The lead
What a Level 4 diploma actually is
It is the first rung of higher education: a regulated qualification that sits at the same level as the first year of a bachelor's degree or a Higher National Certificate. It is not a degree, and it does not pretend to be one.
In England, regulated qualifications are ranked on one scale, the Regulated Qualifications Framework, from Entry Level up to Level 8. A levels sit at Level 3. A full bachelor's degree finishes at Level 6. Level 4 is the step in between, the point where you stop preparing for higher education and start doing it.
Most of the Level 4 diplomas on this site are built from 120 credits, the same size as a full year of undergraduate study. Each credit stands for about ten hours of learning, so a 120-credit diploma represents around 1,200 hours of reading, writing, tutorials and assessment. A few shorter programmes carry fewer credits; each programme page states its own figure.
OTHM and Qualifi award the diplomas; Ofqual regulates both bodies on the public register. London School of Planning and Management (LSPM) is the approved centre that runs the teaching and assessment. LearnLoom Consultants publishes this site and introduces applicants to LSPM; we are not the centre, and the about page separates the two roles. Regulation is what gives the qualification its standing. It does not, by itself, guarantee advanced entry to a named degree: that remains a university admissions decision, case by case.
Regulated awarding bodies
Every diploma here is awarded by OTHM or Qualifi and appears on the Ofqual register with its own qualification number, printed on each programme page.
Delivered by an approved centre
LSPM holds centre approval from OTHM and Qualifi for the Level 4 programmes listed here. Learner registration, tutoring, marking and certificate claims sit with LSPM in London; we explain options on this site and hand over when you choose to apply.
Progression, stated honestly
Level 4 leads naturally to Level 5 and then a Level 6 top-up. Whether a university admits you with advanced standing is its decision, not ours and not LSPM's, and we will tell you where that is uncertain.
Choosing a subject
31 programmes, eleven subjects, one decision that matters most
Pick the field first and the awarding body second. The subject decides what you read, what you write about and which Level 5 and degree routes open afterwards. The counts below are the programmes LSPM currently delivers in each field.
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i9 programmes
IT, Data and Cyber Security
Nine programmes from general computing to cyber security, networking, web design and artificial intelligence.
OTHM and Qualifi -
ii4 programmes
Business and Management
The broadest route in: markets, people, money and operations in six units, for anyone who intends to run something one day.
OTHM and Qualifi -
iii4 programmes
Education and Teaching
For teaching assistants, early-years staff and trainers who want the theory behind what they already do every day.
OTHM and Qualifi -
iv3 programmes
Tourism, Hospitality and Aviation
Hotels, travel, events and aviation, for people who already work in them and intend to manage them.
OTHM and Qualifi -
v2 programmes
Accounting and Finance
Double-entry, management accounts and the economics around them, pitched as the first year of an accounting career rather than a bookkeeping course.
OTHM and Qualifi -
vi2 programmes
Health and Social Care
Care practice, safeguarding and the management of services, for support workers and team leaders stepping up.
OTHM and Qualifi -
vii2 programmes
Law
The English legal system, contract, criminal and public law, as the first stage of a law degree by a longer road.
OTHM and Qualifi -
viii2 programmes
Psychology
Introductory psychology across the main perspectives, for people considering a degree or working in a people-facing role.
OTHM and Qualifi -
ix1 programme
HR, Marketing and Coaching
Coaching as a discipline: models, ethics and practice, for people who develop others in the workplace.
Qualifi -
x1 programme
Logistics and Supply Chain
Procurement, inventory, transport and the systems that tie them together, for people already working in the chain.
OTHM -
xi1 programme
Project, Risk and Safety Management
Planning, scheduling, risk and stakeholder management, taught through a project you can take to work.
OTHM -
Editor's note
Not sure which field is yours?
Most people who write to us are choosing between two subjects rather than starting from nothing. Tell us the two, what you do now and where you would like to be in three years, and we will reply with a straight recommendation, including "neither" if that is the honest answer.
The readership
Who this is for, and who should look elsewhere
Three kinds of reader keep arriving here
- School and college leavers, 18 and over, who want to start higher education without committing to three years and a full loan on day one. A Level 4 diploma lets you test a subject at university level and keep your options open.
- People going straight into work who want a qualification that is recognisably above A level, in a field that matches the job, and that can be studied around shifts.
- Adults returning to study after years in employment, often with a lot of relevant experience and no formal qualification to show for it. Mature entry routes exist on most of these programmes and LSPM uses them.
Better to say so now than after you enrol
- If you need a bachelor's degree by a fixed date, for a regulated profession or a visa condition, a Level 4 diploma is a first step, not the finish. Go directly to a university and ask them.
- If you want a qualification that carries UCAS Tariff points, this is the wrong level. Tariff points attach to Level 3 qualifications such as A levels and foundation diplomas.
- If you already hold a degree and want to change direction, a Level 4 diploma will feel like starting over. A Level 7 diploma or a conversion course is usually a better use of a year.
- If you are under 18, most of these programmes will not register you yet. Come back when you are, or ask us what to study in the meantime.
Pick the field first and the awarding body second. The subject decides what you read, what you write about, and which doors open afterwards.
Testimonial slot
Real quote from a learner we introduced to LSPM, to be supplied with first name, programme and year of completion. Nothing is shown here until we have one in writing.
