"Professional development with The Institutes opens up doors and expands the horizon of opportunities available to you. Institute designation programs and courses teach you how to think more broadly and in the process help you gain recognition from your peers and management. With any industry, the more you learn, the better you can perform on the job, and the insurance and risk management industries are no different."
Randall Clinger, CPCU, ARe Vice President, Head of Marketing Communications Swiss Re America Holding Corporation
Did you know that by completing INS courses you also gain credit toward the following designation programs:
NEW! The Program in General Insurance is now the Associate in General Insurance (AINS) Designation Program
Built upon the proven and popular INS certificate program, the new Associate in General Insurance (AINS) designation provides a solid foundation to help you accelerate your career in insurance. The INS courses provide you with a comprehensive knowledge of insurance principles, practices, policies, and coverages, while the optional electives allow you to focus on areas relevant to your professional goals.
AINS Designation Pre-Qualifiers: There are those who are pre-qualified to earn the AINS designation because they have already earned the Certificate in General Insurance or passed a combination of the necessary exams. Click the Program tab for information.
Earning the AINS Designation The new AINS designation program has a flexible structure that combines our popular INS courses with a wide variety of electives. The ethics study component provides you with a solid foundation in professionalism.
INS Courses. The INS courses provide you with a comprehensive knowledge of insurance principles, practices, policies, and coverages.
Elective Courses. You can tailor the AINS program to match your personal and professional needs.
Ethics. The free Ethical Guidelines for Insurance Professionals is the online ethics study component.
Click the Course tab above for information about all courses in the AINS designation program.
We Recommend AINS For: People in all functional areas of property-casualty insurance, managers or supervisors, customer service representatives, call center staff, and administrative and support staff.
Free Bonus: As a special bonus to anyone who earns the AINS designation, The Institutes are giving a free 60-day trial of a special business acumen suite of online courses. Designation completers will receive access information for the free trial upon completion of their last exam in the AINS program.
Program Options: The Associate in General Insurance (AINS) is available as a self-study program via printed text books and course guides. All INS courses are also offered as self-study online courses. INS online courses are offered in a segmented format, which breaks each course into three pieces. See individual elective course listings for program options related to them.
Print or Online, it’s your choice. Regardless of study method (online or text-based), INS 21, 22, and 23 exams can be taken either as full length course exams or as three segmented exams per course.
Course Sequence: It is best to take INS 21 prior to taking INS 22 or INS 23. Ethics 311 can be taken at any time.
Exam Information: INS 21, 22, and 23 exams are offered at Institutes approved on–site testing locations and Prometric Testing Centers. If you prefer, you can approach your studies in a modular format consisting of a series of shorter study segments. You can do this in traditional print or using our new online delivery. After studying each segment, you can take the corresponding exam at all Prometric Testing Centers and at selected Institutes approved on–site testing locations. Contact your education coordinator for further information about on–site testing availability.
Full length INS exams consist of 85 objective questions and examinees have two hours to complete the exam. Segmented INS exams consist of 15 to 50 objective questions depending on the course and segment, and examinees have 60 minutes to complete the exam.
Click the Course tab above and follow the links for exam information about the various AINS electives.
Choose one of the following completion options to earn the AINS designation:
Courses in the Program in General Insurance
+
Elective Course
+
Mandatory Ethics Requirement
Waives in the CPCU program
INS 21, INS 22, and INS 23
None Required
Ethics 311 - Ethical Guidelines for Insurance Professionals
CPCU 553 or 557
INS 21 and INS 22
Pass the exam for any course in the list of electives below, except: CPCU 555
CPCU 553
INS 21 and INS 23
Pass the exam for any course in the list of electives below, except: AAI 82, APA 92, CPCU 551, CPCU 552
CPCU 557
INS 21—Property and Liability Insurance Principles: What Insurance Is, Who Provides Insurance, How Insurance Is Regulated, Measuring the Financial Performance of Insurers, Marketing, Underwriting, Claims, Insurance Contracts, Property Loss Exposures and Policy Provisions, Liability Loss Exposures and Policy Provisions, and Risk Management
INS 22—Personal Insurance: Personal Insurance Overview; Automobile Insurance and Society ; Personal Auto Policy: Liability, Medical Payments, and UM Coverage; Personal Auto Policy: Physical Damages, Duties After an Accident, and Endorsements; Homeowners Property Coverage; Homeowners Liability Coverage; Homeowners Coverage Forms and Endorsements; Other Residential Insurance; Other Personal Property and Liability Insurance; Life Insurance Planning; Retirement Planning; Disability and Health Insurance Planning
INS 23—Commercial Insurance: Commercial Property, Business Income, Commercial Crime, Equipment Breakdown, Inland and Ocean Marine, Commercial General Liability, Commercial Auto, Businessowners, Farm, Workers Compensation and Employers Liability, and Miscellaneous Coverages
INS 21, 22, and 23 are presented in print and online in a segmented format that breaks each course into three portions.
Both the online version of INS and the text-based study of the course present the same material. Regardless of study method (online or text-based), INS exams can be taken either as full length course exams or as three segmented exams per course.
