Guidance for centres in England offering Level 3 Cambridge Technicals impacted by the funding changes in 2025/26

The Department for Education in England published the outcome of their review of post-16 qualification reform in December 2024. The review was set up to determine which qualifications will be funded for 16-19 learners in England for the 2025/26 academic year. 

Several qualification sizes are being defunded for new starts from 1 August 2025. Although these qualifications are not being withdrawn, to retain funding for current students completing these qualifications in 2025/26 or beyond, your exams officer must ensure students have a qualification entry (registration) for the following Cambridge Technicals qualifications on or before 31 July 2025:

• Applied Science (2016): Level 3 Certificate, Extended Certificate, Foundation Diploma, Extended Diploma
• Engineering (2016): Level 3 Certificate, Extended Certificate, Foundation Diploma
• Health and Social Care (2012): Level 3 Certificate
• Health and Social Care (2016): Level 3 Certificate, Extended Certificate, Foundation Diploma
• Information Technology (2016): Level 3 Certificate, Extended Certificate, Introductory Diploma, Foundation Diploma

If you would normally make top-up entries for these size qualifications in September 2025 or beyond, to retain funding, you will need to make top-up entries for these qualifications on or before 31 July 2025. See the FAQs below.

There are no changes to funding arrangements in England for any other subjects in 2025/26.

Centres in Wales and Northern Ireland are not impacted by the funding changes in England.

Topping up FAQs

If we top up before 31 July 2025, will we still receive the smaller qualification this year?

To receive the smaller qualification this year, you must:

1. Make your entries and claims before topping up – Make your June 2025 test entries and/or your final moderation claims for the smaller size qualification before topping up. The window to make June 2025 test entries is 1–21 March 2025. All moderation claims should be submitted for the smaller qualification as soon as possible and no later than 15 June 2025.
2. Make sure the student is showing as ‘Pending’ in the Progress Tracker – Once your test entries and/or moderation claims have been submitted, wait 48 hours and check the Progress Tracker to confirm the student is showing a ‘Pending’ status for the smaller qualification.*
3. Make your top-up entries – Top-up to the larger qualification that is due to be defunded no later than 31 July 2025.
4. Change the estimated completion date – Once your top-up entries have been processed (usually within 48 hours), update the estimated completion date in the Progress Tracker to ‘Summer 2026’.

You will receive results and the certificate for the smaller qualification once the units entered or claimed under the smaller qualification are achieved.

*If the student is not showing as 'Pending' for the smaller qualification in the Progress Tracker, please contact us.

We have already topped-up to the larger qualification. Can we still receive the smaller qualification this year?

If the student was originally registered on the smaller qualification, we will be able to generate this for you.

You will need to contact us once the units required for the smaller qualification have been achieved. Please email support@ocr.org.uk when you are ready to request the smaller qualification and we will provide further instructions.

We registered our students directly onto the larger qualification this year. Can we still claim the smaller qualification?

• If the student decides to leave the course and is eligible for the smaller qualification, you can make a move-down entry to claim the smaller qualification.
• If the student is planning to continue to study for the larger qualification, you cannot claim the smaller qualification if they have never been entered for it.

Term-time checkpoint and estimated completion date declaration

We have students that must be topped up before 31 July 2025 to retain funding. What should their estimated completion date be?

The estimated completion date must be correct for the qualification the student is registered for at the point you submit the estimated completion date declaration. The deadline to submit your declaration is 30 April 2025.

• If the student is registered on the smaller qualification when you submit your declaration:
  • • The estimated completion date must be ‘Summer 2025’.
    • After you have made your top-up entries, you must amend the estimated completion date to ‘Summer 2026’. You do not have to submit the declaration again.
• If the student has already been topped up to the larger qualification when you submit your declaration, the estimated completion date must be ‘Summer 2026’.