Introduction

The Foundation Certificate is a postgraduate certificate programme aimed at inexperienced or new entrants to the insolvency profession, especially in emerging market and developing jurisdictions. While the course is open for anyone to register, please note that the Foundation Certificate course is deemed suitable for persons with less than five (5) years' experience.

INSOL International aims to provide an affordable, easily accessible course for working practitioners that can be completed at a realistic pace with the use of modern technology. To this end, the course is presented entirely online and does not require registered candidates to travel anywhere in order to complete the course.

Duration

The Foundation Certificate course is presented in one-year cycles between 1 September and 31 August each year and can be completed in one year, or over the course of two years, should candidates wish to pace themselves in the completion of the course.

Registered candidates are required to complete eight (8) modules in order to obtain the certificate, three of which are compulsory modules and five of which are elective modules. For the elective modules candidates can choose from 35 jurisdictions in five regions across the globe and one general module on Ethics and Professional Practice. The prescribed materials for each of the modules have been prepared by experts in practice and academia, reflecting a wide pool of specialised expertise.

The next Foundation Certificate Course opens registrations on 1 May 2026 and commences on 1 September 2026.

Course Brochure

The Course Brochure for this course can be found here.

The dates during which applications for bursaries can be made are between 29 August 2026 and 4 September 2026. Applications received before or after these dates will not be considered.

Entry criteria

The entry criteria for this course are as follows:

• A person holding a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in law, accounting (including the ACA and ACCA qualifications) or business management (or related fields);*
• Is proficient in the English language;**
• Has access to appropriate internet facilities (that is, internet facilities of a speed capable of downloading PDF documents and streaming videos).

* Degrees in law, accounting or business management are those encountered most often in practice in this field. However, degrees and experience in related fields may also be accepted.

** INSOL International retains the right to request an IELTS or TOEFL certificate of proficiency where it appears that an applicant’s English proficiency may be inadequate for the purposes of completing the course.

Please note that the recipients of a bursary under this scheme will be required to pay a refundable deposit of £200 when enrolling. This deposit is refundable to the applicant on condition that they engage with and complete the programme.

Application form for bursary

The application form for a bursary on the Foundation Certificate can be found here.