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Access to Higher Education courses are designed for students aged 19 or over. If you are aged 18 or under, this course may not be suitable for you. Please contact us on info@cityplym.ac.uk or 01752 305300 if you would like any help discussing alternative options.

Are you looking for a career change? All of our CAVA Access to HE programmes are suited to students who left school to follow one career path, only to find later in life that you want to retrain, or study a university course.

Academic Subject Content Units

• 45 graded units at level 3 – these will include subjects that will support a broad range of higher education applications, such as a science, maths, English and education studies.
• 15 ungraded at level 3 – these will include introductory and study skills units.

Diploma Total:  60 credits.

Placements, Voluntary Work and Paid Employment
It is essential that you are aware if your university course requires you to have prior experience before applications are made. Lack of work experience would not exclude you from completing the Access course, however it may impact on your application to university.

GCSEs
GCSE equivalences in maths, English and science are not part of the Access Diploma. It is up to you if you wish to enrol on GCSEs alongside your diploma, if you do not currently hold a recent 9-4 (A*-C) qualification. Your chosen university may not require its applicants to have GCSEs, or may be happy with previously achieved qualifications, such as O Level, level 2, etc.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you have clarified if enrolling on a GCSE is appropriate for you. If your university course does require you to study at GCSE level you could study alongside your Access Diploma, however you must understand the implications of not achieving your GCSEs. Although it does not affect your achievement of an Access Diploma it may compromise your place at university if you achieve the Access Diploma but do not achieve your GCSEs. Some universities encourage applicants to apply for university without GCSEs and complete equivalences between application and enrolment with the university (again, this is something you have to clarify).

Alternatively, you may wish to study your GCSEs the year before or after Access study. GCSE classes are held during the day and in the evening. You will have to apply as a separate course, as well as your Access course, if this is your preference. The national changes in GCSE requirements for mature students are unique to each university.

To succeed on this course you need to be committed towards your study and focused upon your career choice. This route is designed for adult students (19+). Funding is not available for those aged 18 and under, and we would recommend that alternative vocational qualifications and A Levels are considered, which support progression onto further or higher education and employment.

If you do not currently hold a level 1 qualification in numeracy and level 2 in English, then you are invited to undertake a skills test as part of our interview process. Achieving the required level on our skills test is sufficient to meet our entry requirements for Access to HE, however, you are strongly advised to seek further advice from your chosen university regarding completing GCSEs as part of your application.

Your offer for entry onto our Access course will be conditional to a number of factors, which may include achievement of level 2 in literacy and level 1 in numeracy, satisfactory performance at interview (where applicable), evidence of recent study, evidence of relevant work experience and specific criteria for international students (please see below).

Entry Requirements for International Students
The College welcomes applications from international students, however you are strongly recommended to clarify with your chosen university your responsibilities as an international student. You may be required to complete an IELTS or CEFR recognised equivalent test score exam prior to interview or record IELTS 5.5 on your application. There may also be funding implications relating to your international student status. Please ensure that you are clear of university entry requirements for international students.

You will learn a range of subjects, which are broken down into units; each unit is assigned a credit value. Successful completion of a unit will be awarded with a number of credits, graded at pass, merit or distinction, depending on the standard of your work. You will continue to ‘collect’ credits throughout the course. The units are assessed by coursework, assignments, projects and exams.

After completing this one year course you could progress to university. If you previously went straight into a job after leaving school, or you have taken stock and want a new career direction, this Access course offers the chance to study alongside other mature students, tutored by experienced, motivational and supportive lecturers. You may be required to study GCSEs in English, maths or science depending on your career and university aspirations (you can check this with the university).

Please note the College course title is a suggested progression route, you must check with your preferred higher education institution (university) to ensure that this Access course meets their entry requirements. Every effort is made to ensure that the units and credits offered are sufficient for progression routes onto higher education courses, however, specific courses at specific universities may have their own unique admission requirements. Once you have enrolled onto a specific Access course, it is not possible to amend units, so please ensure the course you have selected is appropriate to your chosen progression route.

City College Plymouth Foundation Degree courses have unique entry requirements for Access students. Please check with our Higher Education team by calling 01752 305300.