Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF)

Progress Through Partnership: SCQF@25

Twenty-five years ago, the SCQF Partnership was formed to give Scotland a shared way of recognising learning. Today it's used by schools, colleges, universities and employers to understand and compare qualifications across the country. It takes partnership to make progress, and we're proud to play our part — alongside Universities Scotland, the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) and the Scottish Government, as one of the founding partners since 2001.

We're marking the milestone at the SCQF@25 Conference, 22 September 2026, Glasgow Science Centre. The day brings together speakers and workshops from schools, colleges, universities, employers and other sectors, running 9am–5pm, followed by a drinks reception from 5–6.30pm.

Find out more and book your place.

What is the SCQF?

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) is a way of comparing all the different qualifications you can achieve in Scotland. It has 12 levels, and each qualification sits at a level depending on how difficult it is and how much time it takes to complete.

The framework also uses credit points to show how much learning is involved. One credit point represents about 10 hours of learning time. Credit points show the volume of learning, not the grade you've achieved.

You'll find SCQF information on your Scottish Qualifications Certificate. This includes:

• your attainment summary
• your detailed record of results
• your Core Skills profile

Units, as well as full qualifications, also have their own SCQF level and credit points.

How the SCQF can help you

The SCQF makes it easier to understand how different types of learning relate to each other, whether you've gained your qualifications through school, college, university, work, or another route. It can help you:

• compare your qualifications with others, even from different education sectors
• plan your next steps with confidence, understanding what level you're at and what you need to progress
• get recognition for learning done outside the classroom, through Recognition of Prior Learning
• move between vocational and academic routes without needing to start again
• understand qualifications from other countries that have been compared to the SCQF, if you're moving to Scotland or bringing international qualifications with you

Our role in the SCQF Partnership

We've been part of the SCQF Partnership since it was established as a charity in 2001, alongside Universities Scotland, the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), and Scottish Government. Together, we maintain the framework, support credit rating, and promote lifelong learning across Scotland.

We're proud to have played our part in that work from the start, and we remain committed to it today, whatever route someone takes through learning.

More information on SCQF

Visit SCQF for more information

See how your qualifications map to others using the SCQF interactive framework.

Mapping the SCQF to other frameworks

The SCQF also shows how Scottish qualifications relate to qualifications in the rest of the UK, Europe and beyond. This can help you understand international progression routes and credit transfer.

The SCQF is referenced against the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), so you can compare Scottish qualifications with those from other European countries. For more information, read our Qualifications Can Cross Boundaries Leaflet (804 KB)

You can also find:

• SCQF Ready Reckoner (110 KB)
• SCQF Ready Reckoner for SQA qualifications Gaelic Version (105 KB)
• SCQF Ready Reckoner - International qualifications (125 KB)