Certifications
Skill & certification guides
Know exactly what each level means, what it takes, and who teaches it, then find an operator to get you there.
- Free reference
- Level-by-level breakdown
- Find an operator to get there
Skydiving Progression: Tandem to A License
Becoming a licensed solo skydiver in the United States follows the USPA Integrated Student Program (ISP). You start strapped to an instructor, move through instructor-assisted freefall, then coached solo jumps, and finish with the USPA A license, the credential that lets you jump at drop zones worldwide without supervision.
This is the standard ladder almost every skydiver climbs. The exact jump counts vary by student, but the categories below are universal.
- 1Tandem SkydiveYour first jump, harnessed to a rated tandem instructor.One day; ~30 min ground brief + the jump
- 2First Jump Course (Ground School)The classroom day that precedes your first solo-track jump.~6–8 hours of classroom + drills
- 3AFF: Instructor-Assisted Freefall (Categories A–E)Solo-deployment jumps with one or two instructors flying beside you.~7–10 jumps
- 4Coached Solo Jumps (Categories F–H)Solo freefall with a coach nearby, building toward the A license.Several jumps to finish the A-license card
- 5USPA A LicenseThe first license, letting you jump unsupervised at drop zones worldwide.25+ jumps total
