Alternative Academic Qualifications

See also Vocational and recreational courses, portfolios and certificates and Community and Life Skills Awards and Volunteering Opportunities for other alternative options.
Still have questions? Join the Home Education UK Exams & Alternatives Facebook group to get support from fellow home-educators.
== Alternative Academic Qualifications ==
For information about qualification levels for academic qualifications, see the Government webpage, What Qualification Levels Mean.
===BTECs===
BTEC qualifications are vocational qualifications, assessed mainly through practical work and written assignments. They usually require attendance at a college or school, but there are a few options for BTECs for home educated students. See our BTECs page.
===Cambridge Nationals qualifications===
Cambridge Nationals qualifications are Level 1 and 2 vocational qualifications. See Cambridge Nationals qualifications
===Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)===
The EPQ is an A-level standard standalone qualification usually taken alongside A levels at school or college. There are very few options for home educators to do an EPQ. See our EPQ and Cyber EPQ pages.
===Functional Skills===
Functional Skills are UK qualifications in English, maths and ICT which can be taken year-round at a test centre. They have some degree of GCSE equivalence, but are not substitutes for GCSEs in all situations. See our Functional Skills page.
=== Higher Project Qualification (HPQ) ===
The HPQ is a level 2 project-based qualification. It is internally assessed and not widely available in schools, so unlikely to be available to home educated children. See the FPQ and HPQ page. 
===Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQ)===
This is an umbrella term for a variety of Level 4 and 5 technical qualifications, including HNDs/HNCs and foundation degrees. See HTQ qualifications.
===International Certificate of Christian Education / ICCE / ACE===
These curricula can be a useful way of structuring education around your faith, but cannot be relied on to be accepted as alternatives to GCSEs or A-levels in the UK. Please see our ICCE/ACE page.
===NCFE qualifications===
These are technical and vocational qualifications. Some are available to home educators. See NCFE qualifications.
===NVQs (National Vocational Qualifications) and SVQs (Scottish Vocational Qualifications)===
These are work-based qualifications and generally not available through home education. They are sometimes completed as part of an apprenticeship. See NVQ and SVQ qualifications
===Open University certificates, diplomas and degrees ===
Home educated students can study Open University courses to gain qualifications. For degree courses, it is possible to apply for a Student Loan, in a similar way to applying for a loan for a brick-and-mortar university. See our Open University page.
===SATs, APs and other American qualifications===
Some home educating families have taken American SATs (Scholastic Assessment Test) and APs ( Advance Placement) exams as a route into university, both in the UK and in the USA. Some UK universities will require further qualifications or an accredited High School Diploma in addition to SATS/ APs. See American SATs for UK university entry
===T-levels===
Similar to BTEC and UAL qualifications, these are assessed through practical and written assignments. They also have compulsory work experience. They usually require attendance at a college or school. See our T-Levels page.
===UAL qualifications===
These are academic vocational qualifications, similar to BTECs, but mostly focused around arts subjects. See the UAL qualifications page
Category:Alternative Qualifications
Category:Post 16 Options