ICB Programmes – A Complete Guide

Who is ICB and how does ICB work?

Before getting started, there are 3 big decisions, that will determine how you join the programme.  Please take some time to go through these on the ICB website (click the links below)

• What to study (which of the programmes will suit you)
• How to study (classroom, correspondence, full/part time, etc.)

Once you have decided on a programme, you can enrol via Transcollege. The easiest way to connect with us is through info@transcollege.co.za.

For more information on IQB, click here: Understanding IQB and Its Role

How to get started?

You probably have many questions and not sure who ICB is, how it operate, and how to get started so lets do this in sections of the most frequently asked questions.

Step 1. To understand how ICB operates as an an Examination Body

Step 2: Next important question is how much does it cost

Step 3. Where can you study? Find a Training Centre 

Step 4. How can I register?

Step 5: Where do I buy textbooks and  study material?

2. What courses does ICB offer?

ICB has a prospectus on www.icb.org.za (download it here) that offers courses in Financial Management, Business Management and Office Administration. You can complete the full qualification and receive a co-Branded ICB and IQB programme certificate and a transcript of results on successfully passing.  All students also receive a subject certificate for each individual subject they pass, endorsed by IQB. www.iqb.org.uk 

The Professional Certificates  are non credit bearing in South Africa but are internationally endorsed. Also remember, ICB has been in operation since 1931 and has an average of 50 000 learners annually. 

With ICB you can choose to do a full Qualification or any of our Professional Certificates that you need for immediate up-skilling especially with the international trend of “just in time” learning. 

Why ICB and IQB?  
ICB is an independent External Examination body in South Africa since 1931! IQB is the UK based External Examination Body that provides the international endorsement of ICB programmes and courses. www.iqb.org.uk.  With this international endorsement, ICB courses and programmes are not on the South African framework and are no longer credit bearing. 

3. Next important question is how much does it cost to study ICB programs with Transcollege?

5. How can I register with Transcollege?

6. Where do I buy textbooks and study material?

All Transcollege students will get their study material through the college. 

Are ICB Courses Recognised by other institutions?

SOUTH AFRICAN RECOGNITION

All existing ICB students who registered prior to 30 June 2026 will have their qualifications registered on the South African Framework.

All of the ICB’s qualifications are registered on the South African National Qualifications Framework (NQF) with the last intake of NEW students on the 30 June 2026 – a set of nationally-agreed principles and guidelines which are used to register and measure educational achievements in all sectors, including finance.

For more details, see http://www.icb.org.za/what-to-study/progression-degree/.

UNISA RECOGNITION (SA PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES)

Unisa does not necessarily give automatic credits for ICB subjects, however they too (like us) have a RPL – Recognition of Prior learning department and they evaluate each application individually and on personal merit. So, if you have completed a level 6 qualification from anyone of our program streams you may submit an application to Unisa. Unisa will evaluate your application and determine if the qualification you have versus the one you are applying for can be given credits or serve as an entry into the Unisa qualification you are applying for. There is no guarantee that you will be accepted into Unisa though.

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

ICB receives international recognition and endorsement via an external examination body in the UK – IQB www.iqb.org.uk

CIMA is the recommended route to follow after an ICB qualification and they are an internationally recognised organisation. CIMA offers training and qualifications in management accounting. ICB graduates holding the National Diploma: Financial Accounting NQF 6 qualification can apply to CIMA for up to 6 exemptions. If you hold the ICB’s Certificate: Office Administration NQF 5, you can get 2 exemptions from CIMA. They can be contacted directly fro more information.

ACCA is also another option which is internationally recognised in Canada and the US and is the world’s leading body for professional accountants, with over 110 years of experience, innovation and excellence. ICB graduates holding the National Diploma: Financial Accounting NQF 6 qualification can study further through ACCA. You will receive up to 6 exemptions to further your studies towards becoming a Chartered Certified Accountant with ACCA. Please contact ACCA directly should you want to apply.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Once you have completed your studies, there are several local and international professional bodies that you can apply to for membership. These include SAIT, SAIBA, IAB or IAAP. For more details see http://www.icb.org.za/professional-membership

When can I start with my ICB studies?

