Higher National Certificate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Higher National Certificate (HNC) is a higher education qualification in the United Kingdom.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the HNC is a BTEC qualification awarded by Edexcel, and in Scotland, an HNC is a Higher National awarded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority.[1] The attainment level is roughly equivalent to first year of university and a Certificate of Higher Education but being below that of a Higher National Diploma (HND) and two below that of a bachelor's degree. Studied fulltime, the qualification normally takes one year or two years part time.[2] Many HNC's cover the same areas as an HND and it is often possible to complete an HND with one year full-time study after successfully completing the HNC.[3]
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a HNC (previously a level 4 qualification) is now Level 5 on the National Qualifications Framework.[4]
In Scotland, an HNC is Level 7 on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.[5]
