Got Questions?

Find answers here in our FAQ section or contact us for more information.

General questions

We have always driven innovation and change in our institutional processes to support the delivery of industry-aligned courses and programmes, so that iQ Academy can offer our students the best learning experience at the most affordable fees.

iQ Academy has its roots in distance education and was an early adopter of online web-based learning. Our first online learning platform was launched in 2014 and we built on that success by embedding technology into our world, all with the goal of providing affordable and quality online learning.

We have been around for 17 years as a private education group and in that time saw 40,000 students completing our courses. We now develop our online curricula with industry experts and embedded industry best practices to ensure meet the expectation of the next generation of learners. If you are unsure, complete one of our free micro courses to get a better sense of how we do education.

A CV is not only a record of your work experience and formal qualification, it is an expansive record of skills and personal attributes showcasing you as an individual. Any short course you complete is an extra academic activity that will find its place in your CV and will enhance your profile and highlight not only your skills but also your commitment to investing in yourself. This is very useful especially if you are looking for career advancement or promotion.

Any formal or informal academic activity is beneficial to your career. Key benefits of doing a short course, in terms of your career include:

1) Promotional opportunities

The more you equip yourself with the key and in-demand skills your company requires, the more you become a necessary component of the company's success. Investing regularly in online certificate courses continually enhances your promotion prospects, and it highlights to your employers your dedication to personal development and growth, a key element any organisation looks for in star employees.

2) Higher Salary

There are very few people that would disagree that having a higher salary is something that motivates them. Incorporating online short courses into developing your professional profile is a positive habit to develop, and will help fast-track the acquisition of key skills that supercharges your salary increase discussion.

3) Deeper skills sets

In today's world, you have the freedom and opportunity to strategically build your skills and develop critical competencies by completing online short courses. These new skills and competencies can be applied in your current role or help you qualify for that aspiring promotion you are dreaming of.

4) Becoming an entrepreneur

Going to a university and getting a degree is not necessarily a path every entrepreneur takes. Some of us know exactly what we want to do and what direction we want to take our life in. If you want to start your own business you will need to be equipped with a diverse set of skills. Some you may already have and others can be developed through online short courses, setting you up to become a successful entrepreneur.

5) Freedom and fun

Online short courses are a flexible and fun way to learn, you can study anytime, anywhere with no pressure. The interactive and rich learning content at your fingertips enables you to complete your course with minimal effort. The mobility associated with online courses and learning platforms makes it not only convenient but also fun.

Whether you are a professional or a school leaver you could be completing short online courses to improve your career in as little as a few months.

Enrolment questions

To enrol in one of our online courses, simply follow these easy steps:

1) Select your course

Visit our courses website and choose the online course you wish to enroll in. Click on any "Register" button to begin the process. Note that not all short courses are available for online enrollment. If you have any questions, feel free to submit an enquiry and a student advisor will contact you.

2) Choose your payment term

Choose an affordable payment term. You can select different payment terms to see the monthly payment amount. Select your monthly installment date. We recommend aligning your instalment date with your salary date.

Once you are satisfied, click "Register Now" to proceed.

3) Confirm your course details

Review and confirm your course details. If you have a discount voucher enter it here and click "Apply Voucher".

Click "Next".

4) Create your profile

Complete a quick and easy online profile by filling in your personal details. If you are already a registered user, simply log in with your existing profile.

5) Pay

Fill in your ID number.

Review your payment plan.

Accept our Terms and Conditions

Click "Pay Now"

Once you have finished the registration process and made your initial payment, you will be granted instant access to your course.

To start your course, simply click on the "My Courses" menu item.

You will get access to the Student Orientation course, our free Do Life range of courses, and the first unit of your chosen course.

The remainder of your course units will be released on your learning schedule.

Payment questions

Yes, we only partner with providers that are leaders in their field. PayFast is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant and ensures that sensitive financial information like credit and debit card details are protected from third parties during online transactions. Visit https://payfast.io/security-fraud/ for more information about how they keep us all safe and secure.

Phishing and other scams are real and you should always be on the lookout for suspicious communication. For more info please visit:

https://support.payfast.co.za/portal/en/kb/articles/suspicious-emails-phishing-scams

iQ Academy is dedicated to offering flexible and creative solutions in all aspects of our services. You have the choice of paying for your course in full by selecting that option, or you can opt for one of our adaptable payment plans of up to 12 months.

