Higher National Certificate
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A Higher National Certificate (HNC) is a higher education qualification in the United Kingdom.
The HNC is a BTEC qualification awarded by Edexcel in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the Scottish Qualifications Authority in Scotland. The attainment level is one below that of a Higher National Diploma (HND) and two below that of a bachelor's degree. Studied fulltime, the qualification normally takes one year.
It is usual for HNCs to cover roughly the same area as the first level of a HND, and therefore the first level of a bachelor's degree. It is quite common for those who have passed an HNC to upgrade their qualification by either undertaking a further level to obtain an HND or another two levels, sometimes three, to obtain a bachelor's degree.