ICAEW To Launch Next Generation ACA Qualification

Chartered accountancy body ICAEW has today unveiled exciting changes to its world-leading ACA qualification that will ensure it remains the best-in-class business, finance and accountancy qualification for the next generation of students.It represents the biggest change to the qualification in 30 years, and follows extensive consultation with training employers, members, students and partners in learning around the world.

From September 2025, students will study a qualification that brings technical study and workplace learning closer together than ever before, building further on the ACA’s established strengths.

Alan Vallance, ICAEW Chief Executive, said: “When I qualified as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant, I was excited to see where the ACA could take me. Many years later, it’s been my passport to working around the world, across a wide range of sectors, and for me personally, leading prestigious organisations.

“For nearly 150 years, gaining ICAEW membership has launched global careers in business, finance and accountancy, and we must ensure that it remains best in class for the next generation. These exciting changes are the culmination of the most extensive and collaborative consultation process in our history, and we can’t wait for these developments to come into place next September.” 

The next generation ACA will comprise three core components. These are business, finance and accountancy modules; professional work experience; and a new specialised learning and development programme.

The learning and development programme will:  

• deepen students’ competence in ethics, technology and sustainability to reflect the ever-changing world and workplace, through integration with professional work experience; 
• adapt quickly to future changes in the workplace and profession; 
• enhance students’ specialised workplace knowledge and skills through a wide range of flexible learning resources; and,
• provide students with enhanced support through a comprehensively redesigned learning journey.

The exams component will consist of 14 integrated modules, compared to the current 15, including two additional case study papers to help students bridge to the professional and advanced levels. Alongside their professional experience, students will also complete 30 units from a flexible range of online learning modules as part of specialised learning and development, designed for early career upskilling and specialisation.

All existing students will be able to complete the ACA through either the current or updated qualification, and there will be no requirement to sit extra exams. ICAEW is already working with education providers and employers to support students during the transition period. 

The ACA will remain the only professional finance qualification that embeds real workplace data analytics software in exams.