Revised fees
We continue to offer internationally recognised qualifications and services at competitive prices. We currently offer a single fee system which covers candidate entry, quality assurance and certification with no minimum threshold.
However, due to increasing costs in delivering our products and services, we are introducing an annual standing fee of £750 and amending some of our current fees. Candidate entry fees will remain at current levels.
We will apply these changes from Tuesday 1 April 2025.
Annual standing fee
From 1 April, your centre will be required to pay an annual standing fee of £750 to enable us to provide a range of ongoing services. This will be based on your centre’s invoice value for the previous financial year (April-March) and will be paid annually, in April.
Please note that your centre will not be required to pay the annual standing fee if your payment terms were met and your invoice value was £10,000 or more in the previous financial year.
By implementing the annual standing fee, we can continue to:
- Offer a portfolio of regulated, non-regulated and bespoke qualifications and assessments that are relevant and flexible, embedding and instilling industry standards.
- Provide all SQA approved centres with their own account manager - a personal contact who will take time to learn about you and your business.
- Provide access to our experienced customer support team.
- Provide face-to-face and online system and qualification verifier visits.
- Work with subject specialists to guarantee the highest standards of quality assurance.
Qualification approval application fee
We’re increasing our qualification approval application fee to £200 as part of the formal process which supports existing approved centres to expand their range of SQA qualifications.
However, we’ll no longer charge this fee for every qualification approval application submitted.
You will not be charged a qualification approval application fee if:
- You apply for a qualification within the same Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA) code that has already been approved and delivered successfully in the previous 12 months. This applies to all Ofqual qualifications.
- You apply for a lower-level unit in a Street Works qualification suite where the higher level has already been approved and successfully delivered in the previous 12 months. This applies to all Street Works qualifications.
- You apply for a lower-level qualification in a qualification suite where the higher level has already been approved and successfully delivered in the previous 12 months. This applies to all Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs), National Progression Awards (NPAs) and SQA Advanced Certificate and Diplomas.
To achieve successful delivery of our qualifications, you must have current entries for a higher-level qualification and must not have had any non-compliant qualification verification activity in the previous 12 months.
Overview of additional fees for 2025-26
In addition to the fees highlighted above, we’ve also amended the following fees:
- Centre approval fee (which includes systems approval and one initial qualification approval) - £1,500
- Non-compliance outcomes from qualification verification and systems verification - £100
- Prior verification of materials - £100
- Online development visit - £250 (this will be free of charge when carried out within the 6 months of first qualification approval within a verification group)
- Face-to-face development visit - £500 plus expenses (this will be reduced to £250, plus expenses, when carried out within the 6 months of first qualification approval within a verification group)
If you have any questions, please contact your account manager.