The route onward
Level 4 to Level 5 to a Level 6 top-up, without the small print hidden
The diploma ladder mirrors the three years of a bachelor's degree. It is a real route and many people complete it. It is also a route with one gate you do not control, so here is how it works and where that gate sits.
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Level 4 Diploma
Typically 120 credits. The same framework level as the first year of a degree or an HNC. This is where you are now.
This site -
Level 5 Diploma
Another 120 credits at the level of the second year of a degree or an HND. The simplest route is to continue with the same awarding body, or to take both levels together as a 240-credit extended diploma. Our sister site level5diploma.org covers Level 5 in the same plain terms as this one.
Next step -
Level 6 top-up
With Levels 4 and 5 complete, some universities will admit you directly to the final year of a related bachelor's degree. Others will ask for a Level 6 diploma first, or offer their own bridging module. This is the gate.
The university decides
What can and cannot be promised. LSPM can promise a regulated qualification, delivered and assessed under the awarding body's conditions. Nobody, not LSPM and certainly not we, can promise that a particular university will accept it for advanced entry, because admissions decisions are made case by case and policies change. Before you apply, we will help you check the published entry policy of any university you have in mind, and we will tell you in writing if we do not know.
Studying with LSPM
How study works at London School of Planning and Management
There is no lecture theatre and no term-time timetable to fit your life around. At LSPM each unit runs as a guided block of reading, recorded and live sessions, a tutorial, and an assignment. You work through them in order and an LSPM tutor is your point of contact from the first unit to the last. What follows is LSPM's model as we understand it; confirm the details for your programme with LSPM.
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Online
Everything through LSPM's learning platform, with live sessions recorded for people who cannot attend. You choose the pace within the registration period for your programme.
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Blended
Online study with scheduled in-person sessions at LSPM for the units that benefit from a room full of people, such as team leadership or presentation skills.
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Evening
Live sessions timetabled by LSPM after working hours for people in full-time jobs. Same content, same assessment, a slower and steadier rhythm.
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Tutor support
A named LSPM tutor for the programme and a response to questions within a few working days. Ask LSPM about draft feedback and mid-programme reviews; they are its arrangements to confirm, not ours.
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Assessment by assignment
Every unit is assessed by coursework set against the unit's learning outcomes. There are no examinations. Work is marked at LSPM and sampled by the awarding body before certificates are claimed.
From first message to first unit
Enquire
Send the short form or call us. Tell us the subject, or the two subjects, you are weighing up.
Advice
We talk through your background, likely entry route, study mode and any university you have in mind. If you decide to apply, we pass your details to LSPM's admissions team with your consent.
Apply to LSPM
A short application on LSPM's own website with evidence of your Level 3 qualification or experience. LSPM decides.
Enrol with LSPM
LSPM registers you with the awarding body, opens its learning platform and introduces your tutor. Your first unit starts at the next intake.
Further reading
Short guides for people deciding
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Can I go to university with a Level 4 diploma?
What advanced standing means, how universities assess a Level 4 diploma, which subjects are harder, and how to apply without being disappointed.
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How many hours a week does a Level 4 diploma take?
Working from the published total qualification time to a realistic weekly figure, what those hours are spent on, and how to tell whether you have room for them.
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Is a Level 4 diploma a degree?
Where Level 4 sits on the UK qualification framework, what it is equivalent to, and what it is not, explained by an adviser who has spent years placing people on them.
Questions we are asked most
Five straight answers
Is a Level 4 diploma a degree?
No. A bachelor's degree is a Level 6 qualification made up of three years, or 360 credits, of study. A Level 4 diploma is the equivalent of the first of those years in level and size. It is a higher education qualification in its own right, and it appears on the Ofqual register, but it is not a degree and should not be described as one on a CV.
Will a university let me join the second year of a degree with it?
Some will, some will not, and the same university may answer differently for different degrees. Advanced entry is decided by the admitting department, usually by comparing the units you have passed with the modules you would be skipping. We will help you read a university's published policy and, where it is silent, contact admissions before you enrol. We do not list partner universities on this site because we will not name an institution without seeing a current, written agreement held by LSPM.
Do I need A levels to start?
Not necessarily. Awarding bodies typically ask for a relevant Level 3 qualification, or two A levels or their equivalent, or for mature applicants a record of relevant work experience that LSPM reviews before registration. The exact wording differs by programme and is printed on each programme page with a link to the specification. If you are unsure whether your background qualifies, ask us; we would rather check with LSPM than guess.
How long does it take?
A 120-credit diploma represents about 1,200 hours of learning in total, of which roughly half is guided by a tutor and half is your own reading and writing. How long that takes depends on the hours you can give it each week and the study mode you choose. LSPM confirms the registration period and a realistic completion window for your circumstances at enrolment, and we print the standard duration on each programme page once LSPM has set it.
What is the difference between OTHM and Qualifi?
Both are awarding organisations recognised and regulated by Ofqual, and both place their diplomas at Level 4 on the same framework. The differences are in unit design, assessment style and the shape of the progression routes each has arranged. Where LSPM offers the same subject from both, the programme pages show the units so you can compare what you would actually study. Choose the units you want to write about; the regulatory standing is the same.
Before you decide
Ask an adviser, not a sales team
The form takes two minutes. We read every enquiry ourselves and reply with an honest view of whether the programme fits, what LSPM currently charges for it, and when the next intake starts. No obligation, and no follow-up calls you did not ask for. If you want to go ahead, we introduce you to LSPM's admissions team.