DP-100 Is Retired: AI-300 Replaced Azure’s Data Science Certification
DP-100 retired on June 1, 2026, and its replacement is AI-300, which leads to a new credential: Microsoft Certified: Machine Learning Operations Engineer Associate. AI-300 costs $165 in the US, runs 120 minutes and is offered in English only.
It isn’t DP-100 with a new number. The role moved from building and training models to running machine learning and generative AI in production. Below: what AI-300 covers, what happens to a DP-100 you already hold, what to do if you were mid-study, what AI-300 costs, and what replaced DP-203 if that’s the exam you were looking for.
DP-100 replacement at a glance
| Retired exam | DP-100: Designing and Implementing a Data Science Solution on Azure |
|---|---|
| Retired credential | Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate |
| Retired on | June 1, 2026 (exam, certification and renewal assessment) |
| Replacement exam | AI-300: Operationalizing Machine Learning and Generative AI Solutions |
| New credential | Microsoft Certified: Machine Learning Operations Engineer Associate |
| Level | Intermediate (associate) |
| Price | $165 in the US; set by country (£106 UK, €126 Germany, ₹4,865 India) |
| Exam length | 120 minutes, proctored; may include interactive components |
| Passing score | 700 (scaled) |
| Language | English only |
| Renewal | One year, then a free online renewal assessment on Microsoft Learn |
| Practice | Free official practice assessment on AI Skills Navigator (sign-in required) |
Checked against Microsoft Learn’s Azure Data Scientist Associate and Machine Learning Operations Engineer Associate certification pages, the AI-300 study guide, exam pricing and renewal FAQ on October 8, 2026.
DP-100 vs AI-300: what changed
| DP-100 (retired) | AI-300 (replacement) | |
|---|---|---|
| Credential | Azure Data Scientist Associate | Machine Learning Operations Engineer Associate |
| Focus | Building, training and deploying models; optimizing language models | Running machine learning and generative AI in production (MLOps and GenAIOps) |
| Domains | Design and prepare a machine learning solution (20–25%); explore data and run experiments (20–25%); train and deploy models (25–30%); optimize language models for AI applications (25–30%) | Design and implement an MLOps infrastructure (15–20%); machine learning model lifecycle and operations (25–30%); design and implement a GenAIOps infrastructure (20–25%); generative AI quality assurance and observability (10–15%); optimize generative AI systems and model performance (10–15%) |
| Tools | Azure Machine Learning, MLflow, Azure AI Search, Azure AI Foundry | Azure Machine Learning, Microsoft Foundry, GitHub Actions, Bicep, Azure CLI |
| Languages | 10, including English, Japanese and Spanish | English only |
| Status | Retired June 1, 2026 | Active, generally available |
What AI-300 actually covers
Microsoft groups machine learning operations (MLOps) and generative AI operations (GenAIOps) under one label, AI operations (AIOps), and AI-300 tests both. You need experience training, deploying and maintaining traditional models with Azure Machine Learning, plus deploying, evaluating, monitoring and optimizing generative AI apps and agents with Microsoft Foundry.
Microsoft expects a data science background with Python, and an entry-level grasp of DevOps: GitHub Actions, command-line tools, and infrastructure as code with Bicep and the Azure CLI. Our AI-300 study guide walks through each domain, and is AI-300 worth it? covers who it pays off for.
I hold DP-100. Is it worthless now?
No. A retirement stops new exams; it doesn’t erase earned credentials. Microsoft says retirement does not revoke certifications that were earned, so your Azure Data Scientist Associate stays on your transcript until it expires, and employers understand that a retired exam was legitimate when you passed it.
The catch is renewal. Microsoft retired the DP-100 renewal assessment along with the exam, so the certification can’t be renewed. Check its expiration date in your Microsoft Learn profile, and plan on AI-300 if you want a current credential.
If you were mid-study for DP-100
Your work isn’t wasted. Azure Machine Learning, training and deployment carry straight into AI-300’s model lifecycle domain; what’s new is the GenAIOps half and the DevOps tooling. Decide by role, not sunk cost:
- You run models in production, or want to: AI-300 is your path.
- You build AI applications and agents: look at AI-103 instead, the Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer credential (is AI-103 worth it?).
- You’re earlier in the journey: AI-901, Azure AI Fundamentals, is the modern on-ramp before any associate exam.
