Association of Chartered

Certified Accountants

Information Sheet for Prospective Students

in THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES.

WHY ACCOUNTANCY?
You may be wondering “why accountancy?” when really the question is “why not?” More people
are choosing a career in finance than ever before. The global demand for finance professionals
has never been higher, and their work more varied. Choose a career in accountancy and you
are entering a world of unlimited possibilities.

Accountancy will put you right at the centre of any organisation, giving you the chance to
influence its business and ethical decision-making. Finance professionals are at the very centre
of things. There is no better time to join the profession.

WHO OR WHAT IS ACCA?

ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is the largest and fastest-growing
global professional accountancy body with 296,000 students and 115,000 members in 170
countries. We aim to offer the first choice qualifications to people of application, ability and
ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and
management.

We support our students and members throughout their careers, providing services through a
network of nearly 80 offices and centres. We have established more than 50 global accountancy
partnerships, through which we deliver qualifications and a range of services which promote
global standards, benefit the accountancy profession and enhance the value of accountants in
the workplace. We work closely with nearly 8,500 employers of accountants and finance
professionals.

We use our expertise and experience to work with governments, donor agencies and professional
bodies to develop the accountancy profession. We aim to achieve and promote the highest
professional, ethical and governance standards and advance the public interest.

ACCA's reputation is grounded in over 100 years of providing accounting and finance
qualifications. Our long traditions are complemented by modern thinking, backed by a diverse,
global membership.

THE ACCA PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATION
The ACCA Qualification is designed to provide the accounting knowledge, skills and professional
values which will deliver finance professionals who are capable of building successful careers
across all sectors, whether they are working in the public or private sectors, practising in
accounting firms, or pursuing a career in business.

In order to qualify as an ACCA member, you will complete:

• 14 exams (up to nine of which are eligible for exemption)

• relevant practical experience, with a minimum of three years
• a Professional Ethics module.

The ACCA Qualification embeds the global accounting education standards set by the
International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). There is a strong focus on professional values,
ethics, and governance. These skills are examined at the highest level in the ACCA Qualification
and are a core element of your practical experience requirements.

You will need to complete 14 papers in total. Those papers are:

FUNDAMENTALS (nine papers in total)

Knowledge
F1 Accountant in Business (AB)
F2 Management Accounting (MA)
F3 Financial Accounting (FA)

Skills
F4 Corporate and Business Law (CL)
F5 Performance Management (PM)
F6 Taxation (TX)
F7 Financial Reporting (FR)
F8 Audit and Assurance (AA)
F9 Financial Management (FM)

PROFESSIONAL (five papers in total)

Essentials
P1 Professional Accountant (PA)
P2 Corporate Reporting (CR)
P3 Business Analysis (BA)

Options (two to be completed)

P4 Advanced Financial Management (AFM)
P5 Advanced Performance Management (APM)
P6 Advanced Taxation (ATX)
P7 Advanced Audit and Assurance (AAA)

Past papers, Syllabus and Study Guides, Technical Articles on key examinable topics, Reading
lists and other Information and Resources are available by visiting a dedicated area of our global
website, www.accaglobal.com/students/study_exams/qualifications/

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

GRADUATE ENTRY ROUTE

Relevant degree holders may be exempted from a number of exams within the Fundamentals
Level, as may holders of certain other professional or academic qualifications. Please see the
Exemption Section below.

NON-GRADUATE ENTRY ROUTE (UAE Institutions)

Qualification ACCA
Secondary School Certificate (Tawjihiya) Insufficient for registration
Associate Degree Sufficient for Registration
Higher College of Technology Diploma Sufficient for Registration
University Diploma Sufficient for Registration

NON-GRADUATE ENTRY ROUTE (Other Countries)

Full information on the minimum entrance criteria for each country is available on ACCA’s website
by visiting www.accaglobal.com/documents/minentry.doc

MATURE STUDENT ENTRY

Entry to ACCA is permitted for any students with sufficient work experience, even with no
academic requirements. Mature Entry Students must pass the equivalent of Papers F2,
Management Accounting and F3, Financial Accounting within two years before further
progression to the ACCA exams is permitted.

ACCESS TO ACCA VIA THE CAT QUALIFICATION

Access to ACCA via CAT qualification is permitted for students who first sit the Certified
Accounting Technician (CAT) qualification and then transfer to the Skills module of the ACCA
Qualification by claiming exemption from the first three papers in the Knowledge module.

EXEMPTIONS
The number of exemptions you can claim will depend on how closely your previous qualifications
match the content of the ACCA syllabus.

