Department For Education
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 applies only 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 qualifications) that will be taught from 1 August 2025 (2025 to 2026 academic year).
A series of webinars is 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 the review of post-16 qualifications at level 3 in England.
Small AAQs will need to meet the Department for Educations (DfE) necessity criteria to be approved. Technical qualifications will need to meet the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Educations (IfATE) criteria to be approved.
For both small AAQs and technical qualifications, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) will review submissions and feed back to DfE. DfE will take account of this feedback when making final funding approval decisions.
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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 on 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 that support progression to degrees in healthcare professions allied to medicine, dentistry and nursing |
| Nursing and subjects and vocations allied to medicine | Subjects that 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:
- be within your Ofqual scope of recognition
- be confirmed by DfE as being necessary
- meet the applicable Ofqual regulations, including the general conditions of recognition and the AAQ and Technical qualifications level conditions, requirements and guidance
- have all necessary information on Ofquals Register of Regulated Qualifications completed by 1 April 2024
- meet DfE qualification funding approval criteria
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 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 it receives confirmation from Ofqual that this is 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 on 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