BSc (Hons) Accounting Finance Manager (Degree Apprenticeship)

The apprenticeship runs over 36 months, plus up to four months for the End-Point Assessment (EPA).

Apprentices complete 240 academic credits at Levels 5 and 6, with a further 120 credits recognised through prior learning (Level 4). Each term combines university teaching, self-directed study, and structured work-based learning. This is supported by regular tripartite reviews between the University, the employer and the apprentice to monitor progress and ensure integration of academic and workplace learning.

On completion, apprentices will have developed the technical expertise, strategic awareness and leadership skills required for senior finance roles. The apprenticeship prepares you to lead financial operations, contribute to business strategy and drive performance improvement within your organisation.

Graduates commonly progress into roles such as Finance Manager, Management Accountant, Financial Analyst, Financial Controller, or Head of Finance, depending on their professional experience and sector.

You’ll also be well placed to continue your professional development, for example, by pursuing chartered status with ACCA, CIMA, ICAEW, or CPA Australia. Progression to postgraduate study is also possible, with options such as a Level 7 Accountancy, or an MSc in Finance, MSc in Accounting, or an MBA.

Here are just some of the career opportunities and skills that can stem from studying on this course:

Careers and Employability Support

Our courses strive to effectively combine academic challenge with the transferable skills that will stand you in good stead for future employment. The Buckingham tutorial teaching model means that our students are well prepared as they embark on their careers and future study.

Find out more about our Careers and Employability Service.

Postgraduate study

Our two-year degrees mean you can begin your postgraduate studies quicker than your peers.

Prior Learning

To be eligible for this programme, applicants must:

• Have successfully completed a Level 4 qualification or apprenticeship in a relevant discipline, for example, the Professional Accounting Technician (Level 4 Apprenticeship) or an equivalent accounting, finance, or business qualification; or
• Demonstrate equivalent prior learning through the University’s Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) process.

Qualifications

Applicants must also have:

• GCSE English and Maths at grade 4 (C) or above, or equivalent qualifications.
• Ongoing employment in a relevant accounting or finance role, with the support of their employer to undertake the apprenticeship.

Applicants without formal qualifications but with significant professional experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis through RPL assessment.

Funding Eligibility

To be eligible for Apprenticeship funding, learners must:

• Be aged 16 or over.
• Be employed in a role that provides the opportunity to achieve the knowledge, skills and behaviours of the apprenticeship standard, for the duration of the apprenticeship, including the assessment period.
• Spend at least 50% of their working hours in England for the duration of the apprenticeship
• Have the right to live and work in England.
• Meet the residency requirements for apprenticeship funding, which generally means being ordinarily resident in the UK, EEA or Gibraltar for the three years prior to the apprenticeship start date, subject to the government’s eligible exceptions.
• Not be undertaking another government-funded apprenticeship or other funded education programme at the same time that would prevent eligibility for apprenticeship funding.

The University reserves the right to increase course fees annually in line with inflation linked to the Retail Price Index (RPI). If the University intends to increase your course fees it will notify you via email of this as soon as reasonably practicable.

Course fees do not include additional costs such as books, equipment, writing up fees and other ancillary charges. Where applicable, these additional costs will be made clear.

Apprenticeship Funding

The cost of the BSc (Hons) Accounting Finance Manager (Degree Apprenticeship), is £27,000 which can be funded via the Growth and Skills Apprenticeship Levy.

The Apprenticeship Levy is an amount paid at a rate of 0.5% of an employer’s annual wage bill and will be paid through Pay as you Earn (PAYE).

The employer will be paying the Apprenticeship Levy each month if it:

• has an annual pay bill of more than £3 million
• is connected to any companies or charities for Employment Allowance purposes and has a combined annual pay bill of more than £3 million.

If the employer does not fall into the above categories, it would be classed as a non-levy company.

Levy paying employers

Employers that pay into the Growth and Skills Apprenticeship Levy (employers in the UK with an annual pay bill over £3 million) will be able to use funds from their apprenticeship service account to cover the cost of training and assessing the apprentice. 

