Guidance

Awarding organisations: submitting qualifications for approval

Single access point for awarding organisations to submit level 3 alternative academic qualifications (AAQs) or technical qualifications for approval.

Applies to England

Overview

Use this guide to submit level 3 alternative academic qualifications (AAQs) or technical qualifications for approval (including post 16 funding approval in England) for 2025 to 2026.

This process currently only applies to level 3 AAQs and technical qualifications in certain subjects, categories and routes. It will eventually apply to other qualifications currently out of scope of this process, where funding approval is not automatically confirmed.

This first cycle of approval is for level 3 small AAQs and technical qualifications (also referred to as technical occupational) which will be taught from 1 August 2025 (2025 to 2026 academic year).

A series of webinars are being held to introduce the new process. More events will be added as they are scheduled.

Timelines for the first cycle of approvals, and guidance and timelines for submitting qualifications for 2026 to 2027 (as part of the second cycle of approvals), can be found in awardingReview organisations:of submittingpost-16 qualifications forat approvallevel 3 in England.

Small AAQs will need to meet DfE’s necessity criteria to be approved. Technical qualifications will need to meet IfATE’s criteria to be approved.

For both small AAQs and technical qualifications, Ofqual will review submissions and feedback to DfE. DfE will take account of this feedback when making final funding approval decisions.

A diagram showing a high-level outline of the approvals process (PDF, 469 KB, 1 page) is available.

Submit a small alternative academic qualification (AAQ) for approval

The submission window for small AAQs (to be delivered from 1 August 2025) will open on 3 July 2023 and close 31 July 2023.

Small AAQs support progression to higher level academic study and are typically taken alongside A Levels.

There are 2 types of AAQs, small AAQs which can be taken alongside A Levels and large AAQs which can be taken instead of A Levels. The first approval window is only for small AAQs. Small AAQs are reviewed by DfE and Ofqual and approved for funding for Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) post 16 offers in England by DfE.

Small AAQs to be first taught from 1 August 2025

As part of the 2025 to 2026 funding approval cycle we are considering small AAQs in the following subject areas:

Specified sector subject area (SSA) Subjects where small alternative academic qualifications will be considered for funding
Science Applied science
Science Medical science
Engineering Engineering
Engineering Engineering principles or technology
Health and social care Health and social care
ICT practitioners ICT
ICT practitioners Computing
Medicine and dentistry Subjects which support progression to degrees in healthcare professions allied to medicine, dentistry, and nursing
Nursing and subjects and vocations allied to medicine Subjects which support progression to degrees in healthcare professions allied to medicine, dentistry, and nursing

Further information about the subject areas where we will consider small alternative academic qualifications is outlined in the qualifications funding approval manual 2025 to 2026.

Alternative academic qualifications that are aligned to other routes, or which do not align to an occupational route, will be considered in a future funding approval process for first teaching in 2026 to 2027.

Criteria and regulations

For a small AAQ to be approved for funding it needs to:

Registering your interest

If you are considering submitting a small AAQ, we strongly encourage you to register your interest by 10 February 2023.

Completing a registration form provides an early indication of the number and type of qualifications that will be submitted. This will help with planning and processing qualification submissions and allow DfE to provide any clarification, if needed.

Submitting your qualification

Information on how to submit a small AAQ as part of the funding approval process can be found in the qualifications funding approval manual 2025 to 2026. Information submitted by you will be shared with Ofqual (for regulation purposes) and used by DfE for funding approval decisions.

Before submitting the qualification to IfATE for approval, you must ensure that the qualification falls within your current Ofqual scope of recognition. If not, you will need to apply to extend your scope of recognition to include level 3 qualifications in the associated sector subject area. DfE will not begin the process of reviewing a qualification for funding approval until they receive confirmation from Ofqual that this is the within your scope of recognition.

Submit a technical occupational qualification for approval

The submission window for technical occupational qualifications (to be delivered from 1 August 2025) will open on 3 July 2023 and close 31 July 2023.

Technical occupational qualifications

Technical occupational qualifications deliver the knowledge, skills and behaviours students need to progress into or within skilled employment, or to higher technical study.

Qualifications are approved by IfATE, regulated by Ofqual and approved for funding by DfE for ESFA post 16 offers.

Technical occupational to be first taught from 1 August 2025

As part of the 2025 to 2026 funding approval cycle we are considering 3 categories of technical qualifications:

  • level 3 occupational entry - 16 to 19 and adults
  • level 3 occupational entry - adult only
  • level 3 additional specialist - 16 to 19 and adults

Technical occupational qualifications will only be considered within the following routes:

Specified sector subject area (SSA) Occupational route
Building and construction Construction and the built environment
Urban, rural and regional planning Construction and the built environment
ICT for users Digital
ICT practitioners Digital
Child development and well-being Education and childcare
Teaching and learning Education and childcare
Direct learning support Education and childcare
Engineering Engineering and manufacturing
Manufacturing technologies Engineering and manufacturing
Transportation and maintenance Engineering and manufacturing
Medicine and dentistry Health and science
Nursing and subjects and vocations allied to medicine Health and science
Science Health and science
Sports leisure and recreation Health and science
Health and social care Health and science

Criteria and regulations

For a technical occupational qualification to be approved for funding it needs to:

Registering your interest

If you are considering submitting a technical occupational qualification, we strongly encourage you to register your interest by 10 February 2023.

Completing a registration form provides an early indication of the number and type of qualifications that will be submitted. This will help with planning and processing qualification submissions and allow IfATE and DfE to provide any clarification, if needed.

Submitting your qualification

Information on how to submit a technical occupational qualification can be found on [IfATE’s website](Post-16 Technical Qualifications / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Educationwebsite.

Information submitted by you as part of this process will be shared by IfATE with Ofqual (for regulation purposes) and also with DfE for funding approval decisions.

Before submitting the qualification to IfATE for approval, you must ensure that the qualification falls within your current Ofqual scope of recognition. If not, you will need to apply to extend your scope of recognition to include level 3 qualifications in the associated sector subject area.

DfE will not begin the process of reviewing a qualification for funding approval until they receive confirmation from Ofqual that the qualification is within your scope of recognition.

Additional specialist technical qualifications

If your additional specialism is not on IfATE’s predefined list, you will need to submit a proposal.proposal.

The submission window will be open between 14 February 2023 and 24 March 2023.

Qualifications out of scope for this funding approval process

Qualifications at entry level, level 1, level 1 / 2, level 2, and level 4 and above are out of scope for this application window, as are all qualifications designed for the 14 to 16 offer.

The following level 3 qualifications will continue to be automatically funded:

  • advanced supplementary (AS) and advanced (A) levels
  • access to higher education (HE) diplomas regulated by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA)
  • advanced extension awards
  • core maths qualifications
  • extended project qualifications
  • performing arts graded examinations
  • the International Baccalaureate Diploma
  • technical qualifications in T Levels
Published 10 January 2023
Last updated 24 January 2023 + show all updates
  1. Removed the link to 'Submit a proposal' as the submission window has not yet opened. Added link to the page 'Alternative Academic and Technical Occupation Qualifications, Qualification Level Conditions, Requirements and Guidance' in the 'Criteria and regulations' section.

  2. First published.