The regulators that carry the most weight charge the least to apply. Ofqual, Qualifications Wales, CCEA Regulation and Qualifications Scotland Accreditation charge no application fee at all. MFHEA charges 4,850 euro to license a higher education institution, and awarding organisations charge between 150 and 1,950 pounds to approve a centre. The table below puts every published fee we could verify on one page, with the date we checked it. Where a body does not publish a price, the table says so.
What does each regulator or body charge?
Three warnings before you use it. These are the fees charged by the regulator or body, and they leave out your own preparation costs, which are often the larger part. They were correct on 5 October 2026, and several are set by academic year, so they will move. And a low fee does not mean an easy route. The regulators that charge nothing are also the hardest to get through, and Ofqual's last annual report shows it: 53 organisations applied in 2025 to 2026 and 8 were recognised.
Use the links in the last column to reach our page on each application. Those pages give the stages, the timings and the sources we used.
| Route | Where | Published entry fee | What comes round again | Published timing | Our page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MFHEA provider licence, Higher Education Institution | Malta (EU) | 4,850 euro: 700 application, 2,000 administration, 2,150 review visit | Audit every five years: 2,000 euro plus reviewer day rates | Approximately 6 to 12 months | MFHEA licence |
| MFHEA programme accreditation | Malta (EU) | Per ECTS credit by MQF level. 2,680 euro for 60 ECTS at Level 5 | Re-accreditation every five years | About 110 to 155 working days on MFHEA's step estimates | MFHEA programmes |
| Ofqual recognition | England | No fee | Annual statement of compliance. No annual fee found | No overall target published | Ofqual application |
| Approved centre of an awarding organisation | England, and other nations where the awarding organisation is recognised | 150 to 1,950 pounds | Annual fee of 475 to 1,890 pounds, plus a fee per learner | Not published | Awarding organisation route |
| Bespoke regulated qualification through an awarding organisation | England | From 1,000 pounds (Open Awards) or from 5,000 pounds (TQUK). Others on application | Fee per learner | Not published | Awarding organisation route |
| CPD certification, general bodies | UK | Not published. Quoted on enquiry | Membership or annual renewal | Up to 30 days (CPD Standards Office) | CPD bodies |
| IOSH course approval | UK | From 1,150 pounds, plus a licence of 286 to 510 pounds per course title | 172 to 370 pounds a year per course title | Typically 7 to 9 months | CPD bodies |
| Institute of Leadership, Institute Approved | UK | 1,500 to 3,000 pounds plus VAT | Not stated | Outcome within 20 UK working days | CPD bodies |
| Qualifications Scotland Accreditation | Scotland | No fee payable under the current licence | Annual self-assessment. Audit at least once every three years | No fixed timescale | Scotland |
| SCQF credit rating | Scotland | Not published | Renewal, usually every three to five years | 3 to 6 months on average | Scotland |
| Qualifications Wales recognition | Wales | No charge | Annual statement of compliance | Aim of three months, up to six | Wales and Northern Ireland |
| CCEA Regulation recognition | Northern Ireland | No charge | Annual statement of compliance | 10, then up to 45, then 10 working days | Wales and Northern Ireland |
| Pearson BTEC Higher Nationals | UK | 1,000 pounds centre approval, plus 135 to 875 pounds programme approval | Fee per learner. 5,000 pounds minimum annual spend | Not published | UK higher education |
| University validation | UK | Not published. Negotiated | Annual or per-student fees to the university | One to two years (2024 sector survey) | UK higher education |
| OfS registration | England | 28,463 pounds quality and standards assessment fee | Annual fee from 14,775 pounds | Typically one year | UK higher education |
Sources are listed on each linked page and at the foot of this one. All figures checked 5 October 2026. Totals for MFHEA are our additions from its published schedules.
Which route fits the request you have been given?
The chart below is for working backwards from a request, because a provider usually arrives with a request and not with a regulator in mind. The tender says Level 3. Or a client in Dublin wants an EQF level on the certificate, or the board wants to be able to call a two-day course accredited. It shows which body deals with each of those and what it charges to start.
