Top 8 Agile Certifications and Their Costs You Must Know
Updated on Jun 24, 2025 | 16 min read | 6.79K+ views
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Updated on Jun 24, 2025 | 16 min read | 6.79K+ views
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Did you know? In India, SAFe Agilist certification can boost earnings to ₹15,00,000–₹30,00,000 annually, depending on experience. Certified professionals report a 78% increase in demand for their skills, with an average salary boost of ₹9,00,000. This reflects the growing need for experts in Agile methodologies across various industries. |
The SAFe® Agile certification is a globally recognized credential demonstrating your expertise in scaling agile practices across organizations. It enables professionals to lead agile transformations and drive efficiency at the enterprise level. With this certification, you'll be equipped to implement lean-agile principles that learn better collaboration and improve business outcomes.
In this blog, we’ll break down the agile certification, the various certification types, and the learning objectives they cover. You'll also learn about the renewal process and the key advantages of pursuing this certification for career growth and professional development in agile project management.
The SAFe agilist certification is the Scaled Agile Framework certification. The scaled agile framework includes different organizational and workflow processes to help businesses scale their lean and agile practices. The certification program offered by SAFe offers professionals a valid and reliable method to analyze their knowledge, skills, and approaches. All certified SAFe professionals receive worldwide recognition because of their ability to help enterprises adopt lean-agile practices.
Want to elevate your career and lead agile transformations? These SAFe® Agile certification courses can help you build the skills and credentials to drive organizational success.
Now, to help you make an informed decision, it's important to understand the costs associated with the top SAFe Agile certifications. Here's a breakdown of the most in-demand certifications and their fees.
SAFe Agile certifications help you lead enterprise-scale agile transformations, improve team performance, and enhance your ability to deliver customer value faster. They’re essential for professionals aiming to step into high-impact roles like Release Train Engineer, Agile Coach, or Product Manager.
Here are the top 6 SAFe certifications, who they’re best suited for, and the agile certification cost associated with each, so that you can make the smartest investment in your career.
Certification | Provider |
Course Fee (Approx) |
Leading SAFe® 6.0 Training (SAFe® Agilist Certification) | upGrad |
₹35,400 |
ICAgile Certified Professional in Agile Coaching (ICP-ACC)
|
upGrad |
₹21,999 |
CSM® Certification Training | upGrad |
₹15,499 |
Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM®) Certification Training | upGrad |
₹29,999 |
Implementing SAFe® 6.0 with SPC Certification Training | upGrad |
₹2,25,000 |
PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® Certification | Project Management Institute (PMI) |
₹30,189 |
SAFe Agilist Certification Course | Scaled Agile, Inc. |
₹45,000 |
Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM) Certification Training | PremierAgile |
₹15,199 |
Let’s take a closer look at these top agile courses and explore the details, including what each program offers and how they can boost your career in agile development.
Course Duration: 2 days (Live Instructor-led)
This SAFe® Agilist Certification is designed to help professionals implement and scale Agile practices in large enterprises. It covers the key principles of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®), preparing you to drive business agility across organizations. You will learn how to lead transformation initiatives, improve team and technical agility, and manage value flow from strategy to delivery.
Key Highlights:
Ideal For:
Course Duration: 3 days (Live Instructor-led)
The ICP-ACC Certification is ideal for professionals aiming to grow into Agile Coaching roles and lead teams toward high performance. This course goes beyond frameworks, focusing on the mindset, skills, and tools needed to become a transformational Agile coach. Through real-world simulations and case studies, you'll learn how to support individuals, teams, and organizations through meaningful agile change.
Key Highlights:
Ideal For:
Course Duration: 2 Days (Live Instructor-led)
This Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®) training is designed to grow your Scrum expertise through immersive, hands-on learning experiences. The course offers practical simulations, role-plays, and case studies to help you fully grasp Scrum roles, ceremonies, and responsibilities.
Led by Certified Scrum Trainers (CSTs), it prepares you for the Scrum Alliance CSM® exam while equipping you with the confidence to implement Scrum in real-world team environments.
