Don't have A levels? Alternative Routes into University FAQ

Hi, I read this post and it has got me interested in starting a foundation year. I'm 22 yo, left college 5 years ago with 2 A-Levels at Grade C. I've been working since leaving college but now I have found a course that really interests me - Ancient History and Archaeology at the University of Manchester.But the problem is that the A-Level requirements are ABB and I don't know how to find out weather I can do a foundation year on this course.Now I’m not sure if the university would allow me to enter this course because I can't find out how to apply for this course with a foundation year. So any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

This is a list of the various alternative routes into university for people who, for whatever reason, didn't do or couldn't do A levels. If you have any questions which are not covered in the FAQs, post them below! Open the Spoilers to see a list of FAQs.

Access to Higher Education (HE) Diploma

Access to HE Diplomas (also known as Access courses) are designed to prepare people without traditional qualifications for university. Access courses are the best established and most common route into university for mature students and students without A levels. Each year more than 20,000 people apply to university after doing an Access course. There is a large community of Access students in the Mature Students forum.




Foundation Year

A foundation year is an extra year of study at the start of a university course. It enables students who do not meet the course entry requirements to fill the gaps in their knowledge. If you pass the foundation year, you automatically move into the first year of your chosen degree.

Please note, foundation years are not the same as international foundation years (these are courses for international students who want to study in the UK but either don't have the right qualifications or need to improve their English language skills before starting a degree).




Distance learning A-levels

If you want to do A levels but can't attend school or college consider studying them at home. You can either use a distance-learning provider or study them independently. This is a good option if you don’t know what degree you want to do. Doing A levels in different subjects is a great way to keep your options open. Remember to download past papers from the relevant exam board websites, and make use of the Study Help forums and A level study help page.




Open University Credits

The Open University offers high-quality distance-learning modules which are ideal for people who do not live within easy reach of a school/college, or who have busy lives and need to fit their studies around a job and/or family.




OpenPlus

OpenPlus is a partnership between The Open University (OU) and other leading universities to create a more affordable and flexible route into a science degree. If you decide to do OpenPlus, remember to visit the Open University forum to talk to other OU students and discuss specific modules.

for the contact information for all OpenPlus partner universities.

Who will award my degree?
Your degree will be awarded by your partner university.

How do I pay for it?
You can get a student loan to cover the cost of both the Open University and partner university tuition fees.

I would hope nobody was naive enough to do a course at University Academy 92. Flushing money down the drain. Do your CertHE/Access course at proper, established educational institutions.

Well,

Currently applying to do an access course for medicine, I’m 23, a mate thinks that’s too young to get into an access course. Any thoughts?

Well,

Currently applying to do an access course for medicine, I’m 23, a mate thinks that’s too young to get into an access course. Any thoughts?

I'm the same age as you, doing an access course this year and going to uni this September. It's ironic because I had a friend suggest to me that I was too old! People will always have opinions but if it's what you want to do you may as well go for it. The majority of my course are roughly in my age range, there's a few younger and a few older.

I would hope nobody was naive enough to do a course at University Academy 92. Flushing money down the drain. Do your CertHE/Access course at proper, established educational institutions.

out of genuine interest because UA92 is my first choice, a year later, would you still say this. Im under the impression that a Lancaster awarded degree is a good thing?

Well,

Currently applying to do an access course for medicine, I’m 23, a mate thinks that’s too young to get into an access course. Any thoughts?

I'm the same age as you, doing an access course this year and going to uni this September. It's ironic because I had a friend suggest to me that I was too old! People will always have opinions but if it's what you want to do you may as well go for it. The majority of my course are roughly in my age range, there's a few younger and a few older.