Elective Courses
You can tailor the AINS program to match your personal and professional needs. The chart below lists all approved AINS elective courses, arranged by functional area. You can choose from any of the following courses (except for those noted in the table above) to satisfy the AINS elective requirement. To see what options you have to earn the AINS designation, log in to your student account in the Account Manager and select My Progress Tracker under the Resources tab. The chart below offers suggestions that may align with individual career paths:
Enhance ability to build a better book of business through an expanded knowledge of personal and/or commercial coverages and endorsements
Improve performance by learning to read an insurance policy, identify loss exposures, and recognize common policy provisions
Better meet professional responsibilities with an increased technical knowledge of your functional area
AINS Designation Pre-Qualifiers: There are those who are pre-qualified to earn the AINS designation because they have already earned the Certificate in General Insurance or passed a combination of the necessary exams (click the Course tab above).
Complete Ethical Guidelines for Insurance Professionals
Register for the free online Ethical Guidelines for Insurance Professionals. Upon successfully passing the 50-question exam, you can start using the AINS designation and purchase your AINS diploma.
Order Your Diploma
After successfully completing Ethical Guidelines for Insurance Professionals you may order your official AINS diploma. The cost of the diploma is only a $30 administrative fee. To order please call Customer Service at (800) 644-2101. We anticipate a big response to this new designation; please allow 6 to 8 weeks to receive your diploma after placing your order.
Begin Using the Designation
After you receive a completer e-mail from The Institutes, start using the AINS designation on your business cards, stationary, e-mail signatures and so forth. And don’t forget to tell your colleagues about the new designation.
If you have any questions about whether or not you might be a pre-qualifier, log on to The Institutes’ Account Manager in the Students section above and click on My Progress Tracker.
Cross Credits
INS courses can also help you earn other Institutes credentials.
The Institutes and LOMA offer a property-casualty track in LOMA’s Associate, Customer Service (ACS) designation program. Earning AINS gives you a head start. Log on to www.LOMA.org for information on how to earn the ACS designation in the property-casualty track.
Mail: AICPCU/IIA 720 Providence Road Suite 100 Malvern, PA 19355-3433
Customer Service hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. eastern time.
Order today!Before making your selections, first choose the testing window and the course from the dropdowns below to ensure you order the correct study materials.
If I took INS years ago, do I still qualify for the AINS designation?
Yes. If you hold the INS certificate (regardless of when you earned it), all you need to do is pass the exam for Ethical Guidelines for Insurance Professionals.
Why is CPCU 555 excluded from the list of electives if someone completed INS 21 and 22?
There is significant overlap of topics covered among INS 21, INS 22 and CPCU 555.
Why are AAI 82, APA 92, CPCU 551 and CPCU 552 excluded from the list of electives for someone who completed INS 21 and 23?
There is significant overlap of topics covered among INS 21, INS 23 and the excluded courses.
I passed the Ethics exam. Why doesn't it show in my records yet? When will I receive my official notification?
You will receive a certificate of completion e-mailed to you upon passing the ethics exam. Approximately 2-3 days later the ethics grade and AINS completion will appear in your student record. Due to the overwhelming popularity of this new credential, you will receive an official completer e-mail within two weeks after AINS appears in your record, if you already held the INS certificate. If you completed AINS with another combination of courses, you will receive an official completer letter and AINS diploma in 4-6 weeks.
How do I register for the Ethics course / take the exam?
To take Ethical Guidelines for Insurance Professionals, log on to www.TheInstitutes.org/ethics. Click the order tab and select which version you wish (non-CE or CE), then add to your cart and proceed to check out. You will receive a link to the course automatically. The exam is contained in Ethical Guidelines for Insurance Professionals and you do not need to register for a separate exam.
Can I / Do I get CE credit for this toward my state license?
Continuing Education (CE) credit is awarded for passing individual exams, not for earning a designation. The Ethical Guidelines for Insurance Professionals (Ethics 311) exam is filed for CE credit in most states. Please refer to the chart on the Ethics 311 information page or click here. Note that you must order the CE Filed version; a $5.00 administrative fee will apply. Other Institutes courses (including INS courses and most AINS electives) are also filed for CE credit; see www.TheInstitutes.org/ce for the most recent list of agent and adjuster credits by course and state.
Does the CEU.com ethics course count for the ethics requirement?
No.
I have successfully completed Ethics and the CPCU Code of Professional Conduct. Does this satisfy the ethics requirement for AINS?
Yes.
Does AINS replace AIS?
No. The Associate in Insurance Services (AIS) and the Associate in General Insurance (AINS) cover very different topics. AIS requirements have not changed, however the AINS designation is now a qualifying program to earn the AIS designation.
What if I do not want to be enrolled in the online bonus courses?
Enrollment in the online courses is automatic. If you do not wish to be enrolled, simply contact Customer Service at customerservice@TheInstitutes.org or (800) 644-2101.
Do I have the option to purchase the online bonus courses after they expire?
Yes. You may purchase any or all of the bonus courses. To do so, log on to www.TheInstitutes.org/onlinelearning where you can purchase the individual AINS Bonus Courses (retail price shown):
Insurance Essentials - ($80)
Impact of Business Decisions on the Bottom Line - ($120)
The following AINS Bonus Courses are also available for purchase individually as shown below, or as part of their respective suites:
You may also call Customer Service at (800) 644-2101 or e-mail customerservice@TheInstitutes.org to order or inquire about volume discounts.
What order should AINS appear in the "designation line-up?"
Among The Institutes designations, CPCU should always appear first, followed by specialty designations, then AINS. Alternatively, designations may be listed in the order they were earned, however, CPCU should always appear first, regardless of when it was earned.
Click here to view information for this exam.
