You can get exemptions with certain college courses, but I knew a girl who did an actual degree targetted at becoming an actuary - and not a more general maths and finance one like Siobhan - and even her exemptions were minimal. Also they’re exemptions from the first rounds of exams aka the easiest ones, and they tend to say that people who get exemptions from the first rounds of any professional exams can find starting at the mid level exams more difficult, because even though you’ve got the knowledge it came from a different source. Being an actuary is no easy feat, they’re some of the hardest exams out there - but actually with that degree she could have done any kind of qualification. She could’ve been a QFA, CFA, ACA, CTA - recruitment is where people with economics/finance/commerce degrees go when they don’t like hard work or actually aren’t smart enough to get the qualification outside of the LC/college rote learning system or when combined with a full time job - and then they use their “experience in the field” to convince you they understand what you’re going through and can find you the perfect next job because they’ve “been there”.
Absolutely no offence to anyone in recruitment. That’s just always been my experience of people from eco-fin backgrounds that take recruiting jobs