SANS Institute (GIAC): what they train and what they publish about price
Independent transparency page. We earn nothing from this provider and make no recommendation. We show what they publish — including when they publish no price.
The premium ceiling of the market and the canonical 'a course is not the certification' example: the SEC504 course is $8,780 and a GIAC attempt is a separate $999.
At a glance
- Status / ownership: Active; SANS provides the training, GIAC is the separate certification body
- Delivery: Instructor-led (live), Virtual instructor-led (live online), On-demand (self-paced)
- Trains toward: Cybersecurity (GIAC)
- Pricing transparency: High — publishes course tuition and a full GIAC exam-fee table; course and exam are priced separately
- Official site: https://www.sans.org
Published training prices
Figures below are published by the provider or on an official GSA schedule, captured on the date shown. They are not quotes.
| Offering | Delivery | Published price | Exam | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEC401: Security Essentials | Instructor-led (live) | $8,780 per course | exam not included (separate fee) | 2026-06-14 | link |
| SEC504: Hacker Tools, Techniques and Incident Handling | Instructor-led (live) | $8,780 per course | exam not included (separate fee) | 2026-06-13 | link |
Certification exam fees (separate from training)
These are exam/certification fees, billed separately from any course. A course is not a certification; passing the exam is what earns the credential.
| Exam / fee | Published price | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| GIAC certification attempt (standard) | $999 per attempt | 2026-06-13 | link |
| GIAC certification renewal (every 4 years) | $499 one-time | 2026-06-13 | link |
| GIAC exam retake | $899 per attempt | 2026-06-13 | link |
| GIAC practice exam | $399 per attempt | 2026-06-13 | link |
What isn't published
Everything we list for this provider is first-party or GSA-cited.
Sources
- GIAC — GIAC Certification Pricing: https://www.giac.org/pricing
- SANS Institute — SANS Published Course Tuition: https://www.sans.org/
Citation Ledger
| ID | Supports | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIT-01 | SEC401: Security Essentials price $8,780 per course (as of 2026-06-14) | Provider-published | link |
| CIT-02 | SEC504: Hacker Tools, Techniques and Incident Handling price $8,780 per course (as of 2026-06-13) | Provider-published | link |
| CIT-03 | GIAC certification attempt (standard) price $999 per attempt (as of 2026-06-13) | Provider-published | link |
| CIT-04 | GIAC certification renewal (every 4 years) price $499 one-time (as of 2026-06-13) | Provider-published | link |
| CIT-05 | GIAC exam retake price $899 per attempt (as of 2026-06-13) | Provider-published | link |
| CIT-06 | GIAC practice exam price $399 per attempt (as of 2026-06-13) | Provider-published | link |