Routes into Higher Education

Although the exact qualifications and grades required for different higher education courses vary widely, you can generally apply for a Bachelor's degree course with:

• A levels
• Higher National Certificates (HNCs)
• Higher National Diplomas (HNDs)
• Vocational qualifications
• Access Course qualifications
• Foundation Course qualifications

In addition, there are a number of other factors that might be taken into account when institutions select students for particular courses:

• subjects studied
• grades achieved
• total points scored
• evidence of breadth of study
• key skills attainment
• evidence of other skills such as:
• prior experience, for example, voluntary work, a gap year or work experience
• personal qualities, as indicated in a confidential reference, personal statement or demonstrated at interview

A' levels

The majority of UK students apply for university or college with A levels , taken either at school or at a further education college. Each AS or A' level grade translates to a number of points (see table below); for example, a B grade at A' level is equivalent to 100 UCAS points, whilst a B at AS level is worth 50.

HE institutions may either state a minimum number of points to apply for a particular course, or they may specify that certain grade must be achieved. For example, to apply for Medicine, you may be required to obtain AAB grades, with an A in Chemistry.

HNCs and HNDs

If you have a Higher National Certificate (HNC) or Higher National Diploma (HND), you may be able to enter a first degree course at the start of the second or even third year.

Vocational Qualifications

Although prospectuses usually refer mainly to A' levels when they discuss entry requirements, don't be put off - the majority of vocational qualifications (for example, BTECs and OCR Nationals ) can be translated into UCAS points so that they may be compared against A level standards. This is demonstrated in the following table: