Higher National Certificate - Definition

A Higher National Certificate (HNC) is a higher education qualification in the United Kingdom, and is a BTEC qualification awarded by Edexcel, in England. In Scotland, the qualification is awarded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. 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.