Dog Agility Levels Compared Across Organizations
Every agility organization names its levels its own way. UKI's Novice is its second level, not its first, and UKC's Excellent class is only for dogs that already hold its championship. This chart lines up the levels of AKC, UKI, USDAA, CPE, NADAC, ASCA and UKC by stage, from a dog's first level to the top one. It's a rough guide we made, not an official match: no organization says its levels equal another's. Where one has published its own rule for placing dogs from elsewhere, we followed it, and the chart marks the rest.
Nearest to AKC Excellent
UKI
Novice
UKI places dogs this way in its transfer table.
USDAA
Advanced
UKI places dogs this way in its transfer table.
CPE
Level 5
UKI places dogs this way in its transfer table.
NADAC
Elite
NADAC’s own examples for AKC titles place dogs this way.
ASCA
Elite
ASCA has no rule like this, so its levels sit by position in its own ladder.
UKC
No match
Experienced UKC dogs keep running Beginner B and Intermediate B for championship points.
A rough guide, not an official match. The new organization’s rulebook decides where your dog starts.
Dog Agility Levels Chart
| Stage | AKC | UKI | USDAA | CPE | NADAC | ASCA | UKC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First level | Novice | Beginners | Intro or Starters | Levels 1 to 3 | Novice (Intro before it, if you like) | Novice* | Beginner* |
| Second level | Open | Beginners | Starters | Levels 1 to 3 | Open | Open* | Intermediate* |
| Third level | Excellent | Novice | Advanced | Level 5 | Elite | Elite* | no match (see below) |
| Top level | Master | Senior | Masters | Level C | Elite | Elite* | Excellent* |
- AKC, UKI, USDAA and CPE are placed by UKI's own transfer table, which says where a dog from those organizations starts in UKI. NADAC is placed by NADAC's own examples for AKC titles.
- * ASCA and UKC have published no rule like that, so their levels sit by position in their own ladders.
- UKI has one more level, Champion. Its table places dogs there that hold a MACH or an ADCH.
One page, prints fine in black and white. More free charts and tools are on our dog sport resources page.
How Moving Up Works in Each Organization
AKC agility levels
Novice, Open, Excellent and Master, and Standard and Jumpers With Weaves move up on their own, so a dog can be in Excellent Standard and Open Jumpers at once. Three qualifying runs (Qs) earn the Novice, Open and Excellent titles, and Master takes ten. A Novice or Open Q needs a score of 85 or more, an Excellent run fails on any course fault so only time can come off, and a Master Q is a perfect 100. Moving up is the owner’s choice after a title, and a dog can keep running its level until it earns a Q at the next one. The one required move: a dog that earns its first title leaves Novice A for Novice B.
Source: AKC Regulations for Agility Trials. Track your titles with our AKC agility title tracker.
UKI agility levels
Beginners, Novice, Senior and Champion, plus a separate set of four Speedstakes levels. UKI counts points, not Qs: a clear round earns points by where it places, and 4 if it doesn’t place. A dog needs 12 points to leave Beginners (8 of them from Agility), 20 to leave Novice (12 from Agility, 4 from Jumping, 4 from Games) and 36 to leave Senior (12 from each), and the count starts again at zero on each level. UKI is the one organization here where moving up is required and covers the whole dog: UKI moves it automatically, it runs the new level from the next day, and it never goes back.
Source: UKI Rules and Regulations. Track your titles with our UKI agility title tracker.
USDAA agility levels
Intro, Starters, Advanced and Masters, in two programs: Championship, and Performance with jumps 4 inches lower. Standard and Jumpers Qs are clean runs inside Standard Course Time. Each class titles on its own with three Qs at Starters and Advanced and five at Masters. Moving up is a choice and goes class by class, and you can enter a higher level early. Once a dog titles at a level in a class, it can’t drop below it in that class.
Source: USDAA Rules and Regulations. Track your titles with our USDAA agility title tracker.
CPE agility levels
Levels 1, 2, 3, 5 and C. There is no Level 4 any more. Levels 1 to 3 allow 10 faults, Level 5 allows 5, and Level C runs must be clean. Each class moves up on its own, a dog may run different levels in different classes, and CPE lets a dog go back to an earlier level at any time. A dog’s first CPE trial can’t be higher than Level 3, and CPE suggests Level 2 or 3 for dogs with titles elsewhere. Veterans, Enthusiast and Specialist jump lower, and Enthusiast and Specialist have titles of their own.
Source: CPE Agility Rulebook. Track your titles with our CPE agility title tracker.
NADAC agility levels
Intro, Novice, Open and Elite, across eight classes. Intro is optional, and Gamblers has none. NADAC counts points: 10 for a clean run under time, and 5 in Regular for 5 faults or fewer. Thirty points earns the basic title for a class at a level, and that title is what lets the dog move up in that class. Moving up is never required, and a dog can move back down for any reason.
