CCNP salary: what the certification is worth
Cisco publishes no salary data for CCNP, so this page gives no salary figure. What it can give you is what Cisco does publish about the certification — its cost, structure and renewal — and how to read the CCNP salary numbers you find elsewhere.
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Is there an official CCNP salary figure?
No. Cisco’s CCNP Enterprise page makes no salary claims, and neither do its exam pages. Any number presented as the average CCNP salary comes from a third-party survey, a job board or self-reported data, not from Cisco, and this page does not repeat any of them.
That matters because such figures are easy to misread. A survey average mixes people in very different roles, countries and stages of their career, and it rarely separates the effect of the certification from the effect of experience. Treat any CCNP average salary you see as a description of the people who answered that survey, not as a price tag on the certificate.
Source: Cisco — CCNP Enterprise certification. Checked 9 October 2026.
How to read a CCNP salary range
If you do compare figures, a CCNP salary range is more useful than a single average, and only when you know what is behind it. Ask four questions of any source: which country and year it covers, which job titles it includes, how many people it is based on, and whether it reports a CCNP certified salary — what holders actually earn — or what jobs requiring CCNP advertise. Those are different numbers.
Also check which CCNP is meant. Cisco runs several professional-level tracks, and a figure labelled as the CCNP certification salary may blend them. A CCNP Enterprise salary figure should come from people working on enterprise networks — routing, switching, SD-WAN and network automation.
Source: Cisco — CCNP Enterprise certification. Checked 9 October 2026.
What actually drives pay for CCNP holders
Employers pay for a role and the skills behind it. The testimonials on Cisco’s CCNP Enterprise page come from people working as network engineers, senior network engineers and systems engineers, which reflects who the certification is designed for: professionals who implement and troubleshoot enterprise networks.
Within that group, the factors that move pay are the ones a certificate cannot capture on its own: years of hands-on experience, the size and complexity of the networks you run, the concentration you specialise in, and where you work. The certification makes those skills visible; it does not replace them.
Source: Cisco — CCNP Enterprise certification. Checked 9 October 2026.
Is CCNP worth it?
Whether CCNP is worth it depends on your work, but the costs are fully published. The two exams cost $700 in total — $US400 for 350-401 ENCOR and $US300 for a concentration — with no prerequisites. The certification is valid for three years, and Cisco requires 80 Continuing Education credits to recertify a professional-level certification, or a retake or advancement to the next level.
Two features make the investment more efficient than it first looks. Every exam you pass earns its own Specialist certification, so progress counts even before you hold the full CCNP. And ENCOR is also the core exam for CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure, so if you aim for the expert tier later, the core exam does double duty.
Source: Cisco — 350-401 ENCOR exam. Checked 9 October 2026.
Keeping the value: renewal
A lapsed certification is worth less on a CV than an active one. Cisco certifications are generally active for three years from the date you earn them, and you can recertify by retaking the exam, advancing to the next level or earning the required CE credits. CE-eligible learning paths in Cisco U. award credits, so ongoing training can do double duty as renewal.
If you are preparing now, Certsqill’s CCNP Enterprise question bank explains every answer option and shows a readiness score per domain.
Source: Cisco — Recertification. Checked 9 October 2026.
CCNP Enterprise salary & career value: questions people ask
What is the average CCNP salary?
Cisco publishes no salary data, so there is no official average. Figures online come from third-party surveys and job boards and depend heavily on country, role and experience. Checked against Cisco’s CCNP pages on 9 October 2026.
Does CCNP increase your salary?
Cisco makes no salary claim for CCNP. The certification documents professional-level enterprise networking skills; how that translates into pay depends on your role, experience and employer.
Is CCNP worth it for a network engineer?
It is designed for people who implement and troubleshoot enterprise networks. Weigh $700 in exam fees and a three-year renewal cycle against the work you do or want to do; each exam also earns a Specialist certification along the way.
