CIM and CIPR publish guidance on entry criteria for each level of study. Oxford College of Marketing will help interpret this to advise which level is the most suitable depending on your objectives. We may suggest that you undertake a pre-course to revise the basics before embarking on your qualification. This may mean you are able to study at a higher level than you thought. These pre-courses are unique to the college and generally free of charge if you study the whole qualification.
In the unlikely event that you start your studies and find you are at the wrong level, please contact our Support Team who will be happy to help.
The initial information will tell you how long your course will take to complete. However, we always offer a comfortable window for you to complete your qualification.
- CIM courses have 3 years of access to complete your qualification
- CIPR courses have 2 years of access to complete your qualification
If you need more time or want to take a break from your studies, you have the option to suspend your course access; this won’t count towards your access time.
After your final assessment, we will let you keep access to the material for 6 months. This enables you to revisit any material you require in the months after your qualification.
CIM Digital Diploma in Professional Marketing – 12 months
All our tutors are experienced teachers and marketing practitioners. We only use English speaking, predominantly UK-based tutors who have been rigorously interviewed by our academic team.
Throughout your course, you will have opportunities to interact with your tutor, assignment tutor and our in-house Support Team. These people will check that you are on the right track with your studies and your assessment projects. Your assignment tutor will provide guidance on any written assessments, including comprehensive feedback. Our online learning platform, will also offer a large number of resources to assist your progress.
All costs are clearly shown in your formal quote. For most qualifications, in addition to your training fees, you will need to pay assessment fees and an annual membership to the awarding body. These may be included in your training fee or paid separately to the awarding body.
You may wish to purchase some additional books to support your studies. These costs will vary but we can advise a rough total and recommend reading materials.
We understand that life can be complicated, and we always take a compassionate position as far as our students’ lives are concerned. Just let us know if you need to defer and delay your studies.
This is a little complicated as it will depend on how much prior knowledge you have and the level you are studying. We estimate between 5 and 10 hours a week is normal. But be warned – approaching assignment submissions or exams, you may be putting extra hours in!
Our pass rates are exceptional but in the unlikely event you fail a module, you will need to retake. You will be charged for additional assignment tutor support. This is between £60 – £300 + VAT depending on what qualification you are studying. Our Support Team will advise you when the results are published.
For CIM, if you marginally fail a unit, there is an opportunity to resubmit this, but the grade will be capped at a ‘pass’.
Oxford College of Marketing has over 20 centres in the UK and several international centres, which run a mixture of face-to-face evening and weekend classes for our CIM and CIPR courses. We also offer online distance learning and live virtual learning. If you find that your study mode is not working for you or want to change venue, just let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you.
There are numerous resources and free chapters on that support all our courses and qualifications. Your accredited body membership will also give you access to excellent resources. If you are studying a CIM qualification, most modules are accompanied by a study guide.
However, depending on what you are studying, you may wish to purchase additional textbooks. Sometimes these are expensive but try to view them as an investment which you will refer to during your entire marketing career. You can buy these from the CIM bookstore, other book retailers or Amazon.
Recommended reading lists are available on but if you need any advice on your book purchases, please do not hesitate to contact us.
If English is not your first language, we may require written evidence that you will be able to complete the work (such as achievement of English Language competency IELT level 6.5 or above). A language test may be required. Usually, if you are living and working in the UK or an English-speaking country, your level of English will be fine.