What AI-300 costs
AI-300 is $165 in the US. Microsoft sets the price by the country where you test, before tax:
| Where you test | AI-300 price |
|---|---|
| United States | $165 |
| United Kingdom | £106 |
| Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands | €126 |
| India | ₹4,865 |
| Japan | ¥20,300 |
| Brazil, Mexico, South Korea | $99 (USD) |
- Renewal is free: associate certifications are valid for one year, and you renew with an online assessment on Microsoft Learn that opens six months before expiry.
- Retakes cost the full fee: you can retake 24 hours after a first fail, then wait 14 days between attempts, with at most five attempts in 12 months.
- Students get academic pricing in most countries (not India or China) after verifying their status, and Microsoft’s Exam Replay package bundles one exam with one retake.
Is there a free Microsoft data science certification? No Microsoft certification exam is free. The AI-300 study guide, the exam sandbox and the official practice assessment cost nothing, though, and Microsoft Applied Skills credentials are earned through free, lab-based assessments.
Looking for DP-203?
DP-203 (Azure Data Engineer Associate) retired earlier, on March 31, 2025, along with its renewal assessment. Microsoft recommended the Fabric Data Engineer Associate certification and Exam DP-700: Implementing Data Engineering Solutions Using Microsoft Fabric for anyone starting fresh. DP-700 is a 100-minute exam, and its English version is updated on October 19, 2026.
The 2026 pattern, in one paragraph
DP-100’s retirement wasn’t an isolated event. Microsoft retired DP-100 on June 1, 2026 (replaced by AI-300), then AI-900 and AI-102 on June 30, 2026 (replaced by AI-901 and AI-103, the developer credential for generative AI apps and agents). The full map is in Microsoft AI certifications in 2026, the AI-102 change gets its own breakdown in AI-102 vs AI-103, and AI-900 is covered in AI-900 vs AI-901.
We don’t have an AI-300 practice bank yet. Until we do, the AI-300 study guide maps Microsoft’s outline domain by domain, Microsoft’s own practice assessment is free, and our free practice questions for 18 certifications, including AI-901 and AI-103, are at the AI certification exam prep hub.
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Related guides
- Is the AI-300 Certification Worth It? An Honest Look at Microsoft’s MLOps Cert
- How to Pass AI-300: A 6-Week Study Plan
- Microsoft AI Certifications in 2026: The New Path, Explained
- Microsoft Retired AI Certifications (2026): What Replaced Each
- AI-300 vs AWS ML Engineer Associate: Which MLOps Cert?
Frequently asked questions
When did DP-100 retire?
June 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM Central time. Microsoft retired the exam, the Azure Data Scientist Associate certification and its renewal assessment together.
What replaced DP-100?
Exam AI-300, which leads to Microsoft Certified: Machine Learning Operations Engineer Associate. It covers running machine learning and generative AI in production with Azure Machine Learning and Microsoft Foundry, and it is offered in English only.
Is my DP-100 certification still valid?
Yes, until its expiration date. Retirement does not revoke earned certifications, but the renewal assessment is retired too, so you cannot renew it; check the date in your Microsoft Learn profile.
Is there still an Azure Data Scientist certification?
No. Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate retired with DP-100 on June 1, 2026. The closest current Microsoft credential is the Machine Learning Operations Engineer Associate, earned with AI-300.
How much does AI-300 cost?
$165 in the US, with prices set by country, for example £106 in the UK, €126 in Germany and ₹4,865 in India. Renewing it each year is free through an online assessment on Microsoft Learn.
Should I take AI-300 or AI-103?
Decide by role: AI-300 if you run models and generative AI in production (MLOps and GenAIOps), AI-103 if you build AI applications and agents. Both are associate level, $165 in the US and 120 minutes.
What replaced DP-203?
DP-203 and the Azure Data Engineer Associate certification retired on March 31, 2025. Microsoft recommended the Fabric Data Engineer Associate certification and Exam DP-700 for anyone starting fresh.
Is there a free Microsoft data science certification?
No Microsoft certification exam is free. The AI-300 study guide, exam sandbox and official practice assessment are free, and Microsoft Applied Skills credentials are earned through free lab-based assessments.
Are there AI-300 practice questions?
Microsoft offers a free official AI-300 practice assessment on AI Skills Navigator; you need to sign in. We do not have an AI-300 bank yet, but our AI-300 study guide maps the published outline domain by domain.