Reminder, that ICB is the Examination Body, therefore, it does not not provide tuition, tuition support nor provide any form of study material. Not sure what an Examination Body does, here is an article to help, https://www.icb.org.za/examination-body/

ICB Programmes,Subjects, Curriculums & Course Outlines

The ICB’s programmes have been streamlined into three offerings:

• Financial Accounting
• Business Management
• Office Administration

Assessments

Assessments are completed according to the three learning phases applicable to each module (except for RTAP). Learning phases 1 and 2 consist of an assignment and a class test each; these assessments are completed online with students being auto-marked. Learning phase 3 requires students to download an assignment for completion offline; the completed assignment then needs to be uploaded to the digital PoE as a single document. Learning phase 3 also contains the final exam which is completed either as a paper-based assessment or online according to the student’s selection.

The PoE – (Portfolio of Evidence) 

There is a single PoE per module for the academic year. This means that students complete one PoE for each module and retain that PoE even if they are required to resit an exam. Thus, there is one set of assignments and one set of tests that need to be completed once.

In order to ensure that the ICB’s courses are relevant, a full academic review is undertaken to ensure that the syllabus and learning outcomes are up to-date in accordance with current legislation, payroll regulations and taxation requirements.

With this in mind, the ICB, and the publishers of the tuition material update syllabus and material in January of each year. The impact for students is that you will be assessed on any changes from 1 April of each year.  The publishers of the tuition material release new material in January which enables students sufficient time to study the new curriculum and to be ready to be assessed from April onwards.   

Curriculum Statements

Please download this document:  ICB Curriculum Statements  

 To register for any one of these programmes:https://transcollege.co.za/apply-to-transcollege/

List of Module / Subject Names and Abbreviations 

Name	Abbreviation
Bookkeeping to Trial Balance	BKTB
Payroll and Monthly SARS Returns	PMSR
Computerised Bookkeeping	CPBK
Business Literacy	BUSL
Financial Statements	FNST
Cost and Management Accounting	CMGT
Income Tax Returns	ITRT

Corporate Strategy	CRPS
Management Accounting Control Systems	MACS
Financial Reporting and Regulatory Frameworks	FRRF
Research Theory and Practice	RTAP
Business Management 1	BMT1

Office and Legal Practice	OLPR
Business Management 2	BMT2
Human Resources Management and Labour Relations	HRLR
Marketing Management and Public Relations	MMPR

Business Management 3	BMT3
Financial Management and Control	FMCL
Business and Office Administration 1	BOA1
Business Law and Administrative Practice	BLAP
Business and Office Administration 2	BOA2

Economics	ECON
Business and Office Administration 3	BOA3
Management	MGMT

Your route to a Degree and further progression options

• Boston offers a Bachelor of Accounting as well as a Diploma in Financial Accounting
• Damelin offers a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting; Marketing and Business Management; Business Management.
• Milpark offers a Bachelor of Commerce, as well as a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Tax, Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Human Resources or in Marketing.

ICB has also partnered with other institutions to further your academic studies:

• ACCA offers all ICB graduates that holds a National Diploma: Financial Accounting NQF the option to study further.
• CIMA offers ICB graduates holding the National Diploma: Financial Accounting NQF 6 qualification exemptions to advance their studies.
• ICB is also now endorsed by an International External Examination Body IQB – www.iqb.org.uk 

For more details, see www.icb.org.za/what-to-study/progression-degree/.

Support Material, USB’s, Pastel Codes or Text Books

Transcollege strives provide its students studying for any one of the ICB programs with as much support as possible. The college will provide you with:  

X Text Books

X Tuition Material Queries

X Pastel and Sage Codes

X Videos

X USB’s

X Past Papers

X Tuition

X Content of your PoE

How to Register as a New Student?

Register for a Course

Once a student is registered on the portal (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozbgenu5-Kk&t=167s) it is necessary to then register for a qualification or Professional Certificate. This is done by clicking on the Register for a Course on the left-hand side of the screen.

On clicking on Register for a Course, the student then needs to select the study stream / programme that they wish to enrol for:

• Financial Accounting
• Business Management
• Office Administration

By clicking on the relevant stream / programme, the student will then have access to a list of accredited providers for that particular programme. From the list of providers, the student needs to tick their preferred provider (ie: the college / institution at which they will study).