Employers who pay into the Growth and Skills Apprenticeship Levy but do not have sufficient funds available in their apprenticeship service account to cover the full apprenticeship training and assessment costs can access co-investment support. They will be required to contribute up to 25% of the outstanding apprenticeship training and assessment costs, with the remaining funding provided through the Growth and Skills co-investment model.

Non-levy paying employers

Employers who do not pay into the levy are classed as non-levy employers and can access funding towards or fully cover the apprenticeship training and assessment costs of the apprenticeship depending on the age of their employee.  

• If the employee is aged 16-24 years old on their first day of the apprenticeship the employer can get 100% funding to cover the apprenticeship training and assessment costs from the Growth and Skills Levy, but they must reserve the funding. 
• If the employee is aged 25+ years old on their first day of the apprenticeship the employer can, once reserved, receive 95% of apprenticeship training and assessment costs with the employer left to pay only 5% of the apprenticeship training and assessment costs which would be a maximum charge of £1,350.  

Non-levy employers are required to reserve funding. Instructions on how to reserve funding can be found on the GOV.uk website.

A funding reservation must be completed prior to the start date of the apprenticeship and can be made up to three months in advance.  Failure to reserve funding before the apprenticeship start date may result in funding no longer being available.

The employer will need the following information to reserve the funding:

• The month the apprenticeship training will start
• The apprenticeship standard – Accounting finance manager – ST1303

Further support with this process is available by contacting our Apprenticeships Team:  apprenticeships@buckingham.ac.uk

Additional payment for hiring a young apprentice

From 1 October 2026, eligible non-levy-paying employers can also receive a £2,000 payment when recruiting a new apprentice aged 16 – 24.

To qualify, the apprentice must start their apprenticeship on or after 1 October 2026 and must have started their job with the employer within the previous three months. The payment is made in two instalments, with the first payment becoming available once the apprentice has completed the first 90 days of their apprenticeship.

Employer Incentives

In addition to apprenticeship funding, employers may be eligible for further financial support and cost savings when recruiting an apprentice, depending on the apprentice’s age and circumstances.

Employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs)

Employers do not pay Class 1 Secondary National Insurance Contributions for apprentices who are:

• Under the age of 25.
• Earning less than the annual Upper Secondary Threshold for Apprentices (as set by HM Revenue & Customs).
• Employed under an approved apprenticeship.

Eligible employers are exempt from paying Class 1 Secondary National Insurance Contributions for qualifying apprentices, which can significantly reduce employment costs throughout the apprenticeship.

£1,000 Additional Employer Payment

Eligible employers can receive a £1,000 additional payment when they recruit an apprentice who, at the start of their apprenticeship, is:

• Aged 16 to 18.
• Aged 19 to 24 and has previously been in local authority care.
• Aged 19 to 24 and has an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan (EHCP).

The payment is intended to support the additional costs associated with employing and developing young apprentices and is paid directly to the employer by the government.

Additional Support

Where an apprentice is recruited through certain government employment support programmes or meets other eligibility criteria, employers and apprentices may be able to access additional support. Eligibility and the support available will depend on the government schemes in place at the time of recruitment.

If additional support is required, our Apprenticeships Team would be happy to advise and are available via apprenticeships@buckingham.ac.uk.

Apprenticeship service granting provider permissions

To enable The University of Buckingham to manage the apprentice(s) and claim apprenticeship funding, all employers will need to give the University permission within their Apprenticeship Service account to set up new learners.

How to add The University of Buckingham

1. Log in to your Apprenticeship Service employer account.
2. Select Your training providers.
3. Click Add a training provider.
4. Enter The University of Buckingham’s UKPRN: 10007787.
5. Select The University of Buckingham from the search results.
6. Grant the University the necessary permissions to:
   • Add apprentices to your account.
   • Manage apprenticeship details.
   • Submit apprenticeship funding claims.
   • Save your changes.

Once these permissions have been granted, please let us know so we can complete the apprentice enrolment and submit the required funding claims.

We will then contact you to complete and guide you through the next stages including the completion of health and safety forms and the signing of the contracts, training plan and apprenticeship agreement documents. 

These documents must be completed before the start date of the apprenticeship to secure a place for the employee.

Assistance is available at every step of this process by contacting apprenticeships@buckingham.ac.uk.

We welcome applications in two different ways – directly via our online application form, or through UCAS.