If you have received a degree from ANOTHER COUNTRY outside the UAE, please visit
www.accaglobal.com/join/acca/exemptions where a full international database is available.

In the UAE, the following institutions have accredited programs with ACCA, awarding
exemptions:

• ABU DHABI UNIVERSITY

• AJMAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
• AMERICAN COLLEGE OF DUBAI
• AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN DUBAI
 • AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF SHARJAH
• CENTRE FOR AMERICAN EDUCATION
• HIGHER COLLEGES OF TECHNOLOGY
• SHARJAH COLLEGE
• UNITED ARAB EMIRATES SCHOOL QUALIFICATIONS
• UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNIVERSITY

Full details of exemptions awarded to various programmes from these universities can be
accessed by visiting www.accaglobal.com/join/acca/exemptions.

If you have a qualification from an institution which is not listed on our database, please send
your documentation to ACCA for further review.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?

The length of time it takes to qualify as an ACCA member depends on you.

The ACCA Qualification is designed to be flexible. Although we would always recommend you to
complete the practical experience along with passing the exams, it’s up to you to decide how you
study, how often you sit exams and where and how you gain your relevant practical experience.

You can take a maximum of four exams every six months and combining this with working full-
time would also mean you are simultaneously gaining the practical experience requirement also
necessary for membership. On average, an individual registering with the minimum entry
requirements, working full-time and studying on a part-time basis would take approximately three
to four years to gain their ACCA Qualification. However, depending on your previous
qualifications and relevant practical experience, you can complete the qualification much more
quickly. A graduate with a relevant degree and a couple of years relevant experience could
complete the qualification in as little as one or two years.

WHERE ARE THE EXAMINATIONS?

When you choose ACCA, you do not need to leave the UAE to sit your exams. We have two
Examination Centres in the Emirates and more than 160 ACCA examination centres around the
world.

Name Code Start Time

Abu Dhabi I-873 13:00
Dubai I-991 13:00

Examinations are invigilated by British Council professional staff.

For a full list of ACCA Examination Centres around the world, please visit
http://www.accaglobal.com/students/study_exams/exams/centres/

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
On registration you will be asked to pay an initial subscription fee. Then on 1 January each year,
an annual subscription fee will be due. As you enter for exams or claim exemptions, a payment
will be requested.

The following fees are applicable in 2009 (in GBP and are subject to change without written
notice)

Initial Registration £66

Annual Subscription £66

Exam Fees per paper for June 2009 session:

Knowledge £50
Skills £60
Professional £70

Exemption fees per paper are the same as exam fees.

HOW DO I PREPARE MYSELF FOR THE EXAMS?

In addition to registering with ACCA you will also need to decide how you wish to study and
prepare for the exams. You can choose to prepare yourself for examinations in one of three
ways:
• Self-Study
• Distance Learning
• Courses with a Tuition Provider

SELF-STUDY
Should you wish to study on your own, at your pace and within your schedule, you can purchase
textbooks and other study material from either of ACCA’s two APPROVED PUBLISHERS for the
Professional Scheme. These books are available directly from the United Kingdom, or in the
case of BPP, through a Middle Eastern Distributor. The contact details are :

Kaplan Publishing Foulks Lynch

www.kaplanfoulkslynch.com
ph: +44 113 200 6375

BPP Learning Media

www.bpp.com/lm
ph: +44 20 8740 2211
BPP’s Middle East Agent
ZamZam Publishing
P.O. Box 182161, Dubai UAE
ph: (04) 2733 722
email: zamzampublishing@yahoo.com

DISTANCE LEARNING
A number of distance learning options may be available to you. Some of these are listed below:

BPP Distance Learning www.bpp.com/acca/homestudy

email accacourses@bpp.com
ph: +44 (0) 208 740 2222.

FTC Kaplan Distance Learning FTC Kaplan distance learning team

www.ftckaplan.com.
email: accadistancelearning@ftckaplan.com
ph: +44 (0)113 200 6363

International Financial Publishing Limited www.ifpbooks.com

email: distancelearning@ifpbooks.com

Oxford Open Learning www.ool.co.uk/

email: lee.wilcock@ool.co.uk/

Premier Training www.premiertraining.co.uk

email: rose@premiertraining.co.uk

ACCREDITED TUITION PROVIDER

If you choose to study with a tuition provider, ACCA strongly recommends you opt for one which
is ACCA’s Approved Learning Partner (Platinum or Gold only), as you can be sure:

• they are monitored by ACCA

• they meet the minimum quality criteria
• they receive up-to-date information regarding ACCA

In addition to this, you can find some Subscribers to ACCA’s Tuition Providers Directory that have
not been formally assessed by ACCA. Hence the quality of tuition that students may receive from
these tuition providers cannot be guaranteed by ACCA.