Source: NADAC Exhibitor’s Handbook. Track your titles with our NADAC agility title tracker.
ASCA agility levels
Novice, Open and Elite, in Regular, Jumpers and Gamblers, with a separate ACE program that jumps 4 inches lower. ASCA counts points too: 10 for a clean run, and 5 for a Regular Q with faults. A title takes 30 points in Regular and 20 in Jumpers or Gamblers. ASCA says a handler is never required to move a dog up. Each class moves on its own, the next day if the club offers it, and a dog can go back down until it earns a Q at the new level.
Source: ASCA Agility Program Rules. Track your titles with our ASCA agility title tracker.
UKC agility levels
Beginner, Intermediate and Excellent, scored out of 200. Three Qs of 170 or more, at three different trials, earn BA or IA, and the two can be earned in either order. Excellent is only for dogs that already hold the UKC agility championship (UACH), which comes from scores of 195 or more in Beginner B and Intermediate B. UKC has no move-up rule at all.
Source: UKC Official Agility Rulebook. Track your titles with our UKC agility title tracker.
Where the Comparison Breaks Down
- Qs versus points. AKC, USDAA, CPE and UKC count qualifying runs. NADAC and ASCA count points, and UKI counts points by placement. AKC Novice takes three Qs. NADAC Novice Regular takes 30 points, which is three clean runs or six runs with a few faults.
- How many levels. ASCA and UKC have three, AKC four, USDAA four with Intro, and CPE five. That’s why some cells in the chart cover two rows.
- Whole dog or one class at a time. Everywhere but UKI, a dog can sit at different levels in different classes. In UKI one level covers every class.
- Lower jump programs. AKC Preferred, USDAA Performance, CPE Enthusiast and Specialist, and ASCA ACE jump lower and have titles of their own. UKI Select and CPE Veterans jump lower but share titles with the main program. The levels line up the same way inside all of them.
- UKC’s championship comes before its top level. Experienced UKC dogs keep running Beginner B and Intermediate B, because that’s where championship points come from. That’s why its third row is empty.
If You're Moving to a New Organization
Your titles don't travel with you, but a few organizations do look at them when your dog starts.
- UKI places a newly registered dog by its highest standard agility level in AKC, USDAA or CPE (and two Canadian organizations), using its transfer table. After registration, results from elsewhere stop counting.
- NADAC lets a dog start at the level that matches where it competes elsewhere, class by class, if you send in its titles. NADAC's grandfathering page gives two examples: an AKC NA lets a dog run Open Regular, and an AKC OA lets it run Elite Regular. Points above Novice show as 0 until NADAC approves the request.
- CPE starts every dog at Level 3 or lower, and suggests Level 2 or 3 for dogs titled elsewhere. From there the dog works through CPE’s levels like any other.
- ASCA sends a dog with an equivalent title from another organization to the B section of that level, never to a higher level.
- AKC and USDAA have no rule about other organizations’ titles. USDAA lets you enter whatever level you think fits.
- UKC says titles from other venues can’t stand in for UKC titles.
One thing that often does carry over is a height card. Our jump height chart has who measures and which cards each organization accepts. More comparisons are in UKI vs AKC agility and UKC vs AKC. Each organization's championship is compared on our agility championship tracker page, the age a dog can start is in our dog sport age requirements, and every term is in our dog sport glossary.
Dog Agility Level Questions
Is AKC Excellent the same as USDAA Advanced?+
No organization says so. UKI’s transfer table puts both at the same UKI level (Novice), which is the closest thing to an official link, and that’s how the chart lines them up.
Can my dog’s AKC titles let it start higher somewhere else?+
In UKI and NADAC, yes, by their own rules. CPE starts every dog at Level 3 or lower. ASCA and UKC don’t move a dog up for titles from elsewhere, and USDAA lets you enter whatever level you think fits, titles or not.
What are the UKI agility levels?+
Beginners, Novice, Senior and Champion. Speedstakes has its own four levels.
What are the CPE agility levels?+
Levels 1, 2, 3, 5 and C. Level 4 no longer exists.
Do I have to move my dog up after a title?+
Only in UKI, which moves the whole dog up automatically. In AKC, USDAA, CPE, NADAC and ASCA it’s your choice, and UKC has no move-up rule.
Which organization is easiest?+
We don’t rank them. The facts above are there so you can decide what suits your dog.
Running in More Than One Organization?
Dog Title Tracker keeps each organization's titles and progress apart in one account, for AKC, UKI, USDAA, CPE, NADAC, ASCA and UKC agility.
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Independent tracking note
Dog Title Tracker is an independent tracking tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or officially connected to any dog sport organization, registry, club, event provider, or governing body listed on this site.
The tracker is for personal tracking and organization. Users should always verify official points, qualifying scores, titles, awards, eligibility, and records directly with the appropriate organization.