ACCA vs ICAEW ACA for UK Students: Training Routes, Time, Costs and Recognition

For most UK students, the choice between ACCA and the ICAEW ACA is not about which is "better". It depends on where you will work while you train. The ACA is built around a training agreement with an employer ICAEW has authorised. ACCA lets you study first and gather experience in a much wider range of jobs. Both lead to a respected chartered qualification, and both bodies are recognised in the UK for statutory audit. This comparison uses ICAEW and ACCA's own published rules as of November 2026. I have not quoted fees, because both bodies change them every year. Links to the official fee pages are below.

The Exams

ICAEW ACA

• 14 exams over three levels. Certificate Level has six exams, sat on demand, 1.5 or 2 hours each, with a 55% pass mark. Professional Level has six exams in March, June, September and December, 2.5 or 3 hours, with a 55% pass mark. Advanced Level has two open-book case studies, 4 hours each with a 50% pass mark, in July and November.
• Order: any order, except that the Advanced Level case studies must come after all the other exams.
• Attempts: four at each Certificate and Professional Level exam; no limit at Advanced Level.
• Credit for prior learning: up to 12 exams, depending on your degree or qualification.

ACCA

• Currently 13 exams. Three Applied Knowledge exams (BT, MA, FA), sat on demand; six Applied Skills exams (LW, PM, TX, FR, AA, FM); and Strategic Professional, which is two Essentials and two Options. The pass mark is 50% throughout.
• Order: modules must be taken in order (Applied Knowledge, Applied Skills, Strategic Professional), but papers within a module can be taken in any order. You can sit at most four exams per session.
• The Ethics and Professional Skills module is also required for membership.
• Exemptions: available for many degrees and qualifications.
• Changes from 2027: ACCA has announced a redesigned qualification with new levels (Foundations, Knowledge, Expertise, Strategic Professional) starting from July and September 2027. Existing students receive credit for completed exams. See our Applied Knowledge guide for what has been confirmed.

Training and Experience

ACA

You train under a training agreement with an ICAEW Authorised Training Employer or Principal. You need at least 450 days of professional work experience, which ICAEW says normally takes three to five years, plus the ethics requirements, before final sign-off. Exam days, holidays, training courses and sickness do not count towards the 450. ICAEW also offers the ACA through the Level 7 Accountancy Professional Apprenticeship. ICAEW CFAB, a standalone qualification, is made up of the same six exams as the Certificate Level.

ACCA

The Practical Experience Requirement (PER) is at least 36 months in a relevant accounting or finance role and nine performance objectives (all five Essentials and four Technical). Your supervisor must be a qualified accountant recognised by law in your country or a member of an IFAC body. The employer does not need to be authorised by ACCA.

The practical difference: the ACA requires a specific type of employer. ACCA fits a wider range of jobs, including industry roles in small businesses, provided you have a suitable supervisor.

Time

Neither qualification can be finished faster than its experience requirement. For the ACA, that is the training agreement, normally three to five years. For ACCA, it is 36 months of experience plus however long the exams take you. Because ACCA does not tie experience to a training contract, part-time students often take longer, sometimes much longer, but there is no fixed upper limit for the Applied Knowledge and Applied Skills passes. Once you pass your first Strategic Professional exam, ACCA gives you seven years to complete the rest.

Cost Structure

The two bodies charge for similar things in different ways:

• ACA: student registration, exam fees per exam, and credit for prior learning fees per exam credited. On a training agreement, the employer commonly pays these and the tuition, but that is a term of your contract, not an ICAEW rule, so read it, including any repayment clause if you leave early. Current figures: ICAEW's ACA fees page.
• ACCA: initial registration, an annual subscription, exam fees that vary by level, and exemption fees. Fees for on-demand Applied Knowledge exams are set by the exam centre. Many UK employers sponsor ACCA too, but self-funding is common. Current figures: ACCA's UK fees and charges page.

Whichever route you choose, tuition, learning materials and resits often cost more than the exam fees, so budget for them.

Employer Recognition

• Audit: ICAEW and ACCA are both among the bodies the Financial Reporting Council recognises for statutory audit in the UK, so either route can lead to audit work and, with the further requirements, signing audit reports.
• Practice and the large firms: the ACA is the traditional qualification for audit and advisory trainees at large UK firms, because it is built around their training contracts. Many firms also train ACCA students. Check each employer's graduate scheme for the qualification it offers.
• Industry and international: ACCA is widely used in industry and outside the UK, and its exams fit around a full-time job without a training contract.

Three Worked Examples

1. A graduate with an audit trainee offer. Amira has a 2:1 in accounting and an offer from a firm that is an ICAEW Authorised Training Employer. The ACA is the natural route: the firm provides the training agreement, and she should check the CPL directory for credit against Certificate Level exams before her first booking.

2. An accounts assistant in a small company. Tom works in a ten-person business. His finance manager is a qualified accountant, but the company is not an ICAEW authorised employer. ACCA lets him start Applied Knowledge on demand straight away and record PER with his manager as supervisor. He could sit ICAEW CFAB, but would need an authorised employer to complete the ACA.

3. A school leaver. Jess wants to earn while she learns. ICAEW offers the ACA through the Level 7 Accountancy Professional Apprenticeship with an authorised employer; for ACCA, check ACCA's UK pages for the apprenticeship options employers offer. In practice her decision comes down to which employers near her are hiring and which qualification they support.

Free Practice for Both

For the ACA, we have free banks for five of the six Certificate Level exams: Accounting Fundamentals, Assurance and Risk Fundamentals, Business Insight and Performance, Business Law and Sustainability and Ethics. For ACCA, we cover BT, MA, FA, LW, PM, FR, AA and FM. Start from the ICAEW hub or the ACCA hub.

FAQs

Is ACA harder than ACCA?
They are different rather than simply harder or easier. The ACA's pass mark is 55% at Certificate and Professional Level against ACCA's 50%, and it is usually studied alongside a demanding training contract. ACCA has more exams and the experience can be built more flexibly.

Can I switch from ACCA to ACA?
ICAEW assesses professional qualifications for credit. Search the CPL directory for what ACCA passes are worth.

Do I need an employer to start?
For ACCA, no: you can register and sit Applied Knowledge exams first. For the ACA, you need a training agreement with an authorised employer to qualify, although ICAEW CFAB, a standalone qualification made up of the same six Certificate Level exams, does not need one.

How long does each take?
The ACA training agreement normally takes three to five years. ACCA needs at least 36 months of experience, and the total time depends on how quickly you pass the exams.

Sources

• ICAEW, Next Generation ACA Syllabus Handbook 2025–2026 (exam structure, durations, pass marks, CFAB)
• ICAEW, Practical work experience and Level 7 Accountancy Professional Apprenticeship
• ICAEW, ACA exam FAQs and ACA fees
• ACCA, ACCA Qualification structure and requirements and PER FAQs
• ACCA, Exam progression rules and Time limits for ACCA exams
• ACCA, Fees and charges (UK) and The future ACCA Qualification explained
• Financial Reporting Council, Professional bodies supervision (recognised supervisory and qualifying bodies for statutory audit)