Access to Higher Education

Are you aged 19 or over and want to study for a degree, but don’t have the qualifications for it? Invest in yourself with an Access to Higher Education qualification.

An Access to HE programme is equal to three A Levels, giving you the UCAS points you need to apply for university-level study.

Programmes will last one year (36 weeks of study), after which you will have the diploma, knowledge, skills and confidence to study at degree level. Throughout the programme, you will experience the different kinds of learning that you need for university, including essay and report writing, giving presentations and participating in seminars.

You may choose to progress on to one of our higher education courses, including Foundation Degrees, BA Honours Degrees and the PGCE. Our programmes are run in conjunction with respected institutions such as Oxford Brookes University and Edexcel.

All Access to Higher Education programmes are accredited by national awarding body Ascentis.

What is a career pathway?

Education takes time and money. By giving you a clear view of what qualifications you need to get the job and the salary that you want, we take the stress out of learning.

Our Access to HE pathways open up the opportunity of university-level study for adult learners. We offer four  pathways, each leading to related university and career options:

• Arts: leading on to degrees in art and design, fine art, graphic design, fashion or visual communications. Choose this pathway and you could work as an artist, museum curator, art therapist or graphic designer. 
• Business: leading on to degrees in business, finance, marketing, accounting and human resources.
• Science and nursing: leading on to degrees in biology, physics, chemistry, psychology, maths, engineering, pharmacology and dietetics.
• Social sciences: leading on to degrees in criminology, sociology, psychology, education, health, social work, politics, English and history.

While the right qualifications can get you a job interview, it’s the attributes that we teach alongside your chosen programme that will get you the job. Click here to find out more about our Attributes and Learning Philosophy.

What could my future job look like? 

Job opportunities after Access to HE programmes are vast. Below are just a few examples of job titles and duties you could move on to after you complete your Access to HE Diploma and relevant university-level programme:

• Nurse
• Midwife 
• Engineer
• Paramedic
• Teacher
• Lawyer/legal professional
• Art therapist
• Environmental manager
• Social worker 
• Graphic designer 
• Human resources officer
• Psychologist

Search our Access to HE programmes

Industry partnerships

Access to Higher Education students at Activate Learning benefit from our many links with leading universities, such as the University of Reading, Oxford Brookes University, the University of Winchester and Southampton Solent University.

In autumn each year, access students take part in UCAS Takeover Week, with workshops run by universities on subjects such as personal statements and student finance. 

We also hold two higher education fairs, with over 40 university exhibitors at Oxford and Reading.