Study costs
How to study accounting online without paying classroom prices
6 min read · updated 2026-09-20
Why online tuition costs less, what you must not compromise on, and how to judge a cheap course.
Why the price gap is real
Classroom tuition pays for rooms, timetables, travel and a tutor's hours per cohort. Written, self-paced material with automatic marking carries none of those per-student costs, so the saving is structural rather than a discount that will vanish.
What it does not remove is the work. Self-paced study only beats a classroom if the material is complete and the testing is honest.
Four things never to compromise on
A cheap course that lacks any of these will cost you more in re-sits than it saved.
- Full written teaching, not slide bullets — with worked examples and common mistakes.
- A large question bank with explanations for every answer, not just a score.
- Full-length timed mock papers at exam standard.
- Marked work with feedback, so someone tells you where your answer actually lost marks.
How to judge a course before you buy
Ask for the numbers. How many questions per module? How many timed mocks? Is written work marked, and how? If a provider cannot answer plainly, the material is probably thin.
Be careful with claims too. No tuition provider awards AAT, ACCA, ATT or ICAEW qualifications, and any course implying otherwise is misleading you.
What this looks like here
Every Mai Studies programme is built to a published standard: at least twelve explained questions per module, a marked assignment per module, and two timed mock papers per programme. Exam programmes carry 120 explained questions and two three-hour papers.
Membership is £29 a month or £290 a year for the included library, with specialist programmes from £49 and twelve months to complete. Scholarships and open access waive the fee entirely for learners who cannot pay.
Common questions
- Is a cheaper online course taken seriously by employers?
- Employers care about the qualification you hold and what you can do. Your tuition provider matters far less than passing the awarding body's exams.
- Can I get the fee waived?
- Yes. Mai Studies runs scholarship and open-access routes that waive the fee in full for learners who cannot afford it.