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Is it possible to go to uni without any level 3 qualifications/A-Levels?

I'm 18 years old and have been to two colleges in the past two years, the first I didn't make it past a month and the second I managed to sit my AS Levels but got 3 U's, meaning I couldn't go back to the college.

Now, I didn't find college particularly hard it was just the fact that I had no interest whatsoever in the courses I was studying, and when I don't have interest in something I won't try to excel if you understand what I mean.

Over the past few days I've been looking into something called a foundation year and was wondering if there was any universities whatsoever that would let me take a foundation year without having any level 3 qualifications or a-levels. I'm not going back to college, I don't want to do BTEC's, I've already looked into access courses and I know that they're not for me. Please don't try to persuade me into doing anything such as the above because all I want to know at this point in time is whether it would be possible for me to sit a foundation year without a-levels and how to find out what uni's would perhaps take me. (I'm looking into doing perhaps philosophy or teaching)

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You'll have to look at each university/course webpage to see what they'll accept for entry. Playing devil's advocate and looking at it from the universities' point of view (and not having a go at you btw), if you can't complete A-levels what makes you think you could cope with the demands of a degree/foundation year? Good luck whatever you end up doing!
Reply 2
Original post by Duncan2012
You'll have to look at each university/course webpage to see what they'll accept for entry. Playing devil's advocate and looking at it from the universities' point of view (and not having a go at you btw), if you can't complete A-levels what makes you think you could cope with the demands of a degree/foundation year? Good luck whatever you end up doing!


I think it's mostly because I didn't have the motivation to complete them. At the time of exam season this school year just been I was in a really bad place, got kicked out of my house and made practically homeless, got into a bad place with drugs and bad people and just genuinely didn't want to do anything with my life. I want to go to uni now because I don't want to be in my 20's surrounded by a bunch of 18 year olds and perhaps feeling completely left out if you know what I mean? But I can see where you're coming from, I'm just more motivated now! Thanks for your reply.
Reply 3
It depends on the university, some require A levels but at lower grades than their standard offer or good grades but not in relevant subjects, however some do not have any academic requirements past GCSEs and just assess whether you are capable through interviews

Check the requirements though as some will require you to be 'above a certain age, have extenuating circumstances or have relevant work experience.
but to answer yes, it is absolutely possible to get it through a foundation year without Level 3 qualifications, you just need to show enthusiasm for the subject and show them that you are capable

If you are considering teaching, why not volunteer in a school between now and the time you go to uni? that would show universities that you are willing and you may also be able to get a reference from someone at the school, which you will need for your UCAS application anyway.

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Have a look at these courses, and maybe give the admissions dept. an email to see if they would consider you, they all have NO academic requirements, however some are circumstance based, they should consider all applications individually though.

Durham - Education Studies with Foundation
Durham - Primary Education with Foundation
Durham - Philosophy with Foundation
Sheffield - Education, Culture and Childhood with Foundation Year
Sheffield - Philosophy with Foundation Year
Glyndwr - Education (inc. Foundation)

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you could do a Foundation Degree in Education, different from a Foundation year, a foundation degree is 2 years with the 3rd year at uni to 'top it up' to a full bachelors degree, this way would allow you to still get a degree in 3 years in the process saving a lot of money in student funding, some will require Level 3 qualifications, however, if you do as I previously suggested and volunteer in a school you could get onto the course (my cousin did this).

Staffordshire - List of courses, dept. of Education
St. Mary's University, Twickenham - FDa Education in Context

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This one requires a small amount of UCAS points, which I know you said you didn't want to do but could be achieved in a year, Keele offer a social science foundation year which allows people on completion to have a choice of 28 different degree programmes (including Education), their general foundation year also allows you to get onto any degree programme (I think), however i think it would better to do one actually in the subject you want to pursue (as listed above).

Keele - Social Science Foundation
Keele - General Foundation Year

Canterbury Christ Church University - Education, Foundation - (requires 1 A level pass)

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Nottingham, Leeds, Uclan, Essex, Hull and UEA all offer Philosophy with Foundation but you would need between BCC-DDE grades at A level or equivalent, so avoid these as it would probably result in a rejection if you applied and didnt realise their requirements.

