Higher education 🇬🇧 Glasgow, United Kingdom Since 1889

ICS Learn

Online courses for CIPD, AAT, CMI and other UK professional qualifications.

Visit icslearn.co.uk All companies
founded in Scranton, USA
1889
students, end of 2024
20,000+
CIPD assignment pass rate, 2023
93%
on Trustpilot, 13,195 reviews
4.7

About ICS Learn

ICS Learn is a Glasgow distance learning provider that sells online courses for UK professional qualifications. Students prepare for CIPD, AAT, CMI, CIPS, ICB, BCS and PRINCE2 qualifications, GCSEs and A Levels. Prices on the UK site run from £440 for an A Level to £7,149 for CIPD Level 7, paid in full or by an interest-free monthly plan after a deposit. ICS Learn publishes pass rates, such as 93% for CIPD assignments in 2023, and its UK site and terms offer no pass guarantee. Since 2022 the company belongs to the French group Skill and You.

ICS Learn sells online courses that prepare students for exams and assignments set by UK awarding bodies. Students study in the mystudyspace platform at their own pace within a support period of 12 to 30 months. The awarding body issues the qualification: CIPD for HR and L&D, AAT for accounting and bookkeeping, CMI for management and coaching.

Thomas J. Foster started the International Correspondence Schools in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1889 with courses for coal miners. The organisation opened in the UK in 1904. The current company, International Correspondence Schools Limited, was registered in Scotland in 2012 and has its office at 7 West Nile Street in Glasgow. A second office opened in Dubai in 2022.

In 2018 the management bought the company with the private equity firm Primary Capital Partners. In March 2022 Primary sold it to Skill and You, a French vocational e-learning group backed by IK Partners. For 2024 ICS Learn reported turnover of £15.1 million, down from £16.0 million, and a profit of £1.6 million. Staff fell from 109 to 92 over the year.

History

  1. 1889 Thomas J. Foster founds the Colliery Engineer School of Mines in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the start of the International Correspondence Schools.
  2. 1891 Thomas Coates enrols as the first student, on the coal mining course.
  3. 1904 The schools open in the UK. This branch later becomes ICS Learn.
  4. 2012 International Correspondence Schools Limited is registered in Scotland on 9 October as Clyde Education Limited. Par Equity invests the same year.
  5. 2018 Management buys the company in May with Primary Capital Partners. CEO Colin Kennedy leads the buyout. ICS Learn has more than 15,000 online students.
  6. 2020 Buys Development Processes Group (DPG), another provider of CIPD courses and apprenticeships, in October.
  7. 2022 Opens its first office in Dubai, in Dubai Knowledge Park, in February.
  8. 2022 Skill and You, backed by IK Partners, buys ICS Learn from Primary Capital Partners in March.
  9. 2023 Launches a 100% online Diploma for Financial Advisers (DipFA) with the London Institute of Banking & Finance in March.
  10. 2024 Turnover falls to £15.1 million from £16.0 million. Staff falls from 109 to 92.
  11. 2026 Splits CIPD courses into Essential, Enhanced and Elite support pathways in August.
  12. 2026 Adds CMI Level 3 management courses and the AAT Level 4 Diploma in September, and a CMI coaching and mentoring faculty in October.

Leadership

  • Gerwyn House Director of Education and Skills
  • Lisa Stevens CIPD and People Director
  • Danielle Smith Head of Accountancy & Finance
  • Dafina Krasteva General Manager, UAE

Roles as given on the ICS Learn blog between December 2025 and October 2026. The registered directors are Richard Craig Kemp and David Macfarlane, appointed in 2025. The site does not name a current CEO.

How ICS Learn teaches

CIPD assignment pass rate, 2023
93%
support period, by course
12–30 months
CIPD Level 5 marking time, by pathway
5–10 days
  • Course access in mystudyspace within an hour of enrolment
  • 24/7 access during the support period
  • Personalised tutor support
  • Live and recorded revision lessons for AAT
  • Online mock tests
  • Assignments marked by ICS Learn assessors for CIPD
  • AAT exams online or at an assessment venue
  • Free online study planners
  • Student Services by phone and email
  • Paid extension of the support period
ICS Learn reports pass rates of 93% for CIPD assignments in 2023 (9,266 passed assignments), 84% and 91% for AAT in 2024, and 95% for A Level Psychology in 2021.
icslearn.co.uk course pages, 7 October 2026

