Can you still get an MCSA certification?
No. The Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate was retired by Microsoft in January 2021, along with the Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer and Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert certifications, and the exams behind them were withdrawn. Microsoft replaced that product-and-technology-based structure with a role-based certification programme organised around the jobs people actually do — administrator, engineer, developer, data analyst, security operations and others — across three levels: Fundamentals for entry, Associate for practitioner and Expert for advanced. The current certifications are tied to Microsoft's cloud and modern platform products rather than to on-premises server versions, and they are renewed annually through a free online assessment taken in your Microsoft Learn profile within a window before expiry, rather than by paying for a resit. An MCSA earned before retirement remains a record of what you passed and still appears in transcripts, but it is no longer a current certification and it cannot be renewed.
- The MCSA was retired in January 2021 along with MCSD and MCSE, and cannot be earned.
- Microsoft replaced it with role-based certifications at Fundamentals, Associate and Expert levels.
- Current certifications renew annually through a free online assessment rather than a paid resit.
- An existing MCSA remains on your transcript as a record but is not a current credential.
MCSA at a glance
| Cost | Not applicable — the MCSA cannot be purchased or earned. Current role-based certification exam pricing is set by Microsoft and varies by country, so check Microsoft's current fee schedule |
| Duration | Not applicable — no MCSA exams remain available |
| Issued by | Microsoft |
| Format | Retired. The replacement programme uses role-based exams at Fundamentals, Associate and Expert levels |
| Expiry | MCSA certificates do not expire but cannot be renewed; current role-based certifications renew annually via a free online assessment |
| Who needs it | Nobody can earn one now — technicians and administrators should target the current role-based certification matching their work |
| Retired | January 2021, together with MCSD and MCSE |
| Replacement | Role-based certifications across Fundamentals, Associate and Expert levels |
Sources: Microsoft, official site · Microsoft Learn certifications. Reviewed August 2026 by the GlobalCybers team.
What Replaced the MCSA
From product certifications to role certifications
The old structure certified you on a product version — a server release, a database release — which meant a certification aged the moment the product did. Microsoft replaced it with certifications built around job roles and mapped to current platform services, at Fundamentals, Associate and Expert levels. The practical consequence for a technician: choose the certification named after the work you do, not after the software version you run.
How the current programme differs
Is a retired MCSA still worth anything?
As a current credential, no — it cannot be renewed and does not evidence current platform knowledge. As a record of foundational systems administration study it retains some value on a résumé, but employers screening for Microsoft skills now look for role-based certifications. BLS reports pay by occupation, not by credential.
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What the MCSA Used to Cover, and Where It Went
Officially Retired
Microsoft retired the MCSA, MCSD and MCSE in January 2021 and withdrew the underlying exams. There is no path to earning one.
Role-Based Thinking
The replacement asks what job you do rather than what product you run — which is a better fit for hybrid and cloud environments where products blur.
Three Levels
Fundamentals, Associate and Expert give a clearer progression than the old associate-to-expert product chains did.
Free Annual Renewal
Current certifications are renewed by a free online assessment rather than a paid resit — a substantial change in the cost of staying certified.
Your Old Transcript
A previously earned MCSA stays on your Microsoft transcript as a record. It is honest to list it as achieved with its date, and misleading to list it as current.
Choosing a Successor
Server administrators, identity administrators, endpoint administrators and database administrators each now have their own role certification path.
What should you do instead of pursuing an MCSA?
Accept that the MCSA is gone
The certifications were retired in January 2021 and the exams withdrawn. Any training provider still selling an MCSA path is selling something that cannot be awarded.
Identify the role you actually perform
Server and hybrid infrastructure, identity and access, endpoint administration, database administration, data analysis and security operations are all separate paths in the current programme.
Start at the level that fits
Fundamentals certifications are genuine entry points requiring no prerequisites and are a sensible starting place for technicians moving into administration. Associate is the practitioner tier.
Book the exam through Microsoft's current programme
Exams are delivered through Microsoft's testing arrangements at test centres and by online proctoring. Pricing is set by Microsoft and varies by country, so check the current fee schedule.
Renew annually and free
Current certifications expire annually but are renewed by a free online assessment taken in your Microsoft Learn profile within a window before expiry — a habit worth diarising, because a lapsed certification requires retaking the full exam.
What Employers Screen For Now
Nothing legal requires Microsoft certification. Employers and Microsoft's partner programme drive it: managed service providers and integrators need certified staff to attain and hold partner designations, and administrator job specifications name current role-based certifications. Because the current certifications renew annually and are tied to cloud services that change continuously, employers treat them as evidence of current knowledge in a way the retired product certifications never could — which is exactly the problem the redesign was meant to solve.
MCSA Certification, Frequently Asked Questions
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