Minimum Entry Requirements for CIMA:
CIMA Certificate: No minimum requirements
Johannesburg Polytechnic Minimum Requirements for Admission:

  • National Senior Certificate- 40% in Mathematics and English
  • O’level Certificate- Grade C and above in English and Mathematics or 12 years of education with good grades in Mathematics and English at more than 50%
  • Recognition of Prior Learning.

CIMA Diploma in Management Accounting: Operational Level

  • Pass in CIMA Certificate or Exemptions based on:
  • AAT Level 4
  • ICB NQF Level 6
  • ICB NQF Level 5
  • Degree or National Diploma from a recognized qualifying body

CIMA Advanced Diploma in Management Accounting: Managerial Level

  • Pass or exemptions  from CIMA Diploma and CIMA Certificate Level
  • Degree or National Diploma from a recognized qualifying body
  • CIMA Professional Gateway (If you have passed professional exams from other bodies e.g. ACCA, SAICA, SAIPA, ICAEW etc)

CIMA Strategic Level:

  • Pass or exemptions  from CIMA Diploma and CIMA Advanced Diploma
  • Pass in CIMA Professional Gateway
  • No exemptions are given for this level

Claim your exemptions by checking on the CIMA exemptions database:
http://www.cimaglobal.com/Study-with-us/Exemptions/Exemption-search/

What if your degree or qualification isn’t in the database

If your degree isn’t in the exemptions database but is in a subject related to the CIMA Professional Qualification you could still be awarded some exemptions from the CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting.If you have an MBA you could be eligible for exemptions for the CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting, as well as paper E1 of the Professional Qualification, or the Master’s gateway route.You will not be awarded exemptions if your degree is not in a subject related to the CIMA professional qualification and is not in the database

What degrees are considered?

Undergraduate and postgraduate degrees not found in the exemptions database are considered for exemptions.If you have studied outside of the UK , CIMA will use the UK National Recognition Information Centre to determine how your qualification compares.Qualifications must be comparable to at least a UK certificate of higher education to be considered for exemptions.

What exams will you be exempted from?

What exams you are exempt from will depend on:

  • Your degree certificate and course transcripts
  • What grouping your degree falls in to

The table below shows exemptions we would expect to award graduates with a degree in each of these areas. This list is not final and can vary from case to case.

Degree group Exemptions awarded
Accounting All certificate level exams
Business studies/administration All certificate level exams
Commerce All certificate level exams
Business general C03 – fundamentals of business mathematics
C04 – fundamentals of business economics
C05 – fundamentals of ethics, corporate governance and business law
Economics C03 – fundamentals of business mathematics
C04 – fundamentals of business economics.
Finance C01 – fundamentals of management accounting
C02 – fundamentals of financial accounting
C03 – fundamentals of business mathematics
C04 – fundamentals of business economics
Law C05 – fundamentals of ethics, corporate governance and business law
Mathematics / science / engineering C03 – fundamentals of business mathematics
Computing C03 – fundamentals of business mathematics
Management C03 – fundamentals of business mathematics
C04 – fundamentals of business economics
MBA All certificate level exams
E1 – enterprise operations.