- Proof that a short course has been independently assessed, with no levelRoute: CPD certificationBy quotation from the general CPD bodies. From 1,150 pounds at IOSH or 1,500 pounds plus VAT at the Institute of Leadership
- A regulated level in England, Level 1 to Level 7Route: Approved centre of an awarding organisation150 to 1,950 pounds for centre approval. Bespoke development from 1,000 pounds
- Level 4 or Level 5 higher education in the UKRoute: Pearson Higher National1,000 pounds centre approval
- A UK degreeRoute: University validation, then OfS registrationNegotiated with the university. 28,463 pounds OfS assessment fee
- A level on the Scottish frameworkRoute: SCQF credit ratingNot published
- A level referenced to the European Qualifications FrameworkRoute: MFHEA licence and programme accreditation in Malta4,850 euro licence, plus programme fees per credit
- The power to award regulated qualifications yourselfRoute: Ofqual recognitionNo fee
Checked 5 October 2026. Follow the links in the table above for the detail behind each route.
Two of its routes need a comment. With the awarding organisation route you get a regulated level in England for a few hundred pounds, but the qualification is the awarding organisation's and not yours. With MFHEA you get a level referenced to the European Qualifications Framework, which no UK route gives you. Since February 2026 you also need premises you actually teach in, because MFHEA stopped licensing fully online institutions that month.
What do these fees leave out?
What no row shows is the work before the application. Learning outcomes have to be written, assessments built, the quality system documented and the evidence put together, and for Malta a company has to be formed and run. That preparation is the service Apollo Accreditation sells. We do not publish a price list for it, since the amount of work depends on what you already have. We quote it in writing after a scoping call, and our guide to what accreditation costs explains how the quote is built.
Apollo Accreditation is a consultancy. It is not a regulator or an awarding organisation and does not award qualifications. Fees and rules change, so confirm them with the body named before you act on them.
Common questions
Which regulator is cheapest to apply to?
Four of them charge nothing. Ofqual's guidance says it does not charge you to apply for recognition, CCEA Regulation's handbook says the same, the GOV.UK licence page for Wales says there is no charge, and the Scottish Accreditation Licence states that no fees are payable. All four only accept applications from awarding bodies, so a training provider normally reaches them through an awarding organisation, and the awarding organisation does charge.
What is the cheapest way to put a regulated level on a course?
In England, become an approved centre of an existing awarding organisation. NCFE's 2026 to 2027 list has a 150 pound application fee, and OTHM's has 1,950 pounds covering five years. Where a new qualification has to be built from your course, Open Awards publishes a development price of 1,000 pounds for an Award and TQUK says from 5,000 pounds. Each learner you register is charged separately.
How much does MFHEA accreditation cost in total?
MFHEA's fee structure for provider licensing puts a Higher Education Institution at 4,850 euro: 700 euro to apply, 2,000 euro in administration and 2,150 euro for the review visit. Its programme fee scale adds 2,680 euro for a 60 ECTS diploma at Level 5. Blended delivery, the digital platform evaluation and any extra visit day are charged on top, and the Maltese company and premises are your own cost.
Do these accreditation fees include VAT?
Gatehouse Awards' list says all prices exclude VAT, and the Institute of Leadership shows each fee plus VAT. IOSH's brochure does not mention VAT. We have not assumed either way in the tables, so ask the body to confirm before you compare one quote with another.
How often do accreditation fees change?
The awarding organisation lists we used are issued for an academic year. AIM's runs from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027 and Gatehouse's took effect on 1 September 2026. MFHEA's provider fees have applied since 1 January 2024 and its programme fees since 1 September 2023. We checked every figure on 5 October 2026, and the page shows that date.
Planning a programme, an accreditation route or a quality system?
Book a 30 minute scoping call. We will map the route, the standards that apply and a realistic timeline. No preparation needed.
Book a 30 minute scoping callPrefer to write first? Contact us.
Sources
- MFHEA, Fee structure for accreditation and licensing of providers and programmes
- Ofqual, Supporting information: application for recognition
- Ofqual annual report and accounts 2025 to 2026
- Qualifications Wales, Awarding body recognition
- CCEA Regulation, Handbook for Awarding Organisations 2023
- Qualifications Scotland Accreditation, Awarding body approval process
- SCQF Partnership, Third party credit rating guide
- Office for Students, Registration fee bands
- Pearson, Fees for vocational qualifications 2026 to 2027
- NCFE, Fees and Pricing 2026 to 2027
- OTHM, Fee Structure Information (May 2026)
- IOSH, Getting your course approved by IOSH
- Institute of Leadership, Institute Approved accreditation and fees
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