Our plans are completely interest-free, and we don't charge any fees for late payments. An active debit or credit card is required for both our full payment and payment plans. Just choose the option that works best for you and proceed to payment.

iQ Academy offers convenient, interest-free payment plans that suit your needs.

Simply select your desired payment term on registration to see the monthly instalment value.
Select your monthly payment date.
Activate your payment plan with a small upfront payment.
The monthly payments are scheduled to deduct from your bank card (debit or credit) and will be deducted on the monthly payment date that you selected.

Our payment plans are great value:

No credit checks
Zero interest
Zero fees

Your payment history will show under "Orders" in "My Profile"

You have the flexibility to make payments at any time and from anywhere by logging in and accessing the "My Profile" menu. Click on the "Subscriptions" tab, then on your subscription and select "Pay Now". You will be redirected to the payment gateway to complete the payment process. Within a few minutes, the payment should reflect, and your account will be updated, granting you access to your course once again.

If you wish to cancel your registration and receive a full refund, you may do so within 7 calendar days from the registration date. Once we receive confirmation of your banking details and all necessary documentation, the refund should be processed within 7 working days. After the 7-day period, while you may cancel future payments, no refunds will be granted for payments already made.

Additionally, once your refund is processed, your access to the course will be revoked. For more information, please contact a Student Advisor, or your dedicated Student Experience Consultant, or review our terms and conditions.

Yes, you can. Most employers have budgets to invest in the training and development of their employees. Not only will it show your willingness to grow but also it will enhance your performance as an employee.

Request your employer's bursary for further studies policy or if they don't have one approach your HR manager with the course you want to do. We recommend that you motivate the reason why you want to study and what the benefits to the organisation will be. Depending on the available budget and process you should have an answer quite quickly. Any student that wants to do an online short course or qualification through iQ Academy can contact our enrolment team and they will assist you.

My studies

There are no written examinations for short courses. As part of your learning, you are encouraged to complete activities throughout units, which help you build and test your knowledge. You will be required to complete and submit one formative assessment at the end of each unit. To meet the requirement for this course, you will have to pass the final summative assessment at the end of the course, before you can get certified.

The following learning activities form part of your overall learning path:

Onboarding course (included in the course duration)
Self-directed reading and activity completion
Multimedia activities such as video clips and podcasts
Completion of quizzes and continuous assessments
Online announcements of activities and assignment submission
Self-reflection
Case studies
Assessment activities and compulsory submission of formative and summative assessments per module

All our courses are backed by a recognition and certification policy:

Self-directed short course: Upon successful completion of your course, a student will receive a digital iQ certificate of competence.
Micro courses: Upon successful completion of your course, a student will receive a digital iQ micro certificate of competence.

For all our qualifications your certificate is endorsed with a distinction should you achieve an aggregate result of 75% or more

Virtual Campus

The iQ Virtual Campus will be your learning platform for the duration of your course. Through its mobile-friendly and easy-to-use interface, you'll have access to different course content formats, including interactive content, video lectures, unit notes, practice activities, presentations, assessments, and many other additional resources.

The course content is curated for self-directed studies and is perfect for online students. Each unit of your course is released on a learning plan, giving you the opportunity to study at your own pace and in your own time. You can manage your learning, make payments and check your results all in one convenient place.

In order to qualify for certification, you must fulfill all requirements for your online course, including completing and passing all assessments. You can review your progress in each course by accessing your online Gradebook by going to "My Courses" and click on the relevant course. Additionally, all fees associated with your payment plan must be fully paid with no outstanding balance. Once both of these conditions are met, you'll be able to download your digital certificate.

For a small additional fee, you also have the option to request a printed copy of your certificate.

Course questions

Short courses are typically non-credit-bearing programmes, affording students the opportunity to build their professional credentials without the higher cost and time associated with studying for a university degree or qualification.

Short courses in general terms are designed to offer fundamental knowledge and skills or be advanced learning in a specific area or discipline. Thus depending on the learner's unique requirement they can serve a multitude of learning opportunities.

Our short courses can be completed over several weeks or months, depending on the course you enrol for. iQ short courses are designed to complement a working professional's lifestyle through flexible and managed online learning.

Our short course curricula are developed by industry experts and academics and are internally quality-assured and approved by our Academic Board. Our short courses are institutional programmes and are non-credit bearing.

For more information on our institutional registration and accreditation status view our [Insert Link to accreditation page]

Short courses are traditionally not credit-bearing in Higher Education, with some exceptions possible. Our short courses are not credit-bearing and you will not be able to get credits toward a degree or diploma. Some of our short courses are aligned to modules in our higher certificates and can be used as entry and in some cases, an application for recognition of prior learning (RPL) can be done to obtain credits. Speak to our registration department for more information.

