Best online CMI Level 5 courses UK (2026): how to choose

What to compare in an online CMI Level 5 course

• The exact title and number. CMI Level 5 in Management and Leadership comes as an Award (603/2390/5), a Certificate (603/2391/7) and a Diploma (603/2392/9). If the full title and Ofqual number match, it is the same qualification wherever you study it.
• The size. The Award is 1 unit and 7 credits, the Certificate 2 units and 13 credits, and the Diploma 7 units and 41 credits. Compare a Diploma with a Diploma.
• What the fee includes. Some providers add the CMI registration fee on top of the course fee. Lift College includes it.
• How you pay. Providers offer a single payment, a deposit and instalments, or monthly payments. Lift College is yearly or monthly, with no credit check and the right to cancel any time.
• Tutor support and marking. Every unit is one written assignment on a CMI-issued brief, with no exams. Ask who marks your work and what happens if it is referred. At Lift College, Lift assessors mark each unit Pass or Refer, and referred work gets feedback and an agreed date to resubmit.
• Time to finish. At about 10 hours a week the Diploma is planned at about 41 weeks, and you have up to 5 years from CMI registration to finish. Our guide to how long CMI Level 5 takes breaks this down by size.

CMI Level 5 Diploma fees compared

These are full Diploma fees for the CMI Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership, as each provider showed them on its own page, checked 26 October 2026.

Oxford College of Management and MOL also sell the Diploma. Their fees, and the Award and Certificate fees for every provider, are in our CMI Level 5 price comparison. Prices change, so check each provider's page before you enrol.

What the Diploma covers

The Diploma is 7 CMI units, 41 credits and 164 guided learning hours: 501 Principles of Management and Leadership in an Organisational Context, 502 Principles of Developing, Managing and Leading Individuals and Teams to Achieve Success, 504 Managing Performance, 520 Managing Finance, 515 Creating and Delivering Operational Plans, 513 Managing Projects to Achieve Results and 514 Managing Change. The Award is unit 501, and the Certificate is units 501 and 502.

Who should choose which

• You want to try the course before you pay and spread the cost: Lift College, with a 7-day free trial, monthly payments, no credit check and the right to cancel any time.
• You want a fixed course fee and are happy to pay the CMI registration fee separately: NEC showed the lowest Diploma fee of the other providers we checked on 26 October 2026.
• You want a shorter first step: the Award is one unit, about 7 weeks at about 10 hours a week. The Award, Certificate and Diploma stack, so units you have passed count when you top up.

What you get with Lift College

• The CMI Level 5 Award, Certificate or Diploma in Management and Leadership, taught fully online by a CMI approved centre (approval granted 26 October 2026).
• A named UK tutor who gives written feedback on every assignment, with flexible start dates.
• One written assignment per unit on a CMI-issued brief, marked Pass or Refer by Lift assessors. There are no exams.
• The CMI registration fee included, and free CMI Affiliate membership until you complete your studies if you are not already a member.
• Time to fit study around work. At about 10 hours a week the Award takes about 7 weeks, the Certificate about 13 weeks and the Diploma about 41 weeks, with up to 5 years from CMI registration to finish.
• A route to chartered status. Every Level 5 completer is eligible for Foundation Chartered Manager (fCMgr) if they keep their CMI membership, and Diploma completers with at least 3 years of management and leadership experience may be eligible for Chartered Manager (CMgr).
• 7-day free trial, cancel any time, and 14-day money back on every payment.

CMI Level 5 is a Level 5 qualification, the same level as a foundation degree or HND. It is a professional management qualification, not a degree. You need to be 16 or over with good written English, and CMI sets no formal entry requirements.