Key Highlights:
Ideal For:
Course Duration: Varies (Live, Interactive Sessions)
The A-CSM® Certification is tailored for experienced Scrum Masters looking to deepen their expertise and stand out as agile leaders. This advanced-level training builds on your foundational Scrum knowledge. It equips you with the tools to confidently lead Agile teams, scale Scrum across multiple teams, and master coaching and facilitation techniques for real-world impact.
You’ll engage in live, expert-led sessions designed to be highly practical and collaborative. These sessions will help you transition from a team-level Scrum Master to a strategic Agile practitioner within your organization.
Key Highlights:
Ideal For:
Enrollment Stats:
Course Duration: 4 days (Live Instructor-led)
This SPC (SAFe® Program Consultant) Certification course is designed for professionals who want to become change agents in enterprise-level agile transformations. It equips you with the skills to implement SAFe® across large organizations, coach Agile teams, and launch Agile Release Trains (ARTs) with confidence. As an SPC, you’ll be qualified to train others in SAFe® practices and lead lasting business agility transformations.
Key Highlights:
Ideal For:
Course Duration: Self-paced, with 120 questions and a 180-minute exam
The PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® certification is a globally recognized credential that emphasizes the application of agile principles across multiple frameworks such as Scrum, Lean, and Kanban. It is designed for professionals who wish to deepen their understanding of agile practices and techniques.
Key Highlights:
Ideal For:
Course Duration: 2 days of live training (16 hours)
The SAFe Agilist (Leading SAFe) course is designed for professionals seeking to lead Agile transformations in large enterprises. This comprehensive program focuses on the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), equipping participants with the knowledge to implement SAFe effectively, enabling business agility at scale.
Key Highlights:
Ideal For:
Course Duration: 2 days (Live Instructor-led)
The Certified Scrum Master (CSM) training by PremierAgile is designed to equip professionals with the essential skills to become effective Scrum Masters. This course covers the core principles and practices of Scrum, emphasizing team collaboration, Agile mindset, and how to implement Scrum ceremonies in real-world environments.
Key Highlights:
Ideal For:
Also read: What is Agile Scrum Methodology? A Complete Guide
Now that you’re familiar with the top SAFe Agile project management certifications, you may be wondering about the objectives of this certification.
When evaluating the scaled agile certification cost, it’s important to consider the practical value it delivers. This certification empowers professionals to lead agile transformations across large enterprises and align team execution with business strategy. You'll also learn to manage value streams effectively and apply a lean-agile mindset throughout the organization.
Here are the key learning objectives you’ll achieve through the SAFe® Agilist Certification:
Also read: CSPO Certification Cost in 2025: Costs, ROI & Alternatives
Let's now turn our attention to the renewal process for the SAFe Agile certification, ensuring you stay up-to-date with the latest agile practices.
To keep your Scaled Agile certification up to date, you must earn the required PDUs or pay a renewal fee. For most certifications, 10 PDUs are required for renewal, and there’s a renewal fee as well.
Follow these steps to complete the SAFe certification renewal process:
Remember that you can renew your SAFe agile certification 90 days before the expiration date. The key reasons to renew your SAFe certification are as follows:
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Also read: 23+ Best Agile Project Management Tools for 2025: Features and Benefits
Now that you understand the renewal process for SAFe Agile certification, let’s explore the key advantages of obtaining the SAFe Agile certification.
Once you invest in the SAFe Agilist certification, you will be able to enjoy the following benefits, including better career opportunities and the ability to drive organizational change with agile practices:
Advantage |
Description |
Better Career Opportunities | Obtaining a SAFe certification will enable you to pursue a wide range of career opportunities as demand for SAFe-certified professionals increases. |
Global Recognition | SAFe certification offers global recognition and visibility in the industry, enhancing your professional reputation and networking opportunities. |
In-Depth Agile Knowledge | Pursuing SAFe certifications provides in-depth knowledge on agile principles, practices, and frameworks, supporting lean-agile transformations. |
Continuous Learning and Professional Development | SAFe certification promotes continuous learning with access to updates, training, and resources to stay relevant in the evolving agile field. |
The Ability to Facilitate Organizational Transformation | SAFe-certified professionals can drive organizational transformations, align agile practices with business goals, and improve collaboration. |
Standard Language and Practices | SAFe certification establishes a standardized language and practices across teams, promoting better communication and coordination. |
Enhanced Project Performance | SAFe-certified professionals enhance project and team performance by implementing agile principles, optimizing processes, and improving customer satisfaction. |
Having explored the advantages of SAFe Agile project management certification, let's now discuss how long it typically takes to earn these certifications and the time commitment involved.
