The UK has two distinct education systems: one for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and one for Scotland. Each is compatible with the other.

Quality Standards

Whatever level and type of British course you choose, you can expect to benefit from the highest quality of teaching and research, backed up by rigorous quality assessment. The UK leads the world in developing quality standards and performance measures. In fact, the UK is so committed to quality that the results of several of these assessments are publicly available for you to consult.

Quality Qualifications

This extensive, sophisticated system of quality assurance means that, when you choose to study in the UK, you can be confident that the course and institution you have chosen are closely monitored to ensure high standards. All nationally recognized qualifications offered in the UK are subject to strict quality standards. In further and higher education institutions these are overseen by government appointed agencies, which are responsible for ensuring the consistency and quality of courses on offer. English language and professional qualifications are subject to their own strict quality assurance measures.

The national quality assurance agencies are: the Qualifications Curriculum Authority (QCA), in England; the Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales (ACCAC); the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA); and the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). The Higher Education Funding Councils have a statutory duty to assess the quality of the education they fund, and they do so via the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), a UK-wide body set up by the higher education sector itself. The Higher Education Funding Councils also monitor the quality of research through the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).