions specialist and senior-level roles. The combination of the core student affairs and college unions certification exams assess candidates based on the responsibilities of mid-level campus community builders in the student affairs and college unions profession.

Certification Prep Program

ACUI’s Certification Prep Program is available to anyone eligible to take the student affairs and college unions certification exams. Its purpose is to provide those who intend to be certified as a student affairs and college unions professional opportunities to prepare to take the exams as part of a community of their peers who are also going through the certification process or have completed the certification process.

Details

The certification preparation program includes a brief self-paced guide to preparing for certification. To support social learning and offer a system of accountability to support those who need it to stay motivated, the program offers semi-guided certification study halls twice per month (on the first Wednesday at 4 p.m. Eastern and the third Tuesday at Noon Eastern), as well as an asynchronous space for sharing of resources and building community.

We recommend registering for the preparation program at least 3-6 months prior to taking the exam.

OBJECTIVES
  • The overall objective for learners who participate in the certification preparation program is to successfully complete the certification exams.
  • Our instructional objective is to provide those who intend to be certified as a student affairs and college unions professional sufficient preparation time and resources to take the exam with confidence.

Domains and Related Courses

ACUI courses provide an opportunity for additional learning with the domains covered by the certification exam. Below is a list of the eight competencies covered by the certification exam and current related ACUI course offerings. You can also find a list of On Demand webinars applicable to the domains here. For more detailed information about the competencies covered by each course, please contact ACUI.

*This indicates a mini-course. These courses are self-paced and available year round.

  • Advanced Organizational Leadership (June 2025)
  • Conference Services (January 2023)
  • Intermediate Leadership (April 2024)
  • Leadership Development Theory (June 2023)
  • Principles of Marketing*
  • Social Media & Modern Marketing (October 2025)
  • Advanced Organizational Leadership (June 2025)
  • Conference Services (January 2023)
  • Mental Health on the College Campus*
  • Professional Staff Supervision (January 2025)
  • Student Development Theory (January 2023)
  • Student Employee Supervision (June 2024)

About Certification

The College Unions Student Affairs Certification is designed exclusively for college unions specialists and campus community builders who are mid-level and above, as well as student affairs educators looking to transition into college unions specialist and senior-level roles. Developed by ACUI subject matter experts and built upon the foundation of student affairs educator certification, it is a specialty credential for demonstrating continuous learning and competencies essential to success in the complex and evolving landscape of college unions work.

Additional specialty certifications are available for Campus Activities; Campus Housing and Residential Life; Campus Recreation; Fraternity and Sorority Life; Student Conduct Administration.