Terms & Conditions

These Terms & Conditions govern access to and use of the National Institute for Exercise & Wellness (“NIEW,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) website, educational program, certification services, student and member accounts, and related resources.

By accessing the NIEW website, creating an account, enrolling in a program, purchasing a service, or using NIEW materials or services, you agree to these Terms & Conditions. If you do not agree to these terms, do not use the applicable website or services.

1. Eligibility

Enrollment in the NIEW Certified Personal Trainer Program is available to individuals who are at least 18 years old and have a high-school diploma, GED, or equivalent. Previous professional fitness experience is not required.

You are responsible for providing accurate and current information when creating an account or enrolling.

2. NIEW Certified Personal Trainer Program

The NIEW Certified Personal Trainer Program is a 100% online, self-paced education and certification program.

The $299 program price includes the Second Edition training manual, NIEW Certification Examination, one exam retake at no additional charge if needed, student support while enrolled, an electronic certificate upon successful certification, an electronic letter of recommendation, and access to NIEW Member Support & Mentorship while the member remains active and in good standing.

No separate textbook, graduation, or certificate fee is required for the core program.

NIEW may update course materials, website features, educational resources, or administrative procedures when appropriate to reflect changes in exercise science, professional practice, technology, safety standards, or program operations.

3. Certification Requirements

Enrollment by itself does not make a student a NIEW Certified Personal Trainer. To earn the NIEW-CPT credential, a student must complete the applicable educational requirements and successfully pass the NIEW Certification Examination.

One examination retake is included at no additional charge if the student does not pass the first attempt.

Any policy or fee that may apply to additional examination attempts beyond the included retake will be disclosed before an additional attempt is scheduled or purchased.

NIEW may establish reasonable examination rules intended to protect the integrity of the certification process. Students may not copy, reproduce, distribute, publish, record, share, sell, or provide examination questions, answers, or protected examination content to another person.

4. Student Accounts and Account Security

Student and member accounts are intended for the individual to whom the account was issued. You agree to provide truthful and accurate registration information, keep your login credentials confidential, not share your account with another person, promptly notify NIEW if you believe your account has been accessed without authorization, and keep relevant contact information reasonably current.

NIEW may suspend or restrict an account when there is reasonable evidence of unauthorized access, account sharing, fraud, misuse of NIEW materials, examination misconduct, or another material violation of these Terms.

5. Refund Policy

NIEW offers a 5-day money-back guarantee, provided that the student has not attempted the NIEW Certification Examination.

A refund request must be submitted no later than the end of the fifth calendar day following the date of purchase. Once a student attempts the certification examination, the enrollment is no longer eligible for a refund, even if the request would otherwise fall within the 5-day refund period.

Approved refunds will ordinarily be returned to the original payment method. Nothing in this policy limits any refund or consumer right that cannot legally be waived under applicable law.

Additional details are available on the Refund Policy page.

6. Maintaining the NIEW-CPT Credential

NIEW-CPT certificates include an expiration date. No continuing education credits are required during the first 12 months of certification. After the first year, active certified members must complete 1.0 CEC, equal to 10 hours of continuing education, annually.

NIEW reviews continuing-education submissions to determine whether they satisfy applicable requirements. NIEW does not charge members to submit CECs for review, and NIEW may provide opportunities to earn required continuing education at no additional cost. Outside education providers may charge their own fees.

Standard Membership

Standard membership renewal is $25 per year. Applicable continuing-education requirements also apply.

Premier Membership

Eligible certified members may purchase a $125 one-time Premier upgrade after certification. Premier members do not pay future annual NIEW membership dues, but continuing-education requirements remain in effect.

Premier status does not eliminate CEC requirements, certification expiration dates, professional standards, or reinstatement requirements following a lapse.

7. Lapsed Certification and Reinstatement

A member who does not satisfy applicable renewal and continuing-education requirements is not in good standing and should not represent themselves as holding a current NIEW-CPT credential.

Within two years of a lapse, reinstatement generally requires the $100 reinstatement fee, completion of missed continuing-education requirements, and any applicable outstanding Standard membership dues or current renewal requirements.

Premier members do not owe annual membership dues but remain responsible for applicable reinstatement and continuing-education requirements. An inactive Standard member may not avoid applicable reinstatement requirements by purchasing a Premier upgrade.

After a lapse exceeding two years, ordinary reinstatement is unavailable. The individual must meet the enrollment and certification requirements then in effect.

8. Professional Scope and Use of Certification

The NIEW-CPT is an educational and professional fitness credential. It does not grant a medical license, healthcare license, dietetics license, physical-therapy license, or any other government-regulated professional license.

NIEW Certified Personal Trainers should remain within their education, competence, and professional scope. Personal trainers do not diagnose disease or injury, prescribe medication, perform medical rehabilitation, provide medical nutrition therapy, or represent themselves as licensed healthcare professionals unless they separately hold the appropriate qualifications.

When a client’s needs fall outside the trainer’s education or scope, appropriate referral to a qualified professional is expected.

9. Employment and Career Outcomes

Certification does not guarantee employment, acceptance by a particular employer, income, clientele, business success, or any other career outcome.

