StepEx

Paying for a university career accelerator

Six-month online programmes from King’s, Cambridge and LSE with FourthRev. No student loan, a university certificate, and the ways to pay.

  • Not available

    Master’s Loan

Find courses you could afford

Key facts

Length
Usually 6 months; Cambridge PACE Data Science 7 months
Award
University certificate (not a degree or a postgraduate qualification)
Fees
£5,995 to £8,850, current offer

A career accelerator is a short online programme, usually six months, run with a university by FourthRev. You earn a university certificate, not a degree, so there is no Master’s Loan. Fees run from £5,995 to £8,850 (current offer, 7 November 2026). The ways to pay are your own money, an employer, or a StepEx loan on the partner courses.

Courses for this guide

Career accelerators in the finder

Enter your details once to see which you could afford and the ways to pay for each.

You are seeing example figures, not yours

We have filled in figures for a typical applicant so you can see how the finder works. Change them to yours and every result updates.

Courses with a StepEx loan

StepEx Lender Ltd offers loans for these courses. Approval is not guaranteed.

LSE · with FourthRev

StepEx loanSee the representative example
Digital Marketing, Strategy & Analytics Career Accelerator LSE

Short course · Part time · 6 months · Online

StepEx loan: 24 months · 0.8% APR representative

Fee
£6,300

Fee for Current offer

No SLC loan
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: not available

King's College London · with FourthRev

StepEx loanSee the representative example
KCL Product Management Career Accelerator

Short course · Part time · 6 months · Online

StepEx loan: 24 months · 0.7% APR representative

Fee
£6,400

Fee for Current offer

No SLC loan
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: not available

LSE · with FourthRev

StepEx loanSee the representative example
LSE AI Leadership Accelerator

Short course · Part time · 6 months · Online

StepEx loan: 24 months · 0.6% APR representative

Fee
£7,995

Fee for Current offer

No SLC loan
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: not available

Our ranking is impartial: whether a course has a StepEx loan is not a factor. All courses are ranked by affordability, then graduate pay at 5 years. Courses with a StepEx loan are also shown in a separate section above.

More about how we rank

Top 5 of 8 courses

7 likely affordable · affordable first, then highest graduate pay at 5 years

Sort

LSE · with FourthRev

StepEx loanSee the representative example
Digital Marketing, Strategy & Analytics Career Accelerator LSE

Short course · Part time · 6 months · Online

StepEx loan: 24 months · 0.8% APR representative

Fee
£6,300

Fee for Current offer

No SLC loan
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: not available

King's College London · with FourthRev

StepEx loanSee the representative example
KCL Product Management Career Accelerator

Short course · Part time · 6 months · Online

StepEx loan: 24 months · 0.7% APR representative

Fee
£6,400

Fee for Current offer

No SLC loan
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: not available

LSE · with FourthRev

StepEx loanSee the representative example
LSE AI Leadership Accelerator

Short course · Part time · 6 months · Online

StepEx loan: 24 months · 0.6% APR representative

Fee
£7,995

Fee for Current offer

No SLC loan
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: not available

King's College London · with FourthRev

StepEx loanSee the representative example
KCL UX & UI Product Design Career Accelerator

Short course · Part time · 6 months · Online

StepEx loan: 24 months · 0.8% APR representative

Fee
£5,995

Fee for Current offer

No SLC loan
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: not available

University of Cambridge · with FourthRev

StepEx loanSee the representative example
Cambridge PACE Cybersecurity Strategy & Leadership

Short course · Part time · 6 months · Online

StepEx loan: 24 months · 0.7% APR representative

Fee
£6,695

Fee for Current offer

No SLC loan
Affordability
Outcomes
University employment rate: not available

Open Affordability or Outcomes on any course for the detail. Courses with a StepEx loan are marked and get no preference in the order. How we work it out

Paying the university directly assumes three instalments: at the start, after 4 months and after 7 months. Estimates based on the figures shown, not advice. A StepEx loan is subject to identity, affordability and credit checks; approval is not guaranteed.

What you get

FourthRev delivers career accelerators with King’s College London, the University of Cambridge (Cambridge PACE) and the London School of Economics in subjects such as product management, UX and UI design, data analytics, AI engineering, cybersecurity and digital marketing. FourthRev describes them as “complete in just 6 months” with a university certificate at the end. They are taken part-time, online.

Why there is no student loan

The Master’s Loan needs a full standalone master’s. A certificate programme is not one, and it is not a postgraduate diploma either, so none of the Student Loans Company products apply. The same is true of bootcamps, see the bootcamps guide.

Ways to pay

  • Pay the provider. In full, or ask about the provider’s own instalment dates.
  • Employer. Ask about a learning budget or sponsorship, and get a written agreement on what happens if you leave.
  • StepEx loan. On the career accelerators listed on the finance availability page, credit from StepEx Lender Ltd lets you pay the fee in monthly repayments after a deposit. Approval is not guaranteed. The representative example for each course is on the provider’s page.

Compare with a master’s

A data or computing master’s at an English university costs from about £8,365 to £25,850 among the courses we checked (2026/27 and 2027/28 fees), takes a year full-time, is a recognised postgraduate qualification and qualifies for the £13,206 loan. The accelerator is shorter, cheaper and fits around a job, but is not a degree. See data and AI master’s.

Ways to pay

  • SLC

    The government SLC master's loan. The amount depends on where you live.

    How the SLC master's loan works

  • Pay the university directly

    Usually in three instalments: at the start, after 4 months and after 7 months.

  • StepEx loan

    Available on some courses here. See the representative example on the provider page.

    Check finance availability

Questions people ask

No. It is a university certificate. StepEx describes it as a career accelerator, not a postgraduate qualification.

No. The loan is tied to a qualifying master’s course and paid during that course.

Related guides

  • University bootcamps

    Imperial and Manchester bootcamps with HyperionDev run 12 to 36 weeks and give a certificate of completion. No student loan; the ways to pay.

    Read the guide: University bootcamps

  • Computer science conversion MSc

    Conversion MScs for non-computing graduates qualify for the Master’s Loan. Fees of £13,550 to £19,200 for 2027 entry, and what the loan leaves.

    Read the guide: Computer science conversion MSc

  • Data science and AI master’s

    Fees from £9,630 to £41,900 for 2027/28 among the courses we checked, most within or close to the Master’s Loan. The loan, the gap, and the alternatives.

    Read the guide: Data science and AI master’s

Sources and dates

Checked 7 November 2026. Figures are for UK students and change each year; check the university's page before you apply. Not advice.

Estimates, not advice.

Questions about these guides? Contact us.