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Steps to take for ACCA students and affiliates who want to register as ACA students.

How to register as an ACA student

As an ACCA student or affiliate, to join ICAEW you’ll need to complete formal ACA training, by registering as an ACA student

You can register in two ways:

  1. Registering as a student in a training agreement – This applies if you have been offered an ICAEW training agreement with an ICAEW authorised training employer (ATE) at the time of registration. Students must have their training office number to complete registration. If they are not already authorised, your company can become an authorised training employer. It’s a free and straightforward process. Alternatively, if your manager or any other senior manager in your company is a qualified accountant, they may be eligible to become an authorised training principal.
  2. Registering as an Independent student – This applies if you have not yet secured a training agreement with an ICAEW ATE. You would be unable to gain any practical work experience as an independent student until you have secured an ICAEW training agreement. Independent students are required to fund their own studies and their registration fee must be paid upon registering and must be paid on a calendar yearly basis. In order to complete your registration, you must also email copies of your qualifications to applications@icaew.com.

You can register as an ACA student . If you have an online account please ensure you are logged onto your profile at the time to avoid duplicate accounts.

Credit for prior learning (CPL)

The ACA comprises of 15 exams split over three levels: the Certificate level, Professional level and the Advanced level. As an ACCA student or affiliate you may be exempt from up to 12 of these exams by applying for Credit for Prior Learning (CPL).

  • Currently ACCA students and affiliates are able to claim credits free of charge providing they complete registration before making a CPL application. Please note that ICAEW can withdraw this offer at any time. To see what credits you may be eligible for, please visit CPL directory.
  • You can apply for the credits online and reduce the cost to zero by using the discount codes located on our website, you will be required to attach your ACCA transcripts to your application. 

Practical work experience (PWE)

In addition to the exams, you must also complete practical work experience at an ICAEW authorised training employer (ATE), as well as covering Ethics and Professional Development Training.

As an ACCA student or affiliate, if you have had previous work experience at an ICAEW ATE within the last two years, you may be entitled to claim credit for prior work experience (CPWE) for up to 12 months, potentially reducing your training requirement to 24 months. 

Study costs

Registration costs  The full year registration fee is £180 (+VAT) reduced to half rate for those registering after 30 June. This fee is to be paid annually. Fees for students in a training agreement are invoiced to the firm in arrears. 
Certificate Level credits £75 per exam
Professional Level credits £105 per exam