Employer requirements vary. Some gyms, health clubs, studios, private training facilities, wellness organizations, or other employers may accept the NIEW-CPT, while others may require different or additional credentials.

Students and graduates are responsible for confirming the credential requirements of any employer, facility, organization, insurer, state, municipality, or other jurisdiction relevant to their intended work.

NIEW does not guarantee any particular salary, number of clients, business revenue, or employment opportunity.

10. Educational and Fitness Disclaimer

NIEW materials are provided for educational and informational purposes. Fitness and nutrition information provided through NIEW is not a substitute for individualized medical diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, medical nutrition therapy, legal advice, accounting advice, or other licensed professional services.

Students, trainers, and clients should consult appropriately qualified professionals when circumstances require expertise beyond the personal trainer’s scope.

Exercise and fitness activities involve inherent risks. Individuals are responsible for using reasonable judgment, following appropriate safety practices, and obtaining medical evaluation or clearance when appropriate.

11. Intellectual Property and Educational Materials

Unless otherwise stated, NIEW owns or licenses the educational content, manuals, text, graphics, website content, forms, examination materials, designs, and other materials made available through its website and program.

Enrollment gives the student a limited right to use program materials for their own education and legitimate professional activities.

NIEW educational materials may not be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, distributed, sold, licensed, shared publicly, or used to create a competing certification or educational product without written permission.

Client Forms

Printable client forms supplied by NIEW may be downloaded, printed, completed, and used by students or certified members with their own clients for the intended professional purpose.

This permission does not authorize resale, mass redistribution, publication, commercial licensing, or representation that the underlying NIEW materials were independently created by the user. Copyright notices and other proprietary markings may not be intentionally removed from protected NIEW materials except where a form is specifically designed to permit customization.

12. Acceptable Use

Users may not use the NIEW website, accounts, services, or materials to violate applicable law; gain unauthorized access to an account, system, or protected content; distribute malware or interfere with website operation; scrape or systematically collect protected content without authorization; create accounts using false identities or information; impersonate NIEW, a NIEW employee, or another user; misuse support services; harass or threaten students, members, staff, or other users; circumvent security or access restrictions; share protected course or examination content without authorization; or use NIEW intellectual property to create or market an unauthorized competing product.

Reasonable use of publicly available website information, ordinary search engines, accessibility technologies, and legitimate personal study tools is not prohibited merely because automated technology is involved.

13. Website Availability and Changes

NIEW works to keep its website, student systems, and services available and functioning properly, but uninterrupted access cannot be guaranteed.

Maintenance, hosting problems, software updates, third-party outages, security incidents, internet failures, or other events may temporarily affect availability.

NIEW may correct errors, update information, modify website features, replace software, or make reasonable changes to its services.

When a material change affects an existing student’s purchased program or certification requirements, NIEW will provide notice when reasonably appropriate.

14. Third-Party Services

NIEW may use third-party companies and services for payment processing, hosting, email delivery, website functionality, security, analytics, or other business operations.

Use of a third-party service may also be subject to that provider’s own terms and privacy practices. NIEW does not control every aspect of an independent third party’s systems and is not responsible for failures or actions outside NIEW’s reasonable control, except where applicable law provides otherwise.

15. Electronic Communications

By creating an account, enrolling, or contacting NIEW electronically, you agree that NIEW may provide program-related communications electronically, including account notices, purchase confirmations, certification information, support responses, policy notices, continuing-education information, and renewal reminders.

This does not automatically constitute consent to receive unrelated promotional marketing where separate consent is legally required.

16. Suspension or Termination

NIEW may suspend or terminate access to services for material violations of these Terms, fraud, abusive conduct, account sharing, examination misconduct, unauthorized redistribution of protected materials, nonpayment, or unlawful activity.

Where practical and appropriate, NIEW may contact the user before permanent termination.

Termination does not transfer ownership of NIEW intellectual property or permit continued representation of an expired, revoked, or otherwise inactive credential as current.

17. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, NIEW is not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages arising from use of the website, educational materials, certification services, or inability to access them.

NIEW does not guarantee that use of its educational materials will produce a particular fitness, health, employment, financial, or business result.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

18. Privacy

Personal information collected through the website, enrollment process, contact forms, student accounts, and related services is handled in accordance with NIEW’s Privacy Policy.

The Privacy Policy should be reviewed together with these Terms & Conditions.

19. Changes to These Terms

NIEW may update these Terms & Conditions to reflect changes in the program, services, technology, business operations, or applicable legal requirements.

The current version will display an updated effective or revision date. Material changes affecting existing students or members will be communicated when reasonably appropriate.

20. General Provisions

These Terms, together with applicable policies referenced on the NIEW website, constitute the agreement governing use of the applicable NIEW services.

If a provision is determined to be unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in effect to the extent permitted by law. Failure by NIEW to enforce a provision on one occasion does not waive the right to enforce it later.

NIEW may assign its rights or obligations as part of a lawful restructuring, transfer, sale, or continuation of the business.

Governing law: These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of the State of Ohio, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles.

21. Contact NIEW

Questions about these Terms & Conditions, enrollment, certification, or NIEW services may be submitted through the Contact NIEW page.