None of the four UK regulators charges you to apply, and in practice a school abroad hardly ever deals with them. Ofqual in England, Qualifications Wales, CCEA Regulation in Northern Ireland and Qualifications Scotland Accreditation all approve awarding bodies. A college in Nairobi is not what they are set up to look at. What a school outside the UK actually pays is an awarding organisation or a rating body. With the awarding organisations most used abroad, centre approval runs from 500 to 1,950 pounds, with annual fees, a fee per learner and, for some, quality visits at 500 pounds a day plus travel. Endorsing your own programme costs about 800 pounds but gives no level. SCQF credit rating gives a level, but rating bodies do not publish their fees.
Who charges what, nation by nation
Each UK nation has its own regulator. All four regulate awarding bodies, and none of them charges an application fee. That sounds like good news for a school in Karachi or Accra, but it is not where your money goes.
| Nation | Regulator and its fee | What a school abroad actually pays for |
|---|---|---|
| England | Ofqual. No fee to apply for recognition | An awarding organisation, for centre approval or a bespoke qualification. Ofqual cannot regulate a qualification that nobody takes in England or Northern Ireland |
| Northern Ireland | CCEA Regulation. No charge | The same awarding organisations, where CCEA Regulation also recognises them |
| Wales | Qualifications Wales. No charge | A CQFW competent body or awarding body to confirm a level on the Welsh framework. Any fee is set by that body |
| Scotland | Qualifications Scotland Accreditation. No fee under its current licence, but only for approved awarding bodies | An SCQF credit rating body, for a level and credit points on your own programme. Fees are not published |
What awarding organisations charge a centre abroad
This is the route most schools abroad take first: become an approved centre and teach an existing UK qualification. These figures come from each awarding organisation's own 2026 fee list.
| Awarding organisation | Centre approval | Yearly cost | Note for schools abroad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifi | 1,950 pounds | 1,950 pounds reapproval if fewer than 25 learners are registered | Quality visits are 500 pounds a day, and for a centre outside the UK travel and hotels are added. A visit usually runs 3 to 5 working days |
| ATHE | 500 pounds recognition, plus 500 pounds for each international campus | A 1,500 pound minimum spend a year, or a subscription | Renewal of 1,500 pounds every three years for centres without a subscription |
| OTHM | 1,950 pounds for five years in the UK region | None listed | Fees are set by region, using World Bank income groups, so many countries outside the UK pay the lower regional rates |
Read the yearly column first. A school with fifteen learners would miss Qualifi's 25-learner floor and pay the reapproval fee, and a visit from the UK to a centre abroad adds flights and hotels on top of the daily rate. On top of all of this you pay a fee for every learner you register.
When the programme is your own
Teaching someone else's qualification is the cheap way in, but the qualification is theirs. If you want your own programme recognised, there are three priced options, and they buy very different things.
| Option | Published fee | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Programme endorsement (ATHE) | 800 pounds per programme, then 120 pounds a year | An awarding organisation's endorsement. No framework level |
| Bespoke regulated qualification | From 1,000 pounds (Open Awards) or 5,000 pounds (TQUK). ATHE prices each project separately | An RQF level, but the qualification belongs to the awarding organisation, and ATHE asks for evidence of UK learner demand and delivery |
| SCQF credit rating | Not published. Charged again at each renewal, usually every 3 to 5 years | An SCQF level and credit points under your own programme's name |
For a school whose learners are all outside the UK, the regulated route in England is usually out of reach, because Ofqual has no learners there to regulate it for. That leaves endorsement, which is cheap but carries no level, and Scottish credit rating, which carries a level at a price you only learn by asking.
What the fees leave out
None of the figures above covers the work around them. Budget separately for:
- a fee for every learner you register, and certificates;
- flights and hotels for quality visits to your centre;
- writing your programme, policies and assessments to the body's standard;
- approval from your own country's regulator, such as GTEC, KNQA or KHDA;
- VAT where it applies, and exchange rate movements on fees set in pounds;
- consultancy fees, including ours.
What we would suggest
- You want a recognised UK certificate quickly: approved centre, and compare the yearly cost, not only the approval fee.
- You want your own programme to carry a UK level and all your learners are abroad: ask two or three Scottish rating bodies for their fee before you plan anything else.
- You only need proof that someone independent has checked your programme: endorsement is the cheapest, as long as you do not sell it as a level.
We took every figure from the body's own fee list and checked them on 28 October 2026. Most lists leave out VAT and get updated each academic year, so ask the body for its current list before you set a budget. We are a consultancy, not a regulator and not an awarding organisation.
Common questions
Does Ofqual charge a school abroad to become accredited?
Ofqual charges nothing, but it recognises awarding organisations, not schools. A school abroad works through an awarding organisation, and Ofqual cannot regulate a qualification that nobody takes in England or Northern Ireland.
How much does it cost to become an approved centre from outside the UK?
On the 2026 fee lists, centre approval runs from 500 pounds (ATHE, plus 500 pounds per international campus) to 1,950 pounds (Qualifi and OTHM's UK region). Yearly fees, a fee per learner and travel for quality visits come on top.
Can a school outside the UK get its own programme endorsed?
Yes. ATHE lists programme endorsement at 800 pounds per programme and 120 pounds a year to renew. An endorsement does not give a framework level.
How much does SCQF credit rating cost?
Rating bodies do not publish their fees. Each body quotes on enquiry, and the fee is charged again at renewal, usually every three to five years.
Do the UK regulators in Wales and Northern Ireland charge fees?
No. Qualifications Wales and CCEA Regulation do not charge for recognising an awarding body. Costs for a school abroad come from the awarding organisation or the body confirming a level.
Running a school outside the UK and the EU?
Book a 30 minute scoping call. Tell us where you are and what you teach, and we will tell you which route fits, what your home regulator is likely to ask, and a realistic timeline.
Book a 30 minute scoping callPrefer to write first? Contact us.
Sources
- Ofqual, Supporting information: application for recognition
- Ofqual, Note on regulation of qualifications taken by learners outside England (7 April 2014)
- Qualifi, Fees and Pricing Structure 2025 to 2026 (v3.6)
- ATHE, Fee Structure 2026
- ATHE, Qualification development
- OTHM, Fees related information
- OTHM, Fee Structure Information (May 2026)
- Open Awards, Pricing Information 2026 to 2027
- TQUK, Fees and pricing document (July 2026)
- SCQF Partnership, Third party credit rating
- Business Wales, Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales
- CCEA Regulation, Becoming a recognised awarding organisation
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