Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Information Technology
Sixty credits, six units, one term each in LSPM's schedule: systems, coding and websites, networks, mobile, cyber security and social media for business. A compact grounding for anyone who wants a Level 4 computing diploma next.
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 foundation diploma is the wrong programme for you.
At a glance
- Level3 (RQF)
- Credits60
- Total qualification time600 hours
- Guided learning hours240 hours
- Awarding bodyOTHM
- Ofqual number603/7029/4
- Units6 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 OTHM 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's laptop showing a half-built webpage next to a handwritten network diagram, tutor pointing at the screen.
In brief
This is the shortest way onto a computing pathway on this site. The six units are 10 credits each, which OTHM translates into 600 hours of total qualification time with 240 guided. Computer Systems and Networks give you the vocabulary; Coding and Website Development gets you building something; Mobile Communications and Cyber Security cover the two areas most Level 4 computing programmes assume you have met; and Social Media for Business connects the technical work to how organisations actually use it.
It is a foundation diploma in the strict sense: it prepares you for Level 4, it does not certify you as a technician or developer. If you already hold a BTEC in IT you almost certainly do not need it, and that BTEC does carry UCAS points where this does not.
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
- Learners who left school without Level 3 grades and want to get into computing quickly with a regulated qualification.
- People working in non-technical jobs who want to move towards IT and need a structured first step.
- Anyone who wants to find out whether coding and networks suit them before committing to a larger Level 4 programme.
- International learners needing a UK Level 3 in IT ahead of progression.
Look elsewhere if you are
- Holders of a BTEC National in IT or A level Computer Science, who already have a scored Level 3 qualification.
- Anyone who needs UCAS Tariff points.
- People who want a professional vendor certification such as networking or cloud badges; those are different products.
- Learners who want a broad subject choice at Level 4, for whom the general foundation diploma is better.
What you study
six mandatory units of 10 credits each. There are no optional units, so every learner on the programme covers the same ground.
| # | Unit | Type | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computer Systems | Mandatory | 10 |
| 2 | Coding and Website Development | Mandatory | 10 |
| 3 | Networks | Mandatory | 10 |
| 4 | Mobile Communications | Mandatory | 10 |
| 5 | Cyber Security | Mandatory | 10 |
| 6 | Social Media for Business | Mandatory | 10 |
| Total | 6 units | 60 |
Unit titles and credit values from the OTHM qualification specification (PDF).
LSPM starts with Computer Systems and Coding and Website Development together, because having a small site of your own to secure and connect makes Networks, Mobile Communications and Cyber Security concrete rather than abstract. Social Media for Business closes the programme.
Entry requirements
OTHM 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:
- OTHM Level 3 qualifications can be offered to learners from age 16.
- OTHM does not specify entry requirements for these qualifications. OTHM ensures that learners admitted to the programme have sufficient capability at the right level to undertake the learning and assessment.
- OTHM centres must ensure learners are recruited with integrity onto appropriate qualifications that will meet their needs, enable and facilitate learning and achievement enable progression. The qualification is offered in English.
- English requirements: If a learner is not from a majority English-speaking country must provide evidence of English language competency. For more information visit English Language Expectations page.
OTHM permits entry from 16 and sets no grade requirement. LSPM does not expect prior programming. It does expect you to be comfortable using a computer daily and to have access to one for coursework; the coding unit cannot be done on a phone.
Source: the OTHM 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
Assignments only. Coding and Website Development is assessed on a working site plus a short technical report; Cyber Security on a risk assessment of a realistic small organisation. The other units use written reports. Internally marked, externally sampled by OTHM.
Assessment is regulated by OTHM under Ofqual's conditions. How awarding bodies and regulation work.
Where it leads: progression to Level 4
The intended destination is a Level 4 diploma in information technology or computing at LSPM. Learners who take to the Cyber Security unit sometimes move to a cyber-specific Level 4 route, and the Networks and Mobile Communications units are the usual groundwork for that.
No UCAS Tariff points attach to this qualification. It will not meet a points-based offer for a computer science degree, and computer science courses often want A level maths besides. A university may consider a holder for first-year entry at its discretion, but plan on Level 4 at LSPM.
If you want to compare Level 4 subjects in it, data and cyber security before committing to this foundation diploma, our sibling site level4diploma.org is written for exactly that question.
Questions about this programme
Do I need to know how to code before I start?
No. Coding and Website Development starts from HTML and CSS and introduces a small amount of scripting. Learners who have never written a line of code complete it every year. You will need a laptop or desktop.
Is this diploma worth anything on the UCAS Tariff?
No. It is a regulated Ofqual qualification but UCAS has not assigned it points. Its value is as a route into Level 4 at LSPM. If a university course asks for 96 or 112 points, this diploma cannot contribute to that.
Why are the units only 10 credits each?
OTHM designed the subject-specific foundation diplomas as 60-credit programmes with six equal units, half the size of the general foundation diploma. It means each unit is short and focused; it also means the diploma is a starting point, not a complete technical education.
Which Level 4 programmes does it lead to?
Level 4 diplomas in IT, computing or cyber security at LSPM, depending on what LSPM is running when you finish. We do not name university destinations.
Also in IT, Data and Cyber Security
Not sure which route fits? Ask someone who will tell you straight.
We are an independent agent, not LSPM's sales team, and we will say whether a UCAS application, an Access course or a Level 3 diploma is the better option for you, even when the answer earns this site nothing. Replies within two working days.