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As I said, I would personally try and do the Foundation year at an established university, but an alternative to this would be to do a HND (equiv. to the first 2 years of a degree, like the Foundation degree, or DipHE) and then, as with the Foundation Degree, go to uni for you 3rd year to 'top up' to a full Bachelors degree, this option again works out a lot cheaper than the 4 year course with a Foundation year.

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Hope this helps and good luck :smile:
(edited 8 years ago)
Reply 4
Original post by katienurd
I'm 18 years old and have been to two colleges in the past two years, the first I didn't make it past a month and the second I managed to sit my AS Levels but got 3 U's, meaning I couldn't go back to the college.

Now, I didn't find college particularly hard it was just the fact that I had no interest whatsoever in the courses I was studying, and when I don't have interest in something I won't try to excel if you understand what I mean.

Over the past few days I've been looking into something called a foundation year and was wondering if there was any universities whatsoever that would let me take a foundation year without having any level 3 qualifications or a-levels. I'm not going back to college, I don't want to do BTEC's, I've already looked into access courses and I know that they're not for me. Please don't try to persuade me into doing anything such as the above because all I want to know at this point in time is whether it would be possible for me to sit a foundation year without a-levels and how to find out what uni's would perhaps take me. (I'm looking into doing perhaps philosophy or teaching)


I do not have a BTEC or A levels but I did complete Open University modules that enabled me to meet uni entry requirements, with plenty of offers. It is unlikely that you can side-step level 3 altogether. You can study philosophy with the OU and get funding for it without A levels to get onto that degree. But you have to be very self-motivated - which is why OU worked for me. I highly recommend it. You could study something teaching related with the OU then use that degree to get accepted for a PGCE elsewhere. I used smaller OU modules as a replacement for A levels but you do not need A levels to study a full degree with the OU.
I would think it is unlikely any university is going to accept at the moment however it might change as a mature student. Have you though about doing a correspondence course in a suitable level 3 subject. If you cannot complete a level 3 course it is highly unlikely you will cope with the step up. If you wish to study a subject at university you should have an interest in that at level 3 (a level, btec etc)
Original post by katienurd
I'm 18 years old and have been to two colleges in the past two years, the first I didn't make it past a month and the second I managed to sit my AS Levels but got 3 U's, meaning I couldn't go back to the college.

Now, I didn't find college particularly hard it was just the fact that I had no interest whatsoever in the courses I was studying, and when I don't have interest in something I won't try to excel if you understand what I mean.

Over the past few days I've been looking into something called a foundation year and was wondering if there was any universities whatsoever that would let me take a foundation year without having any level 3 qualifications or a-levels. I'm not going back to college, I don't want to do BTEC's, I've already looked into access courses and I know that they're not for me. Please don't try to persuade me into doing anything such as the above because all I want to know at this point in time is whether it would be possible for me to sit a foundation year without a-levels and how to find out what uni's would perhaps take me. (I'm looking into doing perhaps philosophy or teaching)


I'm also 18 and I'm going to be honest with you, I hated A levels which was probably why I got such poor AS results! I left sixth form at the start of October with 3 terrible AS results and I've just received an invite to an interview for a foundation degree in mental health! I was planning on going to King's to study mental health nursing but due to my results this is out of the window but this doesn't mean my dream of being a nurse is! I'm going to do my 2 year foundation degree which will allow me to enter a nursing degree so in response to your question you can still go to uni without A levels or BTECs, it just means that you might have to be there a few years longer before gaining the degree you want!

I would definitely recommend going to an open day and speaking to the lecturers and admissions team but the whole purpose of foundation degrees is to help people who perhaps haven't done well at school/college/sixth form to get a degree and do what they want with their futures!
Original post by annareuter
I'm also 18 and I'm going to be honest with you, I hated A levels which was probably why I got such poor AS results! I left sixth form at the start of October with 3 terrible AS results and I've just received an invite to an interview for a foundation degree in mental health! I was planning on going to King's to study mental health nursing but due to my results this is out of the window but this doesn't mean my dream of being a nurse is! I'm going to do my 2 year foundation degree which will allow me to enter a nursing degree so in response to your question you can still go to uni without A levels or BTECs, it just means that you might have to be there a few years longer before gaining the degree you want!

I would definitely recommend going to an open day and speaking to the lecturers and admissions team but the whole purpose of foundation degrees is to help people who perhaps haven't done well at school/college/sixth form to get a degree and do what they want with their futures!


