OUR MEMBERSHIP EXPLAINED
Join the community keeping UK qualification administration fair and consistent
JCQ members help set industry standards that keep qualification administration fair and consistent across schools, colleges and the centres they serve, while developing shared services that reduce the administrative burden on awarding organisations.
28 years
We’ve been setting industry standards since 1998
3,600+
Qualifications offered across member organisations
6,000+
Schools and colleges served, across the UK.
FULL MEMBERS: AQA | Cambridge OCR | CCEA | City & Guilds | NCFE | Pearson | WJEC
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS: OCN NI | State Examinations Commission
WHY JOIN JCQ?
This is where industry standards are set and you can be part of it
JCQ members help shape industry standards that the whole sector relies on. They develop shared services that simplify qualification administration for everyone. And they do it together, because that’s what makes it work.
SHAPE INDUSTRY STANDARDS
Influence the guidance that schools and colleges across the UK depend on every day. JCQ members join committees, contribute expertise, and help set common approaches that keep qualification administration fairer, more consistent, and more trusted.
DEVELOP SHARED SERVICES
Building your own inspection systems, admin portals and guidance libraries from scratch is expensive and slow. JCQ members share that investment instead, so your team spends less time on administration and more time on what actually matters to your organisation.
GAIN BRAND RECOGNITION
JCQ has been the trusted name in qualifications administration since 1998. Membership tells centres, regulators and government departments exactly where your organisation stands and that it meets industry standards that matter.
NAVIGATE CHANGES TOGETHER
The qualifications landscape shifts constantly. As a JCQ member, you get early sight of emerging challenges, direct access to sector thinking and a network that keeps you ahead of it, so you never have to deal with changes alone.
JCQ SHARED SERVICES
JCQ members plug into one shared system built for the whole sector
JCQ’s Full Members build and maintain these shared services, working together so no single organisation has to fund or run them alone. Less duplication for members, and a consistent experience for every centre across the UK.
MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS AND COSTS
Find your place in JCQ
JCQ membership covers awarding organisations delivering a wide range of qualifications, from GCSEs and A levels to vocational and technical routes. There’s a route designed around where your organisation is right now.
Associate Membership
£30-50k per year
Plus £10k onboarding fee
The fee is determined by the size and turnover of your organisation. Both options include the same membership benefits.
Associate Membership gives you official access to JCQ’s trusted guidance, recognition alongside the UK’s leading awarding organisations, and the shared services that make qualification administration simpler for you and every centre you work with.
- Official use of JCQ guidance and regulations
- Observer status on JCQ committees
- National Centre Number Register registration
- Centre Inspection Service access
- CAP/AAO portal access
- Secure data exchange with centres
- Brand recognition on JCQ channels
- Regular updates and guidance bulletins
This membership option is right for you if you’re UK regulated, delivering qualifications, and ready to access JCQ’s shared services, guidance and network for the first time.
Not sure? Get in touch and we’ll help you find out.
Full Membership
~£200k per year
Plus contribution to running JCQ shared services
The shared services costs vary depending on the size of your organisation and the services you use.
Full Membership puts your organisation at the centre of JCQ. That includes contributing to the cost of running the shared systems, portals and support that keep qualification administration consistent, which would cost far more for any single organisation to build and maintain alone. In return, you’ll have:
- A seat on the board
- Committee participation
- Input into policy and responses to regulators
- Access to all shared services
- Access to plagiarism detection tools and sector-level legal support.
- Your results aggregated and shared with regulators and third parties on your behalf
This membership option is right for you if you’re an established awarding organisation ready to take a seat on the board and help shape qualification administration across the UK.
Not sure? Get in touch and we’ll help you find out.
Not ready for membership? Licensing is right for you.
£20k per year
A flexible way to access JCQ’s guidance without joining as a member.
JCQ’s guidance represents years of investment from the members who built it. Licensing gives your organisation the legal right to use it, reference it in your own documentation, and direct your centres to follow it with confidence. It’s particularly well suited to awarding organisations operating in vocational markets who need trusted, authoritative guidance without the cost of membership.
- Access to JCQ guidance and regulations covering exams, access arrangements and special consideration, malpractice, appeals and coursework
- Legally reviewed materials, consulted with Ofqual, Qualifications Wales, CCEA Regulation and other regulatory and representative bodies
- Common administrative arrangements for examinations
- AI guidance, cyber security and contingency planning materials
- Exam room posters, General Regulations for Approved Centres and other key centre documents
This is probably right for you if you need official, legally authorised access to JCQ’s guidance without the commitment of a Full or Associate membership, particularly if you operate in vocational markets.
How the options compare
Ready to be part of JCQ?
Be part of the organisations leading UK qualification administration
The organisations already shaping UK qualification administration are part of JCQ. It puts them at the centre of the sector, gives them a voice in the decisions that matter, and connects them to shared services no single organisation could build alone.
If your organisation is ready to do the same, we’d love to talk.
Get in touch, and our team will walk you through the options, answer your questions and discuss what membership would look like for your organisation. We’ll keep you informed at every stage.
