You will need to meet one of the agreed criteria to be able to study for the ACA from ICAEW:
- Members of ICAI living in India who have obtained ICAI membership by complying with its training and examinations requirements can study for the ACA and apply to join ICAEW.
- Members of ICAI living outside of India who have obtained ICAI membership by complying with its training and examinations requirements can study for the ACA and apply to join ICAEW.
What does the ACA look like for you?
For ICAI members, the ACA from ICAEW is a combination of exams and ethics training. ICAI members are eligible for credit for prior learning (exemption) on 12 of the 15 ICAEW exam modules. This would mean you have to complete three ICAEW exams and the online ethics training and assessment programme to become a member of ICAEW.
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Step 1: Register with ICAEW
You must register with ICAEW to study for the ACA qualification and become eligible to join ICAEW. If you are an ICAI member, you will be eligible for credit for prior learning (exemptions) for 12 of the 15 ACA exams.
The registration process will also include your application and payment for credit for prior learning (exemptions).
What do I need to register?
When you register with ICAEW, you will need to complete an application form and include some supporting documents.
To register, please visit my.icaew.com/studentregistration. Once your registration is complete you will need to send your supporting documents to applications@icaew.comThese must include:
- A copy of your ICAI membership certificate;
- A letter of good standing from ICAI; and
- Payment of fees.
Registration costs
This cost includes all relevant credit for prior learning fees and a one-off ICAEW registration fee. Please note that the examination fees are payable when you are registering for the examination.
Please note: VAT is applicable to those who live in the EU, EEA or Continental Europe.
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Step 2: Exams
ICAI members will need to sit and pass the final three ICAEW examinations
The three ICAEW exams which you must sit and pass are:
- Corporate Reporting
- Strategic Business Management
- Case Study
The Corporate Reporting and Strategic Business Management papers cover all aspects of the syllabus, and require you to demonstrate your knowledge, ability to plan, analyse, interpret and give advice.
The Case Study covers all areas of the syllabus and tests your professional skills in the context of a specific business issue. It is four hours long.
To qualify for ICAEW membership, you must also complete ICAEW's Ethics Learning Programme (ELP), an online training and assessment programme. We strongly recommend that you have completed this ethics training before attempting the Case Study.
Exam applications
As an ACA student, you must apply online for each of the exams you will sit. There are no restrictions on the number of attempts you are allowed at each of these Advanced Stage exams. However, we would always recommend that you are fully prepared for each exam. You can also find past papers, examiners comments and support for these exams at icaew.com/examresources.
The ACA exams you need to sit and pass are held in July and November each year.
Please make sure you understand the relevant exam dates and deadlines and the ACA exam regulations before your exams.
ICAI members in India: Exams are held at the British Council. Further details will be available when you apply for an exam sitting.
ICAI members located outside of India : A full list of UK and international exam centres can be found on the examination entry form (PDF 202KB/7 pages) or once you have registered will be available on the exam applications online section.
Exam costs
The Corporate Reporting and Strategic Business Management exams costs £170 sterling per sitting.
The Case Study exam costs £260 sterling per sitting.
ACA learning materials
You will need to buy the learning materials for the ACA exams. For the Corporate Reporting and Strategic Business papers, the learning materials are a study pack which includes a study manual and a question bank.
The Case Study learning consist of a study manual and practice case studies, a marks key and answer book.
For more details on the costs and how to order learning materials go to ICAEW learning materials.
Tuition
ICAI members in any other location: Please refer to our tuition pages for a full list of UK and international tuition providers.
Exams support
ICAEW provides ACA students with a range of exam resources to help you study for each exam module. You can access the syllabus for each exam, past papers, examiners feedback as well as useful articles, webinars and links to ICAEW’s award-winning library.
Once registered with ICAEW, you have access to the online student community. This allows you to share views and exchange ideas on topics that are important to you. There are regular Ask an expert and Ask a tutor sessions. The student community is reserved for students only.
Exam results
Exam results for paper-based exam sessions are usually released five weeks after the exam week.
For all questions relating to exams, see Exam FAQs.
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Step 3: Ethics and Professional Scepticism
Ethics is more than just knowing the rules around confidentiality, integrity and objectivity. It’s about identifying ethical dilemmas, understanding the implications and behaving appropriately. Ethics is integrated throughout the ACA qualification to develop your ethical capabilities – so you’ll always know how to make the right decisions and justify them.
The learning element of your ethical training also includes an online learning programme based on the ICAEW Code of Ethics. The devolved assessment is a test that assesses your ethical progress. It is recommended that you aim to complete the ethics learning programme and the devolved assessment before attempting the Case Study. The ELP and devolved assessment will be accessible through your online training file.
For all questions relating to ethics and professional scepticism, see ELP FAQs.
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Step 4: Apply for ICAEW membership
You will be invited to apply for membership once you have completed all of your three ACA examinations and successfully completed the Ethics Learning Programme (ELP). You will be advised of ICAEW membership costs when you are invited to join ICAEW. You have 12 months (from your qualification date) to apply for ICAEW membership.
Once your ICAEW application has been successful, you will be able to use the prestigious designation 'ACA'.
While you are an ICAEW member, you must make sure you comply with ICAEW CPD regulations and Code of Ethics.