About microcredentials

What are microcredentials?

Microcredentials are short, postgraduate-level online courses worth 15 credits. They’re designed to help you gain targeted, career-relevant skills and earn credit from the University of London that can count towards a recognised qualification.
At an introductory price of just £495 per course, they are an affordable new way to learn – on your terms.

Our microcredentials are developed with academic direction by the world-class universities that make up the University of London federation, so you are learning from world-class faculty.
When you pass the assessment on a single microcredential, you can use the digital badge and certificate to evidence your skills to employers. Or you can take multiple microcredentials and stack them over time into a postgraduate academic award from the University of London: a Postgraduate Certificate, a Postgraduate Diploma, or a full Master’s degree.
These awards will reflect the balance of microcredentials you have studied, meaning you will get a personalised postgraduate award that reflects your expertise and career goals.

All at a fraction of the cost of traditional higher education, and on your terms – start now on your UoL lifelong learning journey.

FAQs

A microcredential is a short, postgraduate-level online course worth 15 credits. You can start anytime, study at your own pace, and complete an assessment when you’re ready. Each microcredential is designed to help you gain specific skills you can use in your career — and every course counts towards a recognised University of London qualification.

Registration is fully online. Simply choose your course, complete the short form, pay your fee, and you’ll receive immediate access to your materials.

You register, pay, and start straight away — no lengthy application forms or fixed start dates. You’ll study through our new Global Digital Campus platform, which provides all your course materials, progress tracking and access to an AI-powered study assistant.

They’re ideal for professionals who want to deepen their expertise, prepare for promotion or career change, or return to study after time away. You can take one course to build confidence in a specific area, or stack several to work towards a postgraduate award.

You’ll need to meet the admissions criteria, usually a degree-level qualification or equivalent experience, and a specified level of English language proficiency. There is no application form and we don’t require supporting documents — you simply self-certify that you meet the requirements when you register.

Anytime. There’s no need to wait for a new term — once you register and pay, you can begin immediately.

Most learners complete a 15-credit microcredential in around 10 weeks, studying 10–15 hours a week. You can move faster or slower depending on your schedule.

You’ll complete one project-based assessment designed around real-world scenarios. You choose when to submit, during one of the monthly assessment windows. If you don’t pass first time, you can resit up to two more times.

On successful completion, you’ll receive a digital badge and transcript confirming 15 credits at postgraduate level from the University of London. Your credit remains valid and over time it can be stacked into postgraduate awards.

Credits from microcredentials can build towards formal qualifications:

- 60 credits = PGCert

- 120 credits = PGDip

- 180 credits = Master’s degree

You can also transfer microcredential credit into one of our full online degree programmes, so you never have to repeat your learning.

It depends on the subjects of the modules you have studied. For example:

• If you accumulate 60 credits in subject a, you are eligible for a ‘PGCert in a’.

• If you accumulate 30 credits in subject a and 30 credits in subject b, you are eligible for a ‘PGCert in a and b’.

• If you accumulate 45 credits in subject a and 15 credits in subject b, you are eligible for a ‘PGCert in a with b’.

• If you accumulate 60 credits across a range of different subjects, you are eligible for a ‘PGCert in Interdisciplinary Studies’.

… in this way, you can build a personalised degree that suits you.

You’ll have access to digital study tools, AI-based feedback, and a Student Progress Advisor to help you stay on track. You’ll also have access to the University’s online library and careers resources.

No. Microcredentials are entirely self-paced — study whenever it suits you.

You pay online with a credit/debit card using Flywire, the University of London’s payment provider. Once you add your chosen microcredentials to the cart, you’ll complete the check out and make the payment. You’ll then receive a confirmation via email.