Some courses however are endorsed by certain professional bodies, and/or may contribute towards one’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points, Continuing Education Units (CEU), Professional Development Units (PDU), or other similar learning units as detailed on the respective course pages.

Our short courses are structured to meet the flexibility demands of our working students, which allows them to balance life and commitments. Our short courses vary in length from just a couple of weeks to 6 months. Our managed learning paths are aligned with the course terms and we have built a flexible schedule to allow for the unforeseen, we do however recommend that students try their best to complete their studies within the course terms. We also do provide extensions to students to complete their course post-term.

No, a short course is not a qualification. A short course is a specific type of course. The key differences between a qualification and a short course are:

1) Qualifications are credit-bearing and lead to a recognised qualification, and short courses are not (exceptions do exist).

2) Qualifications are quality controlled by regulatory bodies and institutions are required to be accredited to offer them, whilst short courses are industry-developed courses that are quality controlled by the provider's academic structures.

3) Qualifications are lengthy and require significant study time, whilst short courses can be as short as a few minutes or days.

4) The rationale and purpose of qualifications and short courses are vastly different.

The decision of what type of course or programme a student pursues is as unique as humankind. So consult specialists, friends and family, do your research, and plan your career. You can consider a short course as an aid to specialize further or see your studies from a different perspective before you make a decision to do a full qualification.

The short course is an extra academic activity that will find its place in your CV and will enrich your experience. This is very useful especially if you are looking for a job or better opportunities. As short courses are short in both time and nature, your ability to use the skills you have acquired in your job is immediate, and you can therefore see the benefits in terms of your career and promotion possibilities, equally as quickly

The choice to study is personal and unique to each individual, as such there is no cookie-cutter approach. There is however a surefire way to clarify your decision, through a simple 10-step process:

Identify your reason to study
Decide on your career path
Identify skills requirements
Decide on the mode
Research and choose
Budget
Assess your eligibility
Apply
Plan your study time, to make sure you are prepared to start your course
Ensure that you stay committed once you have made your decision to upskill yourself

Self-directed learning is an instructional strategy where the students take ownership of their learning and their schedule with guidance from a facilitator. Self-directed courses are flexible to accommodate students' circumstances and needs. Self-directed learning means you can start anytime and you can study at your own pace. At iQ Academy we provide a structured learning path as a framework to assist with planning your learning and a content release schedule to assist with managing learning more effectively.

iQ Academy hosts a graduation ceremony once a year for our qualifications students that have completed any of our higher certificates or diplomas. Short courses do not have a graduation ceremony and their certification will happen on completion of the course.

Kindly note that iQ Academy does not endorse or support any privately organised ceremonies for short courses and students must be vigilant of scams in this respect. If our logos and branding are used it is done illegally and without our consent and must please be reported to us. If in doubt please contact us for assistance.

Online short courses are a great way to enhance your earning potential. Completing courses regularly adds to your professional image and the skills you gain will add value to your employer. Not only will the employer benefit from your newly acquired knowledge and skills, but it will also show your employer that you have determination and willingness to invest in yourself, these are great assets in an employee. Thus when you complete a course and add it to your resume you can confidently walk into a salary discussion to motivate your next increase.

Online short courses are ideal for working students wanting to invest in their careers. They are great options to add skills and knowledge whilst you work full time. The structure of online short courses is also of such a nature that they provide more flexible learning paths with less pressure being put on working students. You can normally study online short courses at your own pace and check your progress against the suggested completion timeframes.

Online learning has placed engaging and interactive learning content at each student's fingertips. The mobility associated with online courses and learning platforms makes it not only convenient but also very fun.

Student Support

We at iQ faculty believe that having a plan for completing your studies is critical. Hence we developed learning paths for each of our courses, they are like a schedule to ensure our students have flexibility in their studies, whilst remaining on track. The learning path provides guidance on where you should be with your studies and assessments and help you keep track. Units and lessons are delivered on a schedule with an estimated weekly time investment of 6-8 hours.

Our self-directed online courses have a fixed schedule of releasing units on the Virtual Campus according to the learning path. Each unit has a specific release schedule and the release dates can be viewed on your course page. We have planned the course unit release schedule to ensure students have sufficient time to complete each unit and the corresponding assessments. If you don't see the new unit being it may be that your payment plan is not up to date, or the next release date has not yet arrived.