Fees and pricing 2026/27
We’re committed to providing clear, transparent information about fees and pricing for centres delivering qualifications under the Active IQ brand, as part of NCFE.
Following Active IQ’s integration into NCFE, we have combined our fees and pricing list. The Active IQ and NCFE Fees and Pricing Brochure for 2026/27 provides a full list of qualification fees across both organisations.
Please note: There are no changes to qualification pricing as a result of introducing the combined Active IQ and NCFE Fees and Pricing Brochure. The brochure brings together fees and pricing information from both organisations into a single document. Any updates to administration, quality assurance and assessment-related fees are reflected within the brochure.
Find out more below about recent changes to our fees for the next academic year, followed by a series of FAQs. If you have any questions about fees and pricing, please contact your Account Manager in the first instance.
Qualification fee freeze
Qualification fees remain unchanged for 2026/27, with the exception of specialist technical qualifications.
Changes to other fees
As a result of rising operating costs, some fees will increase for 2026/27. This includes specialist technical qualification fees, the annual centre recognition fee, as well as certain administrative, training and quality assurance services.
With Active IQ now operating as NCFE’s specialist brand in the sport, active leisure and wellbeing industry, we have aligned our fee structures. This means a simpler and more consistent experience for centres that work across both organisations.
Centre recognition fee
To align Active IQ and NCFE financial years, the 2026–27 centre recognition fee will be charged on a pro-rata basis for 11 months, covering the period from 1 September 2026 to 1 August 2027.
Centres that already deliver both NCFE and Active IQ qualifications will be charged a single annual centre recognition fee rather than separate fees for each organisation.
As a result of rising operational costs, we have increased the annual centre recognition fee for Active IQ. We are committed to keeping our prices as low as possible, while continuing to provide the services, support and resources that our customers rely on.
Find out more about everything that is included with the centre recognition fee.
No. Centres that deliver both NCFE and Active IQ qualifications will only be charged the NCFE annual centre recognition fee for 2026-27. Please speak to your Business Development Manager if you have any further queries.
As a result of rising operational costs, we have increased certain centre administration fees for 2026-27. We are committed to keeping our prices as low as possible, while continuing to provide the services, support and resources that our customers rely on.
We recognise that with the integration of Active IQ into NCFE, there also comes a period of change and where possible, we want to provide some stability. We have made the decision to restrict qualification increases on the Active IQ portfolio to only those that have significant costs due to the external assessment element of the qualification.
We have reviewed the fees for both Active IQ and NCFE to find natural alignment and to support transparency. From this review, we’ve found that NCFE has a more robust structure in place for its EQA pricing, offering customers more flexibility and options. When it comes to appeals, NCFE’s pricing structure separates the different stages of the appeals process.
A remote EQA review is held on Teams. It involves the EQA meeting with your staff and remotely accessing evidence for review. A face-to-face visit is held in person at your centre. It involves meeting with staff, potentially meeting learners and accessing evidence in person. Observations of processes and assessments could also take place.
This fee is for centres who are NOT currently approved by Active IQ or NCFE and wish to apply to become a customer.
These sessions are tailored, paid-for support or training designed specifically for your centre. It could focus on a specific qualification, process or issue. Training can be either remote or in person.
We have aligned as many of the fees as possible to ensure a smooth integration for customers. NCFE will continue to review our prices on an annual basis.
Once the integration is complete at the end of October, we will be aligning the invoicing date for the Annual Centre Recognition Fee to the academic session (August to July). From 2027, you will receive your annual invoices from August, rather than the current date of September. By invoicing you for 11 months, this ensures we can transition the invoice date without customers paying extra.
We let you know in September that we will be introducing the option of selecting LMS resources (for example e-learning and e-manuals) at the point of registration on the Portal.
As a reminder, from 1 November we will be removing the larger 'e-package' option which would usually include the hard copy manual. Don't worry, manuals will continue to be available to purchase from our Webshop in the usual way.
The affected qualifications are: