NCTJ Course Fees Compared — Five UK Training Providers
The gap between the cheapest and the most expensive route to an NCTJ diploma is roughly ten thousand pounds, and the headline course fee does not always include the exams. Seeing the routes side by side is the point.
Last reviewed: Next review due:
NCTJ Training Provider Fee Comparison
A side-by-side breakdown of UK NCTJ-accredited course fees and exam costs across leading providers. Fees are approximate and verified as of June 2026.
| Provider | Location | Delivery | Course Fee | NCTJ Exams | Total Est. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| News Associates | London / Manchester | Full-time / Part-time / Online | £3,495 – £4,495 | Included | £3,495 – £4,495 | Fast-track options available; often ranked #1 NCTJ centre |
| Press Association Training | London (primarily) | Full-time / Online | £3,600 – £5,000 | Included | £3,600 – £5,000 | Industry-backed; strong broadcast pathway |
| City, University of London | London | Full-time (postgraduate) | £12,500 – £14,000 | Included | £12,500 – £14,000 | MA Journalism; prestigious; includes NCTJ fast-track |
| NMA Academy (National Media Academy) | Birmingham | Full-time / Apprenticeship | £2,800 – £4,200 | Included | £2,800 – £4,200 | Apprenticeship route available; good Midlands network |
| Lambeth College / NCTJ Direct | London / Online | Part-time / Online | £1,800 – £2,500 | £850 approx (separate) | £2,650 – £3,350 | Lower cost entry; exam fees billed separately by NCTJ |
Last reviewed: 13 June 2026. Fees are approximate and subject to change — always verify directly with the provider before applying.
Note on NCTJ exam fees: NCTJ exam fees are set by NCTJ and change annually. Some centres bundle them; others charge separately. Budget an additional £800–£1,000 if not included.
How it works
- A static table of five providers: News Associates, Press Association Training, City, University of London, NMA Academy in Birmingham, and Lambeth College / NCTJ Direct.
- Seven columns per provider — name linked to its own site, location, delivery mode, course fee range, whether NCTJ exam fees are included, a total estimate and a notes line.
- The exam-fee column is a badge: green “Included” for four of the five, amber for the one that bills exams separately at roughly £850.
- A footer note says NCTJ exam fees are set by the NCTJ and change annually, and to budget an extra £800-£1,000 where they are not bundled.
- Nothing is calculated, sorted or filtered. Every figure is hard-coded in the page, as is the “last reviewed 13 June 2026” line.
When to use it
- Costing the qualification before deciding between a fast-track course and a postgraduate degree.
- Checking whether a quoted course fee includes the exams before you compare two providers.
- Building a case for funding, a bursary or an apprenticeship route with the numbers in one place.
- Working out whether relocating for a London course is worth the difference.
What it does not do
- Despite the name in the tools feed, it does not list NCTJ module fees or resit fees. It compares course fees at five providers, and four of the five rows simply say exam fees are “Included” — for the cost of a single module or a resit, the NCTJ’s own fee schedule is the only source.
- Five providers out of roughly eighty NCTJ-accredited centres, weighted heavily towards London. A provider missing from this table has not been assessed and rejected; it has simply not been listed.
- The fees are approximate ranges hard-coded directly into the component, stamped with a hand-typed “Last reviewed: 13 June 2026” that no script maintains — there is no fetch, no cron and no build step that refreshes it, so the date will read exactly as current in 2027 and beyond unless someone edits the file by hand. Confirm every figure with the provider before you commit to a course.
- The Lambeth College / NCTJ Direct row bundles two different routes into a single line and links to the NCTJ course finder rather than to the college.
- Course fee is not the cost of qualifying. Shorthand resits, exam retakes, travel, and living costs or lost earnings while studying full-time will usually dwarf the differences shown here.
More tools
This is one of the free tools on UK JournoHub. See the full tools index for the rest.