Before paying for your ACP exam fee, you must attend a comprehensive training course to ensure you have the necessary knowledge and skills. The course will cover the fundamentals of agile practices and prepare you for the exam.
It's essential to review the specific exam details for your certification track to ensure you're well-prepared for the exam format and time constraints. Make sure to check the exam guidelines for the exact time limit and other important instructions before scheduling your exam.
Next up are the costs associated with the SAFe Agile certification exams.
SAFe® Agile certification costs vary by provider and level, but typically include exam fees, training, and renewal charges. For example, the PMI-ACP (Agile Certified Practitioner) exam has an initial payment and a re-examination cost of ₹3,750 per attempt. Additionally, maintaining certification requires a renewal fee every few years, depending on the certifying body. When evaluating the agile course fees, it’s crucial to consider the price and the career-boosting value these certifications provide.
If you’re wondering whether the cost of SAFe® Agile or PMI-ACP is worth it, the answer depends on your career goals, but the returns are significant for those in Agile and project leadership roles. Here’s how the SAFe® certification translates into real-world impact:
1. Implementing Lightweight Frameworks in Dynamic Environments: SAFe® certification equips professionals to introduce and manage lightweight frameworks within large enterprises. For instance, in a fintech company undergoing digital transformation, a SAFe® Agilist can introduce a structure that allows faster release cycles without overwhelming teams, flexibly scaling processes up or down as needed.
2. Managing Large-Scale, Complex Projects Effectively: SAFe® training prepares you to lead projects that span multiple teams, departments, or even time zones. Think of a global e-commerce firm coordinating logistics, tech, and marketing across regions in a real-world scenario. A SAFe® professional ensures alignment and delivery at scale.
3. Seamless Multi-Team Coordination: Agile at scale requires strong team synchronization. SAFe® practices like PI Planning and Scrum of Scrums ensure everyone is moving toward the same goal. In enterprises like IBM or Infosys, SAFe® certified managers are often the glue that connects dozens of development teams working on a single product.
4. Faster, Smarter Decision-Making: With SAFe®, decision-making isn’t delayed by layers of hierarchy. Frameworks like decentralized decision-making empower teams to act quickly. For example, if a product feature needs to pivot due to market feedback, SAFe® professionals can adapt plans without halting progress.
5. Achieving Business Objectives with a Top-Down Approach: Unlike traditional agile methods that rely on bottom-up execution, SAFe® supports a top-down strategy where leadership sets clear objectives that cascade to delivery teams. This ensures everyone from development to QA to business units is aligned on the same outcomes. Companies like Cisco and Barclays use SAFe® to streamline value delivery.
Also Read: 24 Essential Quality Assurance Engineer Skills You Must Master in 2025!
Now that you know which SAFe Agile certifications are most in-demand and what each agile certification costs, let’s look at how upGrad can help you get certified and advance your career.
The SAFe Agile certification cost is a worthwhile investment for professionals aiming to lead agile transformations and enhance their career prospects. With certifications ranging from ₹35,000 to ₹45,000, the value far exceeds the cost, given the recognition and increased demand in the industry. Before enrolling, compare training providers to ensure they are Scaled Agile-accredited and offer post-certification support or exam prep materials.
To help you succeed in this journey and ensure you’re fully prepared, upGrad offers expert-led training with real-world projects and career mentorship.
For additional support, you can schedule a free career counseling session with upGrad’s experts or visit one of our offline centers for a personalized experience. Let’s turn your aspirations into achievements.
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Reference Links:
https://agilemania.com/safe-certification-benefits
https://www.simpliaxis.com/info/safe-agile-certification-renewal
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