Firstly there is a difference between you and OP who has twice failed at a level

I'm 18 years old and have been to two colleges in the past two years, the first I didn't make it past a month and the second I managed to sit my AS Levels but got 3 U's, meaning I couldn't go back to the college.

Put yourself in an admissions officer position. You only have so many positions available and you have someone who did not show the discipline the first time and did not achieve the second time as against somebody who has seen it through and perhaps missed their grades the first time. Which would YOU choose.

If someone has dropped out once and not worked the second time why would an admissions tutor believe they would act any differently in uni. There is no evidence of A level capability or determination so it is unlikely the admissions tutor would treat this favourably. It might change as a mature student as it is possible that the person may then be seen as having matured and might then be in a position to complete the course.
Reply 8
First you need to want to know what course you want to do and have an idea what you want to do after you graduate, you clearly just want to go to Uni for the experience so you're not 'surrounded by a bunch of 18 year olds.' If you are so motivated now like you say do some A levels and actually figure out what course you want to do rather than just taking the crap courses at a poor uni that no one else wants to go to. Unfortunately this is all that would be left for people without any L3 qualifications and even these uni's might have at least some standards.

Ps- 2 years really isn't a long time, you will regret not doing any A levels in the long-run
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by swanseajack1
Firstly there is a difference between you and OP who has twice failed at a level

I'm 18 years old and have been to two colleges in the past two years, the first I didn't make it past a month and the second I managed to sit my AS Levels but got 3 U's, meaning I couldn't go back to the college.

Put yourself in an admissions officer position. You only have so many positions available and you have someone who did not show the discipline the first time and did not achieve the second time as against somebody who has seen it through and perhaps missed their grades the first time. Which would YOU choose.

If someone has dropped out once and not worked the second time why would an admissions tutor believe they would act any differently in uni. There is no evidence of A level capability or determination so it is unlikely the admissions tutor would treat this favourably. It might change as a mature student as it is possible that the person may then be seen as having matured and might then be in a position to complete the course.


You have a very valid point but this person still has a chance of going to university to study a foundation degree as long as they meet the entry requirements. Not all universities look for the finished product, some look for potential and passion which a candidate has the opportunity to show in their personal statement and an interview.
Original post by annareuter
You have a very valid point but this person still has a chance of going to university to study a foundation degree as long as they meet the entry requirements. Not all universities look for the finished product, some look for potential and passion which a candidate has the opportunity to show in their personal statement and an interview.


Well done for chasing your dream and not letting anything stop you :h: You'll be a great nurse! Can I be a bit cheeky and ask for tips on how to motivate yourself? I'm in the second year of A-Levels after repeating year 12 and am really struggling to keep myself motivated.

Thank you! :smile:
Original post by annareuter
You have a very valid point but this person still has a chance of going to university to study a foundation degree as long as they meet the entry requirements. Not all universities look for the finished product, some look for potential and passion which a candidate has the opportunity to show in their personal statement and an interview.

I agree but getting 3 Us at AS in your second year does not show potential and walking out in your first year after a month does not show commitment or passion. There are courses outside of A level that can be taken. A prime example for nursing being the Btec Extended diploma in medical and forensic science and maybe people will apply with lower A levels such as DDE but those people have shown both some ability and determination which OP has sadly shown is lacking.
If you were to put someone on a foundation course where no effort has been made at level 3 it would undermine the purpose of asking people to take such courses
If you are 18 you will need Level 3 qualifications to do any sort of Level 4 course (ie. degree level). Its that simple.

They don't need to be A levels. IB, Btec, OU credits, Access courses etc are equally acceptable.

For older applicants (ie. over 21) most Unis will look at what else you have done with your life (ie. work experience, vocational training) but they will still expect some sort of post-GCSE qualifications as evidence you have the intellectual ability to cope with a Level 4 course.

Frankly, if you couldn't be bothered to complete even AS levels properly, how on earth do you think you can cope with a course at a level way above that? And why should any Uni waste their time with you if you have no evidence of any commitment to study?
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by yt7777
It depends on the university, some require A levels but at lower grades than their standard offer or good grades but not in relevant subjects, however some do not have any academic requirements past GCSEs and just assess whether you are capable through interviews.


Total rubbish. No University would even consider admitting an 18 year old with just GCSEs.

Interview? Not a chance. It would be a straight and immediate rejection.
Reply 14
Original post by returnmigrant
Total rubbish. No University would even consider admitting an 18 year old with just GCSEs.

