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Transition to Qualifications Scotland – SOLAR Changes

Please pass this information on to all SOLAR users in your centre. 

As SQA completes its transition to Qualifications Scotland on 1 February 2026 we wanted to let you know about some changes you will notice on SOLAR. 

SOLAR branding updates 

SOLAR will be updated with the new Qualifications Scotland and Qualifications Scotland SOLAR logos and colour scheme during the week beginning 2 February 2026. 

  • Assessments scheduled before changes have been made will continue to display the SQA branding. 
  • There is no need to reschedule any assessments that are already scheduled. 
  • Assessments scheduled from week beginning 9 February 2026 will display the new branding. 
     

An example of the new colour scheme is shown below: 

Candidates can still customise their colour scheme if required by using the preferences icon in the bottom left corner of the screen. For further information access Candidate Guidance on our website. 

Accessing SOLAR 

The SOLAR web address will not be changing immediately but will be updated later. We will inform you when it is changing. You should continue to access SOLAR via the link on the SOLAR website or via: https://sqa.surpass.com. 

Temporary data transfer downtime 

Due to the transition to Qualifications Scotland, Connect and SOLAR data transfer will be unavailable from Wednesday 28 January to Tuesday 3 February. This will affect the following qualifications in SOLAR: 

  • Street Works 
  • Certificate Introduction to the Role of the Professional Taxi and Private Hire Driver SCQF Level 5 (GP3J 45) 
  • Level 2 Certificate Introduction to the Role of the Professional Taxi and Private Hire Driver (GP4Y 54) 
  • Health and Safety in a Construction Environment SCQF Level 4 (HX12 04) 
  • PDA Scottish Football Association: Refereeing (GA51 47) 


During this time: 

  • You won’t be able to register candidates on Connect 
  • No candidate data will transfer to SOLAR 
  • No results data will transfer back from SOLAR to Connect. 
     

SOLAR assessments can still be scheduled and completed as normal. Results will transfer back from SOLAR to Connect once maintenance is complete. 

SOLAR website updates 

The SOLAR website will be updated with the Qualifications Scotland branding during the week beginning 2 February 2026. It will also have a new web address: https://solar.qualifications.gov.scot. Please update any bookmarks you use. We will be updating content on the website and removing references to SQA from week beginning 2 February 2026. You may continue to see references to SQA until we have completed this work. 

No functionality changes 

There are no changes to SOLAR functionality as part of this transition. Apart from the temporary data transfer downtime noted above, no service disruption is expected. 

If you have any questions on any of these changes, please contact us at das.helpdesk@sqa.org.uk.