Chartered Valuer and Appraiser Programme

The Chartered Valuer & Appraiser (CVA) Programme is a business-valuation certification programme developed by the Institute of Valuers and Appraisers Singapore (IVAS) and presented by ACRA as benchmarked against international standards. Its curriculum is grounded in competency, ethical and professional requirements advocated by the International Valuation Standards Council (ACRA, page updated 6 August 2026). It is a professional certification route, not a statement that every person performing valuation work must hold the CVA designation.

Programme structure

The programme has five modules. Candidates may take Modules 1 and 2 in any order or simultaneously, then Modules 3 and 4 in any order or simultaneously after passing Modules 1 and 2. All four foundation modules must be passed before the case-based Capstone Module. The curriculum covers introductory valuation, law and valuation, transactions, financial reporting and applied valuation, including International Valuation Standards and valuation of specialist industries (ACRA, CVA Programme).

The sequence is therefore a progression rather than five independent short courses. A candidate who has not passed Modules 1 and 2 cannot use the later-module flexibility to bypass the foundation requirement, and the Capstone is not an alternative entry route. The programme page describes the examination and curriculum structure; it does not say that completing one module alone confers ACVA or CVA status (ACRA, CVA Programme).

Entry and examination windows

The published admission requirements include a bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification from a recognised institution, proficiency in written and spoken English including presentation skills, and foundational accounting and finance knowledge, which ACRA describes as recommended rather than mandatory. Once accepted, candidates register for examinations directly with IVAS. The listed examination dates are 14 November 2026, with registration from 1 April to 14 September 2026, and 15 May 2027, with registration from 1 October 2026 to 15 March 2027 (ACRA, CVA Programme).

The dates are examination and registration windows, not a promise that an applicant is admitted, passes an examination or receives a designation by that date. A person must distinguish the programme's published entry criteria from IVAS's acceptance and examination-registration steps. Candidates using a later window should also recheck the live programme page because dates, delivery arrangements and available sittings are time-sensitive (ACRA, CVA Programme).

Fees and funding support

Fees effective from 1 January 2026 are S$700 per module for Modules 1–4, S$1,200 for the Capstone, S$300 per module for a Module 1–4 exemption, S$200 per reassessment attempt for Modules 1–4, S$400 per Capstone reassessment, a one-time S$100 application fee and an annual S$100 candidature fee. Fees are in Singapore dollars, subject to GST and non-refundable; optional preparatory courses are charged separately. Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents aged 21 or older who sit the examination in Singapore receive an automatic S$200 subsidy per module on examination fees (ACRA, CVA Programme).

Designations and boundaries

Successful completion of the required examinations confers the Associate Chartered Valuer and Appraiser (ACVA) designation. A candidate may apply for the CVA designation with IVAS after meeting the relevant experience requirements. Payment of fees does not guarantee programme admission, and ACRA's programme page does not present the CVA as a statutory licence or a guarantee of any valuation outcome (ACRA, CVA Programme).

The designations therefore answer a professional-certification question, not a legal-authorisation question. ACVA follows the required examination completion, while CVA additionally involves the relevant experience requirements and IVAS application; neither label means that a valuation is automatically correct or accepted for every transaction. The programme should also not be confused with ACRA's broader statutory functions or with a regulator's decision on a particular valuation matter (ACRA, CVA Programme).