Qualifications at ICS Learn

HR and L&D, CIPD5

  • Level 3 Foundation Certificate in People Practice
  • Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management
  • Level 5 Associate Diploma in Organisational Learning & Development
  • Level 7 Advanced Diploma in Strategic People Management
  • Level 7 Advanced Diploma in Strategic Learning & Development

Accounting and bookkeeping, AAT5

  • Level 1 Award in Bookkeeping
  • Level 2 and 3 Certificates in Bookkeeping
  • Level 2 Certificate in Accounting
  • Level 3 Diploma in Accounting
  • Level 4 Diploma for Professional Accounting Technicians

Payroll, ICB and Sage2

  • Level 2 Certificate in Payroll Administration
  • Level 3 Diploma in Payroll Management

Management and coaching, CMI5

  • Level 3 First Line Management & Leadership
  • Level 5 Management & Leadership
  • Level 7 Strategic Management & Leadership Practice
  • Level 3 Coaching and Mentoring
  • Level 5 Professional Coaching Practice

Procurement, projects and digital3

  • CIPS Level 3, 4 and 5
  • PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner
  • BCS Business Analysis, Agile, UX, AI and Information Security

School qualifications, AQA and Pearson Edexcel2

  • 9 A Levels, including Psychology, Law and Economics
  • 8 GCSEs and International GCSEs, including Maths and English

Courses listed on icslearn.co.uk on 7 October 2026. Each level comes as an Award, Certificate or Diploma where the awarding body offers them. The 2024 accounts also name CIM and ILM courses. The UK site no longer lists them.

Products

  • Online qualification courses Self-paced courses in mystudyspace with study units, mock tests and tutor support. Students can start at any time. Exams and registration with the awarding body cost extra. All courses
  • CIPD support pathways Essential is self-led study. Enhanced adds a live induction, assessment masterclasses and Q&A drop-ins. Elite adds topic workshops, a personal tutor and 1:1 tutorials. CIPD Level 5
  • Training for employers Companies enrol staff on the same online courses in nine faculties. ICS Learn invoices the employer directly. ICS Learn for business
  • HR and L&D apprenticeships CIPD Level 5 apprenticeships in People Management and as an L&D Business Consultant. The training company Realise arranges funding and delivery, and ICS Learn supplies the CIPD qualification. Apprenticeships

How much is ICS Learn?

  • AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting £63/mo £699, £69 deposit, 10 payments
  • AAT Level 4 Diploma £62/mo £815, £71 deposit, 12 payments
  • CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate £100/mo £1,299, £99 deposit, 12 payments
  • CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma £123/mo £2,599, £139 deposit, 20 payments
  • Most popular CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma £163/mo £3,399, £139 deposit, 20 payments
  • CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma £173/mo £3,599, £139 deposit, 20 payments
  • CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma from £179/mo £5,499–£7,149, deposit, 30 payments
  • CMI Level 5 Diploma in Management & Leadership £82/mo £2,039, £71 deposit, 24 payments

Is ICS Learn free?

No free course. A 14-day cooling-off period gives a full refund, deposit included.

Full course prices on icslearn.co.uk for UK students on 7 October 2026, in GBP. Monthly prices are interest-free plans: a deposit, then the shown number of monthly payments. Credit depends on status. An end-of-summer sale with up to 38% off ran until 5 October 2026. Exam, registration and membership fees of the awarding body are extra.

How to cancel an ICS Learn course

Terms of business
  • Email Student Services ↗
    1. Email studentservices@icslearn.co.uk
    2. Give your name and student details
    3. Within 14 days the refund is full
  • Phone ↗
    1. Call Student Services on 0141 302 5518
    2. Monday to Thursday 9:00 to 17:00, Friday 9:00 to 15:00
    3. Ask about a payment break if the problem is temporary
  • Monthly payments continue even in months without study and after an early finish.
  • A switch to another course is possible within 30 days of enrolment, at ICS Learn’s discretion.
  • Fees for registration with the awarding body are not refunded once ICS Learn has processed them.
  • The support period can be extended for a fee, at ICS Learn’s discretion.

Refund rules

First 14 days
Statutory right to cancel, counted from the day after login details or materials arrive. Full refund of all fees paid, deposit included.
After 14 days, balance under £500
A one-off cancellation fee of £50 plus any overdue fees.
After 14 days, balance over £500
10% of the open balance plus £50, plus any overdue fees.
Late in the course
No cancellation once the support period has ended or less than 25% of it is left.

From the ICS Learn terms of business of August 2024 and the payment options FAQ, checked on 7 October 2026.