Confirmation of Registration

After selecting the provider from the list, a new page will appear that confirms the student’s registration. This page will:

• State the qualification / Professional certificate  for which the student is registered
• The name of the training centre
• The type of tuition offered by the provider (classroom or distance)

Students will automatically be registered for all modules within a stream.

NEXT STEP:  You will need to select and enter your first exam.  Click here for further information.

What are the entry requirements?

Good news! You do not need a Matric! The minimum requirement to start our course in Bookkeeping is 16 years of age and a Grade 10 (Std 8).

NB: no previous accounting experience is necessary!

How long does an ICB Qualification or Professional Certificate last?

ICB Qualifications and Professional Certificates are made up of a number of courses (levels). Each Qualification can range from six (6) months to three (3) years, depending on which Qualification or Professional Certificate  you register for and if you are going to study full time or part-time.

There are no restrictions as to how many subjects you can do at a time.  It is entirely your decision.  Just make sure that you don’t double book your exams.  Ie don’t write more than one exam on a day.

Each subject in the course should take about 48 hours of study before you write the final exam.

Some students do one subject at a time, others do 4 at a time.  You can choose which will best suite you.

There are no time limits on course duration, but each Qualification or Professional Certificate does have a stipulated last date of achievement.  Currently this is about 2029.

Each year the syllabi get updated with new content, to keep the material relevant with changes in the industry and new legislation.  Especially with Income Tax and Payroll.

• What to study National Diploma in Financial Accounting –https://transcollege.co.za/programmes/financial-accounting-programme-south-africa/
• What to study National Diploma in Office Administration –https://transcollege.co.za/programmes/office-administration-programme/

Will I find employment after doing an ICB Qualification or Professional Certification?

Looking to secure employment?

We often get asked the question…..  Will I get a job after doing an ICB qualification and/or Professional Certification?

We cant give a guarantee, but we can tell you what we know.  1000’s of students study ICB each year, and there are many many employment opportunities.  Every single business needs a bookkeeper!  It does not matter how big or small, or in what industry, every business needs someone to do their books.

Many bookkeepers then go on to be very successful Financial Managers.

Here is a great article about why it is a good idea to study bookkeeping:  https://www.icb.org.za/6-reasons-to-study-a-bookkeeping-course/

Certificates – which ones do I get and when?

ICB/IQB Subject Certificates:

From the 1 July 2024 , all students will receive a digital dual branded subject certificates for each subject that they have passed.

Digital certificates are available for download on the student portal free of charge. (Distance students will be able to do this themselves, but Classroom students can request these from their colleges) 

A hard copy certificate can be requested at a cost. Click on the link below for pricing on subject certificates. https://www.icb.org.za/exam-fees/

ICB Programme Certificates:

Hard copy certificates will be despatched to you or your provider, 6-8 weeks after the results are released.

These will be sent to you via PAXI to the closest collection point to the physical address that we have for you at the time of dispatch. Once your certificate has been dispatched, you will receive a notification via sms, with your Tracking Number.

FASSET Qualification certificates:

As soon as you have been declared competent in all the modules that make up a qualification (e.g. National Certificate: Bookkeeping), the ICB will send your final results to Fasset, who will authorise ICB to print the certificate on their behalf. Upon approval, the certificate will be printed and sent to your provider, or to you via PAXI.

Please allow for up to 8 weeks for this process to be concluded.

FASSET Qualification Certificate Re-issues 

A re-issue of a Fasset qualification certificate can only be requested for the following reasons and any request must be sent to the ICB with a copy of the learner’s ID and an affidavit requesting a reissue and stating the reasons for reissue;

• On the loss of certificate;
• On damage on the certificate;
• When learner changes or making an additional name/surname;
• When there’s an error on the certificate;
• When learner changes the Passport number (where a learner is a non-South Africa).

Any requests for a reissue other than the above will not be considered.

A copy certificate will incur fees. Click on the next link for pricing on subject certificates  https://www.icb.org.za/exam-fees/

FASSET Qualification Certificates for Learnerships

Follow-up with regards to learnership certificates are to be done directly with Fasset.  All learnership requests received by ICB will be forwarded to Fasset who will process the request and issue the certificate. This process can take between 3 – 6 months.

For a learnership certificate re-issue to be processed, the following documents need to be provided to Fasset and can be sent to Berlinda.melamane@fasset.org.za;

• Learner certified ID copy
• Affidavit requesting a reissue with reasons thereof