Access to HE diploma course

Notoriety IS right that access courses are easier in a sense.
But it's not that simple.
But you can get into top universities with an access course.


If you are a mature student who has been out of education for a fair amount of time then an access course is often very challenging. Especially when you have other commitments. Most universities recognise this.
What's really harder 1: doing A-levels in your parents house with no responsibilities or 2: running a house and working full-time while doing an access course?


That being said there are a few people who either fail a-levels or don't have the grades for a-levels who decide to use the access course as a means to get into university. Which is not really what they are designed for.
Universities do not look as kindly on people who are like 19 years old who have never been out of education and are just doing an access course as an easier alternative.

So with access courses universities don't just take into account the access course but also the person.
They still get offers but unless they have extenuating circumstances they often don't get treated as equally as a-level st

It is more that most unis cannot afford to be that picky, and don't care if you got ABB or 45/45 at distinction. They want bums on seats. I think when people mention "I went to a top uni with Access" (as has happened in this thread) they tend to be talking about unis which are not super-competitive. RG does not mean elite.

Access might be more difficult as a personal experience compared to A-Level. A lot of assignments in a short period of time. But the uni is not so interested in which had a more intense experience. They want to know who has the best academic potential. The student who has studied the more academic course has an easier time expressing that potential.
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And I never said you cannot get into a top uni with Access. I said it's more difficult with Access.

It's pointless fussing over what is supposedly better based on speculation and with so many factors. Just worry about what's most suitable for you and what you can pass. Getting A*A*Aa self-studying A Levels would be incredibly impressive, but so is climbing Everest and not dying because you thought it was better exercise than jogging.

All the fussing, it's like you could be a white male applying for a job and supposedly you're already at an advantage, but if you're an ethnic minority maybe you're ahead because they have an equality quota to fill, or you have a nice rack and the middle-aged male boss hires people based on... less relevant things...

Then they just give it to the ex-military guy who arrived half an hour late anyway.

There is some reason to fuss. There is no point applying to Oxford, LSE, UCL, KCL and Durham for law when these unis don't respect Access as a means of entry in itself.

If you were adamant on applying to certain unis, you will have already looked at the entry requirements and had that answered.

The entry requirements do not answer the question: can I impress enough to get an offer through Access alone? They tell you, if you do impress enough and get an offer, the offer will be as stated in the entry requirements. There is a difference and it's very important.

The entry requirements tell you what A Levels you need or what other qualifications or background is also considered, such as Access and what you need to get in that.

The uni's Admissions team can be emailed if you need further info. They can be very informative and don't just offer stock responses.

I cannot help but restate what I just said. There is a difference between the two things; website info and email guidance (which is usually crap anyway) does not answer the question of whether you will get an offer.

As such, there is some importance in fussing about how unis perceive the Access course so as to make realistic applications. It's not a theoretical question pondered for a laugh.

I've found the email guidance to be accurate to the website (it would be weird if it wasn't...) and the major unis being very open to Access even in a high-brow field like science and maths. They'll tell you if they don't think it's enough to go straight on.

You're fussing about an offer not being guaranteed for Access when that's exactly the case for A Levels or any qualification or experience, as there aren't the same amount of places as there are applicants.

The argument has turned a bit circular now.

Should probably leave it as is.
Although I will reiterate if you are an access student you have every chance of getting accepted into a top university as most top universities have different admission procedures for mature students.

No, the issue is that you're much less likely to get an offer with Access because it's not seen as anywhere near as impressive as A-Level and IB and Pre-U. I am not going to get drawn into what top STEM courses think -- I am telling you what top law courses think, given that's what OP is asking about.

Whatever my background, I have been through uni admissions. It is clear that in email correspondence they don't tell you how good a chance you've got -- whatever your qualification. They just tell you broadly what grades and quals they're looking for.

Take for example LSE law. They want A*AA and usually give offers to students predicted A*A*Aish. For Access, they want 30 credits at distinction and 15 at merit. As far as UCAS points are concerned, 30D/15M is equivalent to around ABB. You think that LSE really only wants the equivalent of ABB from mature students but A*A*A from everyone else? Open ya eyes, mate.

Or so many kids are getting top marks in school/college exams now, so unis have been bumping up A Level requirements for years. In this case, it probably WAS ABB years ago... then AAB, AAA, now A*AA. It's not like they have anything else to go on.

But with older applicants, grades seem to be slightly less important, plus there will be much fewer applicants anyway.

Besides, who's more believable: them, or a random person on the internet saying there's a conspiracy but gets evasive when asked how he even knows?

It's almost like you got rejected by a top uni and this is bitterness coming out.