RD Exam Eligibility: Graduate Degree, ACEND Pathways, and Your Authorization to Test

RD exam eligibility: the three requirements

CDR's eligibility page, checked on October 27, 2026, lists three requirements for the Registration Examination for Dietitians:

All three are verified by CDR before you can schedule. This guide covers CDR's US credential. State licensure is a separate, state-by-state process.

The four ACEND pathways to the RD exam

Program search and accreditation status are on ACEND's program directory, which CDR's eligibility page links to.

The 2024 graduate degree rule: who it applies to

CDR's graduate degree page says that from January 1, 2024, the minimum degree for RD exam eligibility changed from a bachelor's degree to a graduate degree, and "all other didactic and supervised practice eligibility requirements remain the same." The graduate degree FAQ answers the questions that cause the most confusion:

Three details from the FAQ:

• Any field counts. The graduate degree doesn't need a specific major, as long as it's granted by a USDE-accredited institution or a foreign equivalent.
• Timing is flexible. The degree "may be completed at any time prior to applying for registration eligibility," before or after supervised practice.
• The exam content doesn't change because of the degree rule. CDR says content comes from practice analysis, not degree level. The content outline does change on January 1, 2027, for that reason, as explained in the 2027 changes guide.

The FAQ also says licensure requirements are state-based, so check your state board separately.

Foreign degrees and international routes to the RD exam

• Foreign degree: CDR requires a transcript evaluation by an approved foreign degree evaluation agency, and recommends a course-by-course evaluation. You then ask the director of an ACEND-accredited DPD, GP or CP to review it and advise on any additional coursework.
• Reciprocity: CDR lists routes for Canadian dietitians, members of the Dutch Association of Dietitians (NVD), professionals registered by the Professional Regulation Commission of the Philippines, and members of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute with a graduate degree from an Irish university. The Dutch and Philippine routes lead to the RD or DTR exam depending on your highest degree.
• International programs: graduates of a Foreign Dietitian Education program receive a verification statement to apply for a US dietetic internship. An International Coordinated Program includes at least 1,000 hours of supervised practice, and its graduates receive a verification statement to become eligible for CDR's exam.

Each route has its own CDR page with instructions. Start from the eligibility page above.

From program completion to your RD exam Authorization to Test

CDR's Student Instructions page and handbook describe the sequence:

1. Finish your program. Your program director gives you exit forms to complete and return. You'll receive five original verification statements, which employers, licensure boards and the Academy may ask for.
2. Your program director submits you. CDR is a primary-source verification agency, so only ACEND program directors can submit your final transcript and program completion verification statement, through CDR's Registration Eligibility Processing System (REPS).
3. Complete CDR's online form. You'll get an email asking you to confirm your legal name, current address and email, and to agree to the Code of Ethics. CDR won't process your eligibility until you do.
4. CDR reviews it. The normal processing time is about a week. The FAQ says the whole process, from receipt of your information to the Authorization to Test, takes less than a week.
5. Watch for two emails. CDR confirms your eligibility, and Pearson VUE sends your Authorization to Test (ATT) within 48 hours of approval. If it doesn't arrive, check your spam folder, then call Pearson at 888-874-7651.
6. Schedule with Pearson VUE. Create your Pearson login from the ATT email, then register, pay the $250 fee by credit card and choose a date at least 48 hours ahead. Keep the confirmation email. CDR says that without it, you haven't successfully scheduled.

If you have questions about your submission, CDR tells candidates to contact their program director first. Fees and refund rules are in the RD exam cost guide.

Your one-year Authorization to Test

CDR authorizes eligible candidates "to test for one year at a time." The exact dates are in your ATT email. Your authorization ends when any of these happens:

• you take the exam
• the one-year period ends
• you don't cancel within the required time
• you arrive late
• you don't complete the exam during the appointment
• you don't present a qualifying ID
• you don't agree to the non-disclosure agreement

An expired authorization doesn't end your eligibility. The FAQ says "while an authorization period may expire, the candidate is still exam eligible," and you can reauthorize online at reps.cdrnet.org/reauth or by emailing CDR.

A year is a long window, so plan the study period first and pick the date to fit it. To fit prep inside that year, you can match a planned 90- or 180-day access period to your authorization year. Checkout isn't open yet.

One 2027 change depends on your eligibility date: CDR's board set a lifetime limit of eight attempts for candidates who establish exam eligibility on or after January 1, 2027. The retake guide explains who it covers.

Before you schedule the RD exam: name, ID and accommodations

• Name match. Your name in Pearson's system must match the original, unexpired government-issued ID you'll bring, which must show your name, photo and signature. Your address doesn't need to match. CDR warns that a mismatch means being turned away and losing the exam fee. If your program director entered your name incorrectly in REPS, ask them to fix it. Name changes go through CDR's website with a legal document such as a marriage license, divorce decree or court order.
• Accommodations. Apply through Pearson VUE before you schedule. Accommodations must be approved in advance, and approved appointments are booked by phone using the approval letter.

RD exam or DTR exam?

CDR runs a separate exam for dietetic technicians. If you hold a bachelor's degree and completed an ACEND-accredited DPD, CDR's DTR credential option page says you can take the DTR exam without additional academic or supervised practice requirements. It's a different exam, with its own outline, a $160 fee and a different credential. If you're preparing for the RD exam, check that the planned prep targets the RD outline, not the DTR's.

RD and RDN are the same credential. CDR's RDN FAQ says the two "have identical meanings and legal trademark definitions," and you take the same exam for either.

Next step after confirming RD exam eligibility

Once your program director has submitted you, use the waiting week to set a test window. The free RD exam study planner builds a domain-weighted outline from your date and daily minutes, and the 20 free RD exam practice questions show where you stand across the four domains. For quick daily review later, you can see the planned 560 flashcards sorted by the four RD domains.