Tactful individual must sacrifice time to get qualification (7)
I believe the answer is:
diploma
'qualification' is the definition.
(type of academic qualification)
'tactful individual must sacrifice time' is the wordplay.
'tactful individual' becomes 'diplomat' (a diplomatic person).
'must sacrifice' indicates named letters should be taken away.
'time' becomes 't' (abbreviation).
'diplomat' with 't' removed is 'DIPLOMA'.
'to get' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for diploma that I've seen before include "Certificate of education" , "Certificate awarded by college for educational attainment" , "What a student seeks" , "Academic certificate" , "Degree document" .)