This will be the biggest change to the ACA qualification since the 1990s and follows extensive consultation with training employers, members, students and partners in learning around the world to ensure ICAEW accreditation, training and exams meet the needs of future students.

From September 2025, students will study a qualification that brings technical study and workplace learning closer together, ‘building on the ACA’s established strengths’, ICAEW said.

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

The exams component will consist of 14 integrated modules, reduced from 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 have to complete 30 units from a range of online learning modules as part of their 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’s new learning and development programme is designed to: 

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

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.’   

ICAEW is working with education providers and employers to support students during the transition period.