Level 3 Diploma in Accounting and Finance
Three units and 60 credits on the parts of accounting that everything else rests on: recording what happened, knowing what it cost, and keeping the records right. A compact Level 3 for people heading into a Level 4 accounting diploma, or for anyone who keeps the books and wants to do it properly.
Its 60 credits add nothing to a points total and will not satisfy a university offer expressed in points. What it does lead to is a Level 4 diploma delivered by London School of Planning and Management (LSPM), or first-year university entry where a university chooses to allow it. If you need Tariff points, this diploma is the wrong programme for you.
At a glance
- Level3 (RQF)
- Credits60
- Total qualification timeSee specification
- Guided learning hoursSee specification
- Awarding bodyQualifi
- Ofqual number610/0795/X
- Units3 mandatory, 0 optional
- UCAS TariffNone
- Duration9 months (standard) or 6 months (fast track)
- Study modesOnline, Blended, Evening classes
- FeesFrom £999 (9 months, standard) or £1,299 (6 months, fast track)
- Next intakeRolling intake — course starts when the fee is paid
Level, credits, hours, Ofqual number and unit list are taken from the Qualifi qualification specification (PDF) and the Ofqual register. Duration, study modes, fees and intake dates are set by LSPM, not by this site, and are confirmed by its admissions team.
Photograph slot, to be supplied by LSPM and taken at its own premises (this site has no campus): a learner reconciling a bank statement against a ledger on a spreadsheet, calculator and pencil to hand, tutor checking a column of figures.
In brief
This is the most tightly focused programme on the site. Qualifi has put 60 credits into three units, Financial Transactions Record-keeping, Cost and Management Information and Financial Records Maintenance, and left out everything else. There is no unit on economics, business environment or communication. You learn double-entry, ledgers and control accounts; where cost information comes from and how management uses it; and how to maintain and reconcile records so that a set of accounts can be prepared from them.
Because the three units are large, each carries more weight than a 10- or 20-credit unit elsewhere, and the assignments are correspondingly substantial. Qualifi sets out unit sizes and total qualification time in the specification document, and only there, so those fields read see specification. The 60 credits and Ofqual number are confirmed.
Written by Education adviser, CogniPath Education. Not by LSPM. Facts checked against the awarding body specification and the Ofqual register, September 2026.
Who it suits, and who it does not
A good fit if you are
- Bookkeepers and finance administrators who learned on the job and want the theory behind what they do.
- Learners who know they want accounting at Level 4 and prefer a short, deep introduction to a broad one.
- Small-business owners who do their own books.
- School or college leavers with strong numeracy but without scored Level 3 grades.
Look elsewhere if you are
- Anyone who needs UCAS Tariff points for a degree offer.
- People who want a broad business introduction; this diploma has no business or economics units.
- Learners hoping for exemptions from a professional accountancy body; it does not grant them.
- Those who dislike detailed numerical work; the assignments are nothing but.
What you study
three mandatory units. There are no optional units, so every learner on the programme covers the same ground.
| # | Unit | Type | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Financial Transactions Record- keeping | Mandatory | See spec. |
| 2 | Cost and Management Information | Mandatory | See spec. |
| 3 | Financial Records Maintenance | Mandatory | See spec. |
| Total | 3 units | 60 |
Unit titles and credit values from the Qualifi qualification specification (PDF). Where the specification does not state a credit value for a unit, the cell reads See spec.
The three units are taught in the order listed, because you cannot maintain records you have not learned to create, and cost information only makes sense once transactions are being recorded consistently. Each unit gets roughly a third of the programme.
Entry requirements
Qualifi sets the formal entry criteria for this qualification and LSPM, as the approved centre, applies them when it admits learners. As published by the awarding body:
- Approved Centres are responsible for reviewing and making decisions as to the applicant’s ability to complete the learning programme successfully and meet the demands of the qualification. The initial assessment by the centre, will need to consider the support that is readily available or can be made available to meet individual learner needs as appropriate.
- The qualification has been designed to be accessible without artificial barriers that restrict access, for this qualification applicants must be aged 16 or over.
- In the case of applicants whose first language is not English, then IELTS 6 (or equivalent) is required. International qualifications will be checked for appropriate enrolment to UK higher education postgraduate programmes where applicable. The applicants are normally required to produce two supporting references, at least one of which should preferably be academic.
Qualifi sets a minimum age of 16, asks for IELTS 6 or equivalent where English is not a first language, and normally requires two references, one preferably academic. LSPM is relaxed about the academic referee for people who have been working. What it does check is basic numeracy: if you can add, subtract and work with percentages confidently, you have what the programme needs.
Source: the Qualifi qualification specification (PDF), which is the definitive statement of the awarding body's criteria. LSPM's admissions team decides eligibility; ask us first if you are unsure whether you meet them.
How you are assessed
One assignment per unit. Financial Transactions Record-keeping is assessed on a set of books you keep for a case business over a period; Cost and Management Information on a report interpreting cost data; Financial Records Maintenance on reconciliations and adjustments leading to a trial balance. Practical, numerical, and without examinations.
Assessment is regulated by Qualifi under Ofqual's conditions. How awarding bodies and regulation work.
Where it leads: progression to Level 4
The route is a Level 4 diploma in accounting and finance at LSPM, where you move from keeping records to preparing and analysing financial statements. Some learners progress to a Level 4 business management route instead, using the finance grounding as a strength within it.
The diploma carries no UCAS Tariff points and will not meet a points-based offer for an accounting degree. A university might consider a holder for first-year entry at its discretion. It is also not a professional accountancy body qualification, although the content overlaps with the early stages of several.
If you want to compare Level 4 subjects in accounting and finance before committing to this diploma, our sibling site level4diploma.org is written for exactly that question.
Questions about this programme
How does this compare with the OTHM Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Accountancy?
Both are 60 credits with three units. The OTHM diploma is a foundation programme designed as a route to Level 4; this Qualifi diploma is more practical in emphasis, with record-keeping at its heart. Look at both unit lists and choose the one that sounds like the work you want to do.
Will I learn accounting software?
The assignments can be completed on spreadsheets or on any bookkeeping software you have access to. LSPM teaches the principles, which apply to every package, and demonstrates on a common one. No software purchase is required.
Does the diploma count for UCAS points?
No. UCAS has not allocated Tariff points to it, so it adds nothing to a points total. It leads to Level 4 at LSPM.
Why three units rather than six?
Qualifi built this diploma with three large units rather than six small ones, so that each area is covered in depth. It means each assignment is bigger, and it means you spend longer on record-keeping than any other programme on the site allows.
Also in Accounting and Finance
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Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Accountancy
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