This Level 3 International Foundation Diploma for Higher Education Studies qualification award is a full-time one-year bridging program taking international students from 12 years of high school education and preparing them for their undergraduate entry. It is a pre-bachelor’s degree that provides graduates with 120 credits, which is equivalent to 2 GCE A Levels. All unit content is drawn from the (UK) national program of study for their A-level counterparts and assessed at a Level 3 standard.
The assessment is highly controlled whereby NCC Education produces all the assessment and marking schemes, with examinations marked by NCC Education in the UK (and that would include all the science units) whilst assignments are marked by the center and moderated by NCC Education staff again here in the UK.
NCC Education is a provider of examinations and qualifications which are regulated by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations (OFQUAL) in England, and that this aforementioned award is classed as a pre-university qualification (the same academic level as a United Kingdom (UK) ‘A’ Level or an International Baccalaureate qualification on the international stage).
The Office for Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (OFQUAL) is a non-ministerial government department, which ensures with regards to educational Awarding Organizations that:
regulated qualifications reliably indicate the knowledge, skills, and understanding students have demonstrated;
assessments and exams show what a student has achieved;
users can have confidence that the qualifications are valid;
students and teachers have information on the full range of qualifications regulated.
Confirmation of NCC Education’s status as an OFQUAL regulated UK Awarding Organization can be found on the Register of Regulated Qualifications.
The Level 3 International Foundation Diploma for Higher Education Studies (L3IFDHES) qualification is also recognized by UCAS, Department of Education, Department for Business Innovation and Skills, E-Skills UK (for Computing qualifications), Council for Administration (for Business qualifications)).
This qualification is designed for students and falls under the oversight of the Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) here in the UK. NCC Education has also worked closely with BEIS to develop a high-level statement which consists of a set of commitments to operating in line with a number of quality assurance principles, similar to some of those that OFQUAL would have applied if it had regulated a similar qualification, and which underpin the delivery of qualifications and services which have been developed solely/mainly for use outside England.
The L3IFDHES program is also listed on the Universities and College Admissions Service (UCAS). UCAS is a UK - based organization whose role is to operate the application process for British universities. The majority of UK universities and higher education colleges use the UCAS service, therefore, all students planning to study for an undergraduate degree in the UK must apply through UCAS-including home students (British and EU students) and international students (non-EU).
Many UK Universities acknowledge that the NCC Education L3IFDHES is a suitable and an accepted entry qualification used by international students to enter undergraduate degree programs. This program is also accepted by universities in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland as a university undergraduate entry qualification. Over 500 universities have confirmed that they accept this qualification and award as a pre-university qualification; which meets the requirements of an undergraduate bachelor’s degree.
The NCC Education L3IFDHES sits at level 3 on the UK Qualifications and Credit Framework and is regulated by The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (OFQUAL).
