A Higher National Certificate (HNC), part of the

Higher Nationals Higher Nationals are a suite of internationally-recognised higher education qualifications at level 4 (HNC) and 5 ( HND) that are equivalent to the first and second years of a university bachelor degree, providing progression to over 95% of UK U ...

suite of qualifications, is a

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

further education Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is education in addition to that received at secondary school, that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. I ...

qualification in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Overview

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, the HNC is a BTEC qualification awarded by

Edexcel Edexcel (also known since 2013 as Pearson Edexcel) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational education and examination body formed in 1996 and wholly owned by Pearson plc since 2005. It is the only privately owned examination board ...

, and in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, an HNC is a '' Higher National'' awarded by the

Scottish Qualifications Authority The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA; Gaelic: ''Ùghdarras Theisteanas na h-Alba'') is the executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for accrediting educational awards. It is partly funded by the Ed ...

. The attainment level of the qualification is roughly equivalent to 6th year at school, or one year of

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

in Scotland, and a

Certificate of Higher Education A Certificate of Higher Education (Cert.H.E./CertHE) is a higher education qualification in the United Kingdom. Overview The Certificate is awarded after one year of full-time study (or equivalent) at a university or other higher education institu ...

but being less extensive than that of a

Higher National Diploma Higher National Diploma (HND), part of the Higher Nationals suite of qualifications, is an academic higher education qualification in the United Kingdom and various other countries. They were first introduced in England and Wales in 1920 alongsi ...

(HND). Studied full-time, the qualification normally takes one year or two years part-time. Many HNCs cover the same areas as an HND and it is often possible to complete an HND with one year full-time study after successfully completing the HNC. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, an HNC (previously a level 5 qualification) is now Level 4 on the Regulated Qualifications Framework. In Ireland, an HNC is considered roughly equivalent to a

FETAC The Further Education and Training Awards Council ( ga, Comhairle na nDámhachtainí Breisoideachais agus Oiliúna) or FETAC was a statutory qualification-awarding body for further education in Ireland. It was established on 11 June 2001 under th ...

level 6 Advanced Certificate; as both contain at least 8 modules/units at IRL level 6 (UK level 4) In Scotland, an HNC is Level 7 on the

Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) is the national credit transfer system for all levels of qualifications in Scotland. Awards are classified under the framework at ''levels'', and study undertaken at that level is valued ...

References

External links

Directgov: Higher National Certificates and Higher National DiplomasHigher National Awards (Engineering Council)
{{National Qualifications Framework Educational qualifications in the United Kingdom