ICS Learn for employers

icslearn.co.uk/business
  • 01Staff study the same online courses in HR, L&D, management, accounting, payroll, procurement, project management and digital skills.
  • 02ICS Learn invoices the employer directly for all or part of the fee.
  • 03CIPD Level 5 apprenticeships are delivered with Realise and can be paid from the apprenticeship levy.
  • 04If employer funding stops, the employer pays the open balance, or the student can take over the payments.

Price on request.

Apps and ratings

4.7Trustpilot · Excellent 13,195 reviews · company profile claimed in May 2014

Is ICS Learn worth it?

What students like

What students criticise

What students write in reviews, not our rating. Most recent 5-star reviews praise course advisors at enrolment. Most 1-star reviews in 2026 are about slow marking of CIPD assignments.

ICS Learn reviews

  • Anastasiia has been brilliant
    “I have had issues that meant I needed to postpone my studies and she was able to help me with it all.”
    Emma · 6 October 2026 · App Store
  • CIPD Advisor and Application
    “My advisor was very helpful with all my questions and outlined the various pathways I could take.”
    Rishab Kombial · 1 October 2026 · App Store
  • Awful
    “I have waited months for assignment feedback that went way over their SLA”
    Sadie A · 2 September 2026 · App Store

Latest news

  1. ICS Learn launches a Coaching & Mentoring faculty with CMI
  2. ICS Learn launches the new AAT Level 4 Diploma
  3. ICS Learn adds CMI Level 3 management courses
  4. Tiered support model for CIPD learners
  5. ICS Learn sold to Skill and You
  6. Management buyout of ICS Learn with Primary Capital Partners

Contacts and company data

Legal entity
International Correspondence Schools Limited, Fourth Floor, 7 West Nile Street, Glasgow, G1 2PR, Scotland
Company number
SC434382, Companies House
Registered
9 October 2012, as Clyde Education Limited
Parent
ICS SY Holdings Limited, 13654347; group head SY S.A.S., France
FCA firm reference
726654
VAT number
295794828
Directors
Richard Craig Kemp, David Macfarlane

Alternatives to ICS Learn

How we built this profile

  1. Sources. Facts come from the company’s own website, press room, imprint and careers page, from Wikipedia, the App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot. Every source is listed on the page.
  2. Checks. Kinescope checked every number on 7 October 2026. Prices, ratings and job counts change, and we refresh them with each update.
  3. Our words. Descriptions are written by the Kinescope team. Quotes from reviews are marked with the author and source, and we do not rate the company ourselves.
  4. Corrections. The company can send new facts or corrections, and we update the profile.

Other higher education companies

All 16 higher education companies

More EdTech from United Kingdom

Is this your company?

Send us new facts, products, numbers or a fresh logo, and we will update the ICS Learn profile on the EdTech map.

Update this profile Add another company
Featured on Kinescope EdTech Map
Show the badge on your website <a href="https://kinescope.com/edtech-map/icslearn"><img src="https://kinescope.com/images/edtech-badge.svg" alt="Featured on Kinescope EdTech Map" width="220" height="56"></a>

ICS Learn FAQ

Yes. International Correspondence Schools Limited is an active company in Scotland, number SC434382, regulated by the FCA for its payment plans (firm 726654). The awarding bodies CIPD, AAT, CMI and others issue the qualifications. On Trustpilot it has 4.7 from 13,195 reviews.

CIPD Levels 3, 5 and 7 in HR and L&D, AAT Levels 1 to 4 in accounting and bookkeeping, ICB and Sage payroll, CMI management and coaching at Levels 3, 5 and 7, CIPS Levels 3 to 5, PRINCE2, BCS certificates, GCSEs and A Levels. The UK site listed no ILM or CIM courses on 7 October 2026.

On 7 October 2026 the UK site showed £699 for AAT Level 2 or 3, £815 for AAT Level 4, £1,299 to £1,999 for CIPD Level 3, £2,599 to £3,599 for CIPD Level 5 and £5,499 to £7,149 for CIPD Level 7. Exam, registration and membership fees are extra.

Yes. Students pay a deposit, then interest-free monthly payments, for example £139 and 20 payments of £123 for CIPD Level 5 Essential. Credit depends on status. Employers can be invoiced directly, and ELCAS funding is accepted.

Host your courses on Kinescope.

DRM, a white-label player and analytics for online schools and EdTech platforms.

Start for free
Video hosting for EdTech
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.