Credit for prior learning 

If you have an accounting or business related degree or a Professional Accountancy qualification you may be able to apply for credit. If your application is successful you will not need to sit that paper.

Please note that:

  • you cannot apply for credit if you have previously attempted the paper
  • CFAB students must pass the Accounting paper
  • Credit is not available for the Advanced Stage of the ACA qualification

ACA Credits Available

Accounting, Assurance, Business and Finance, Law, Management Information, Principles of Taxation, Audit and Assurance, Business Strategy, Financial Accounting, Financial Management, Financial Reporting and Taxation

Applications can be made online or in hard copy.

CFAB Credits Available

Assurance, Business and Finance, Law, Management Information and Principles of Taxation.

Applications for credit must be made online.

Credit for degrees

Graduates can apply for up to eight paper credits: Accounting, Assurance, Business and Finance, Law, Management Information, Principles of Taxation, Business Strategy and Financial Management.

The credit for prior learning directory contains details of the accounting and business related degrees for which paper credits have already been agreed. Please use this to check whether your degree is listed.

If your degree is not included you may still be able to apply for credit but you will need to send module descriptors and exam papers from your degree with your application.

Please note that to apply for credit you will need:

  • to have achieved a minimum mark of 50% in all contributing modules of your degree
  • to have applied for credit within three years of completion of degree studies
  • for the exam element of each contributing module to be at least 70%.

ACA students can either:

Credit for AAT

AAT students who have completed the intermediate and technician levels can apply for credit for Accounting, Assurance, Business and Finance, Management Information and Principles of Taxation. Credit for some papers is dependent upon the AAT units completed.

A top-up paper for Financial Accounting is available to AAT students who have completed unit 11, drafting financial statements (accounting practice/industry and commerce route) and are seeking to gain the ACA qualification. More details are available in the credit for prior learning directory.

ACA students can either:

Credit for professional qualifications

If you are fully or partially qualified with a professional accountancy body you may be eligible to apply for credit for up to all 12 papers for which credit is available.

Students seeking the CFAB qualification must however pass the Accounting paper.

Concessions are normally dependent upon membership or completion of specified papers. To see which credits may be available please use the credit for prior learning directory.

Systems development is taking place and holders of professional qualifications wishing to gain credit for the ACA qualification are asked to download the Credit for Prior Learning - Professional Qualifications application form and send it to us together with the supporting document requested.

A fee is normally charged for credit but at present a fee is not charged for students of CCAB bodies transferring to the ACA, members of the Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan. Please download the appropriate Credit for prior learning - professional application form and send it us together with the supporting documents requested.

Reciprocal membership

We have reciprocal membership agreements with the following accountancy bodies:

  • Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia
  • Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants
  • New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants
  • South African Institute of Chartered Accountants
  • Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe (membership must have been gained after 1 January 1996)

Please note, members of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants can apply for membership of the ICAEW. Please visit HKICPA membership for more information.

If you need further clarification or assistance with anything contained in this section please contact us on +44(0)1908 248 040.