Universities that *don't* like Access to HE applicants?

in my experience, UCL.

They have changed that recently, as up to a few weeks ago they said they didn't accept Access students. Pretty gutted as I would have applied to them, whether I would have got in is another matter, but I would have applied!

To be honest, it depends on what subject you want to study. UCL accept access for Law but not for Psychology. At a guess i'd say the more scientific the course is the less likely they are to accept Access.

Hiya, I know this is a fairly negative thread, but I think it might provide some useful information or at least some anecdotal evidence about which universities are particularly cold or lukewarm to the idea of accepting Access applicants. Ever since I joined this forum, it's been good to see that many Russell Group and 1994 group unis are fairly happy to accept the Access to HE diploma and even Oxford/Cambridge have made offers to people doing the qualification, although, just like the A-level students who get accepted into Oxbridge, they're obviously exceptional candidates.

From reading this forum, UCAS and prospectus etc. it seems as if three universities in particular either don't accept the qualification or are very reluctant to accept it, they are:



ICL say they don't accept Access applicants for most (all?) of their courses, but that's possibly because they're a 'STEM' university and not to mention they're frequently ranked 3rd or 4th behind Oxbridge. Aston do accept the qualification, but from what I've read.. kind of seldom? And the people they do make offers to, they make extortionate conditions to.. which is fairly surprising, and there's a lot of their courses which don't accept it, full stop.

I might be wrong about some of this info, but does anyone have any others to add?

I agree with the comments above.

All degree courses require that you have some basic skills such as literacy; they require that you can take notes, write essays etc. Here an access course is a good foundation and mature students often have other qualities which can improve their chances of an offer.

Some courses require that you have specific knowledge, such as mathematics or science subjects. Here the access course is unable to provide you with perhaps specific knowledge in specific areas. The variety of ‘A’ levels on offer will provide this.

So the implication of the question has truth in it. Some departments in universities do not see the value of the access course. However that does not mean that all departments feel the same.

To talk specifically of the LSE, I am doing Government and History, so my Access course provided me with most of what I needed, although I still struggled. Had I chosen to do any of the maths based subjects, my Access course would not have prepared me for the level they work at. I would not have struggled; I would have sunk without trace.

It is not prejudice against Access courses that determines their suitability for judging candidates. It is the experience of how students cope with the demands of their degree courses that shapes whether you are offered a place or not. Access courses do not always cut it.

It is not prejudice against Access courses that determines their suitability for judging candidates. It is the experience of how students cope with the demands of their degree courses that shapes whether you are offered a place or not. Access courses do not always cut it.

After my Cambridge interview yesterday I'm starting to get the same feeling. The history teacher all but told me that I had no breadth of knowledge on the subject and that what I had learnt was basically useless. He has a point, how can six lessons cover the whole of medieval history? He said that just because I had a vague idea of the era didn't prove that I knew what I was talking about. He wasn't even saying it to be arrogant, it was clearly true.

It left me feeling very disillusioned today, kind of, what is the point of doing Access if it's not teaching me enough to be knowledgable on a subject?

To stay on topic, I didn't get the feeling that Warwick and Durham were pro-Access for Law. It was almost like they accepted Access as an afterthought and I'm sure Durham even worded their Access requirements like it was unlikely you'd get a place.

After my Cambridge interview yesterday I'm starting to get the same feeling. The history teacher all but told me that I had no breadth of knowledge on the subject and that what I had learnt was basically useless. He has a point, how can six lessons cover the whole of medieval history? He said that just because I had a vague idea of the era didn't prove that I knew what I was talking about. He wasn't even saying it to be arrogant, it was clearly true.

It left me feeling very disillusioned today, kind of, what is the point of doing Access if it's not teaching me enough to be knowledgable on a subject?

To stay on topic, I didn't get the feeling that Warwick and Durham were pro-Access for Law. It was almost like they accepted Access as an afterthought and I'm sure Durham even worded their Access requirements like it was unlikely you'd get a place.

After my Cambridge interview yesterday I'm starting to get the same feeling. The history teacher all but told me that I had no breadth of knowledge on the subject and that what I had learnt was basically useless. He has a point, how can six lessons cover the whole of medieval history? He said that just because I had a vague idea of the era didn't prove that I knew what I was talking about. He wasn't even saying it to be arrogant, it was clearly true.

It left me feeling very disillusioned today, kind of, what is the point of doing Access if it's not teaching me enough to be knowledgable on a subject?

To stay on topic, I didn't get the feeling that Warwick and Durham were pro-Access for Law. It was almost like they accepted Access as an afterthought and I'm sure Durham even worded their Access requirements like it was unlikely you'd get a place.

University of Birmingham,most definitely accept an access course. I know a friend, who got accepted onto Law LLB with an access course last year, which woud otherwise accept AAA.

After my Cambridge interview yesterday I'm starting to get the same feeling. The history teacher all but told me that I had no breadth of knowledge on the subject and that what I had learnt was basically useless. He has a point, how can six lessons cover the whole of medieval history? He said that just because I had a vague idea of the era didn't prove that I knew what I was talking about. He wasn't even saying it to be arrogant, it was clearly true.

It left me feeling very disillusioned today, kind of, what is the point of doing Access if it's not teaching me enough to be knowledgable on a subject?

To stay on topic, I didn't get the feeling that Warwick and Durham were pro-Access for Law. It was almost like they accepted Access as an afterthought and I'm sure Durham even worded their Access requirements like it was unlikely you'd get a place.

I'm sorry to hear that Elle! Keep your chin up and fingers crossed!

On topic, University of Birmingham does not accept access diplomas for many of its courses.

The trouble is that, from this year, the OU is now charging to study on their modules, so its becoming increasingly difficult for Mature students to get into University. It is a shame because, I believe that OU credits are better received by most Universities than Access courses.

I gathered from speaking to other attendess that he (MF) has a habit of puttin down access students.

I'm sorry to hear that Elle! Keep your chin up and fingers crossed!

Thank you for that, it helps put the whole incident in to perspective I guess! The other two were wonderful and I think that that part of the interview went well, it's just a shame the first thing I heard was to be told that everything I had learnt so far was useless, it kind of flustered me a little for the rest of the interview. I dI have to admit, I was very depressed yesterday, almost to the point where I quit the Access course. It just didn't seem worth the hassle if it was going to paint me in a negative light to the kind of institutions that I want to be considered at. I have also come to terms with the fact that Cambridge is now not going to happen. That way at least if I do get in it'll be a pleasant surprise and if I don't, it won't hit me too hard.

I hope when this review of Access courses happen, they take a lot of this in to account, how badly it can be looked upon, how inadequately it prepares you for the more rigorous and highly subscribed degrees.

I have to admit, I was very depressed yesterday, almost to the point where I quit the Access course. It just didn't seem worth the hassle if it was going to paint me in a negative light to the kind of institutions that I want to be considered at. I have also come to terms with the fact that Cambridge is now not going to happen. That way at least if I do get in it'll be a pleasant surprise and if I don't, it won't hit me too hard.

I hope when this review of Access courses happen, they take a lot of this in to account, how badly it can be looked upon, how inadequately it prepares you for the more rigorous and highly subscribed degrees.