Interview? Not a chance. It would be a straight and immediate rejection.


How is it rubbish? my friend (19 years old) failed AS levels took a year out and got in for a foundation year

a foundation year is level 3....the same as A levels
Original post by katienurd
I'm 18 years old and have been to two colleges in the past two years, the first I didn't make it past a month and the second I managed to sit my AS Levels but got 3 U's, meaning I couldn't go back to the college.

Now, I didn't find college particularly hard it was just the fact that I had no interest whatsoever in the courses I was studying, and when I don't have interest in something I won't try to excel if you understand what I mean.

Over the past few days I've been looking into something called a foundation year and was wondering if there was any universities whatsoever that would let me take a foundation year without having any level 3 qualifications or a-levels. I'm not going back to college, I don't want to do BTEC's, I've already looked into access courses and I know that they're not for me. Please don't try to persuade me into doing anything such as the above because all I want to know at this point in time is whether it would be possible for me to sit a foundation year without a-levels and how to find out what uni's would perhaps take me. (I'm looking into doing perhaps philosophy or teaching)


I don't see how you could go to uni without any ucas points or a relevant BTEC. Even for foundation courses, you'll need to demonstrate one A level pass or something like 80-160 ucas points total. If not, work experience alone can get you on a foundation course. You have none of that so how can you be given an offer when you have nothing to show for yourself? I don't mean to be harsh, but it's like you're wanting to get to uni without doing anything.

The people commenting here who say they've had terrible grades but still got into a foundation course most likely have some ucas points.

If you want to go to uni next year, my advice would be to at least do one AS or A level you are remotely interested in and self teach it. It's not hard if you're motivated, I self taught an AS whilst doing 3 other A levels. That way, you don't have to go to college. You'll just need a few months of independent revision and you will put your results on UCAS as 'pending'. Go for something that doesn't require any coursework, it will be cheaper and less hassle for you. A pass at A level is an E grade so you will get offers if you apply for unis that ask for one pass at A level. You're still young, so this would be the best option for you.

There are other ways to rack up UCAS points. https://www.oxford-royale.co.uk/articles/10-ways-more-ucas-points.html <--- not traditional but can be very helpful, particularly in your situation. You could do one or a couple of things on that list in conjunction with an A level or on its own. I'd recommend you do the A level and then do a couple things on this list to maximise your points.

Perhaps look into volunteering one day a week in something that has relevance to the course you'll be applying for? If you have time for this, you may stand out if you fall short on UCAS points.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by yt7777
How is it rubbish? my friend (19 years old) failed AS levels took a year out and got in for a foundation year

a foundation year is level 3....the same as A levels


Did your friend get some work experience during the year out? What course is your friend doing & what uni? I find it hard to believe that a young person (under 21) got into uni with 0 UCAS points
I believe that returnmigrant is actually an admissions tutor so knows a little bit about this

and returnmigrant work in university admissions. taken from another thread
(edited 8 years ago)
You can get onto a foundation year with just GCSEs, but only if you meet certain criteria (e.g. you have a medical reason for not doing A levels or you've been working and now want to return to education). Foundation years are not really for people who failed their A levels.

Original post by Validate
I do not have a BTEC or A levels but I did complete Open University modules that enabled me to meet uni entry requirements, with plenty of offers. It is unlikely that you can side-step level 3 altogether. You can study philosophy with the OU and get funding for it without A levels to get onto that degree. But you have to be very self-motivated - which is why OU worked for me. I highly recommend it. You could study something teaching related with the OU then use that degree to get accepted for a PGCE elsewhere. I used smaller OU modules as a replacement for A levels but you do not need A levels to study a full degree with the OU.


The OU is a valid (if rather expensive) option if you don't have A levels, but it is important to note that people who take this route must not study for more than 1 academic year with the OU. If they do, they will lose their student loan entitlement.
this has been taken from Manchester metropolitan university

Typical Entry RequirementsThe typical minimum entry requirements for a degree that includes a Foundation Year are 180-200 UCAS tariff points.The points must come from full A levels (not AS) or equivalent qualifications, for example BTEC Level 3 Diploma/Extended Diploma, CACHE Level 3 Diploma. Other vocational qualifications at Level 3 will also be considered, such as NVQs

This clearly shows that in this case OP will not get in

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