In UAE at the present time, ACCA has three Gold Approved Learning Partner and five
Subscribers to the Directory, as follows:

Al Mihad Educational Institute GOLD status

2nd Floor Dubai Insurance Building,Al Riqqa Road,
Deira Dubai,United Arab Emirates
Ph: +971 4262 6520
Email: almihad@eim.ae
Etisalat Academy GOLD status
P O Box 99100,,Dubai, U.A.E Dubai,United Arab Emirates
Ph: +971 4 2043429
Email: operations@etac.ae

Al Hilal Education Institute GOLD status

 Standard Chartered Bank Building, 'O' Floor,PO Box 21300,
Bank Street, Sharjar,United Arab Emirates
Ph: +971 656 85013
Email: zulaid@alhilaleducation.ae

Arabian Vocational Training Centre

F-55, Block 2-A,Knowledge Village,92713,
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Ph: 971-4-3902788
Email: osamah@avtc.ae

Preston University Ajman

P.O.Box 20488,Karama
United Arab Emirates
Ph: +971 508 406635
Email: sameerah@accamail.com

MAS Education Centre

M-01, Rose Tower, Behind ADCB Tower, Salam Street,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Ph: +971 2 6765 800
Email: maseducationacca@yahoo.com

Our International Dhafir Institute

P O Box 46927,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Ph: +971 2 627 6090
Email: ouruae@eim.ae

Emirates Institute for Banking and Financial Studies

Sharjah City, 4166,United Arab Emirates
Ph: + 971 504 992232
Email: sara@eibfs.com

Throughout the Middle East, there are different approved tuition providers as well as listed
colleges, universities and institutes offering ACCA courses, and globally there are more than 470
such teaching partners. For a full listing of Approved Learning Partners and Subscribers to
ACCA’s Tuition Providers Directory, please visit
https://portal.accaglobal.com/accaweb/faces/page/public/tuitionprovider/searchtp/XXTPQuickSea
rchVO1Table.jspx

HOW DO I REGISTER?
Registration can take place at any time, however if you wish to take part in specific paper-based
examination sessions, the following deadlines apply:

For the June examinations Register by 31 December of the preceding year

For the December examinations Register by 15 August of the same year

You can register ONLINE by visiting www.accaglobal.com/join/register/online. You will then print
out and complete the ACCA Declaration Sheet, and enclose it with appropriate supporting
documentation (proof of qualifications etc) and return it to our office in Dubai or to ACCA in the
UK (contact details are provided at the end of this document).

You can complete an APPLICATION FORM and return it to the ACCA Regional Office in Dubai
or ACCA Connect in the UK (contact details are provided at the end of this document).
Application forms can be obtained by emailing info@ae.accaglobal.com or by contacting the
British Councils in Abu Dhabi, Dubai or Sharjah.

For further information and full details on the ACCA professional scheme, please
visit the dedicated area of our website, www.accaglobal.com/join/acca/.

OXFORD BROOKES DEGREE PARTNERSHIP

Get a BSc degree with your ACCA Qualification

As part of ACCA's innovative partnership with Oxford Brookes University, ACCA students are
able to study for a BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting, while taking their ACCA examinations. The
degree can be the stepping stone between being unqualified and having the ACCA Qualification,
providing you with a valuable skill set which will help you complete the ACCA Qualification and
help you excel in the workplace.

Students will be entitled to the degree (awarded by Oxford Brookes University) on completing the
Fundamentals level of the ACCA Qualification, the online Professional Ethics module and by
demonstrating their research, analysis, interpersonal and IT skills by completing a Research and
Analysis Project.

For more information, please visit the dedicated area of our website, which is :
www.accaglobal.com/students/study_exams/qualifications/degree/

FURTHER INFORMATION AND CONTACT DETAILS

For further information on ACCA, please feel free to contact us as follows:

ACCA Middle East ACCA Middle East

Regional Office PO Box 500671
 Dubai Knowledge Village
Dubai, U.A.E.
Ph: +971 4 391 5451
Fax: +971 4 3664068
Email: info@ae.accaglobal.com

ACCA Connect in the UK ACCA Connect

2 Central Quay
89 Hydepark Street
Glasgow G3 8BW UK
Ph: +44 141 582 2000
Fax: +44 141 582 2222
Email: students@accaglobal.com
info@accaglobal.com

www.accaglobal.com