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This page contains details of the Access to HE Diploma.
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About the qualification
The Access to HE Diploma replaced the previously awarded Access to HE Certificate from 2008-9. The Diploma is regulated by regional AVAs as specified in the requirements of the QAA. Individual courses lead to awards which are named according to their intended progression route, such as Access to HE Diploma (Business Studies); Access to HE Diploma (Humanities); Access to HE Diploma (Health Studies). The main aim of Access programmes is to prepare adult learners from non-traditional backgrounds and under-represented groups for admission to undergraduate education.
The Access to HE Diploma is a credit-based qualification requiring the achievement of 60 credits overall, with at least 45 achieved at level 3.
Entrance Requirements
| A-level Grades | Equivalent (graded pass, merit, distinction) |
|---|---|
| A*A*A | |
| A*AA | Pass in Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 28 credits awarded with Distinction in the Level 3 units, the remainder of the credits in the Level 3 units awarded with Merit. |
| AAA | Pass in Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 23 credits awarded with Distinction in the Level 3 units, the remainder of the credits in the Level 3 units awarded with Merit. |
| AAB | Pass in Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 18 credits awarded with Distinction in the Level 3 units, the remainder of the credits in the Level 3 units awarded with Merit. |
| ABB | Pass in Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 28 credits awarded with Merit in the Level 3 units. |
Please note that the A*A*A requirement has only been approved for the Mathematics Department and Computer Sciences
Notes
- QAA maintains a publicly available database of regulated Access to HE Diplomas that is available at https://ava.accesstohe.ac.uk/SubSites/PublicSearch/search.aspx
- There is no overall grade, but individual units are marked.
- The Diploma is a credit-based qualification and all courses have a standard completion requirement of 60 credits, including at least 45 credits at Level 3 (the remainder at Level 2). Offers cannot be specified on number of units passed as different units are worth different amounts of credit. 60 credits is the maximum number that can be awarded; do not ask for more than 60 credits in total. An offer can include a requirement for a grade in a specific unit relevant to the degree programme.
- Only Level 3 units carry grades, Level 2 units do not.
- Care must be taken to ensure that degree programme subject requirements have been covered by the Access to HE Diploma.
- To be acceptable, the Access to HE Diploma must involve either one year’s full-time study (minimum 25 contact hours per week) or two years’ part-time study. It must include formal examinations as well as continuous assessment.
- A small minority of applicants will offer the previous Access Diploma where no grading is available.