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6th form vs college

can someone explain to me what the difference between 6th form and college is...
Can you do A levels in college?
do universities prefer students who went to 6th form or college?
Thx :smile:

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Sixth forms are where you can do BTECS and A levels. There are sixth form colleges which let people do A levels and BTECS however I assume colleges primarily focus on BTEC. I might be wrong.
6th form is like basically school and college is something different i suppose, they arent as strict and dont care if you miss a day off school or not and yes you can do a levels in college and universities dont mind, as long as you have got the grades!
Original post by saharan_skies
Sixth forms are where you can do BTECS and A levels. There are sixth form colleges which let people do A levels and BTECS however I assume colleges primarily focus on BTEC. I might be wrong.


You are wrong, they are both exactly the same except for the fact that a sixth form is attached to a school.
That makes sense, thanks ^^
Original post by theoneandonlybob
You are wrong, they are both exactly the same except for the fact that a sixth form is attached to a school.
Personally, I feel as though 6th form is a better option as it is more 'formal' than colleges as you have uniform, set times and dates etc where as in a college you do not.

Colleges do do A levels, and an advantage in colleges is that they offer a variety of more subjects and qualifications than 6th forms.

No, I don't believe they prefer where you study your further education but rather the qualifications your receive.

Hope this helps.
Tbh they can vary.
I went to a sixth form college which offers foundation learning, GCSE resits, A levels, BTEC and a level 4 foundation art course.
But another local college only offers GCSE and vocational courses like BTEC and CACHE
My college is called a "Sixth Form College". Someone explain that haha
Original post by BlackPink24
can someone explain to me what the difference between 6th form and college is...
Can you do A levels in college?
do universities prefer students who went to 6th form or college?
Thx :smile:

So there's 3 different types:
Sixth form: attatched to a high school, usually only offers a levels.
Sixth form college: similar to sixth forms but simply separate from high schools so you have more freedom. Offers mainly a levels but the occasional BTEC. Bigger colleges may offer both. Just because a sixth form college offers BTECs doesn't mean it's bad, it just usually has a large range of courses.
Colleges: More BTECs, adult learning etc. May offer a level courses but not as many.
I go to a sixth form college and it's amazing, far better results than any local sixth forms. Sixth form colleges where I live tend to be better than the actual sixth forms but it's dependent on location.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by Maribella_321
Personally, I feel as though 6th form is a better option as it is more 'formal' than colleges as you have uniform, set times and dates etc where as in a college you do not.

Colleges do do A levels, and an advantage in colleges is that they offer a variety of more subjects and qualifications than 6th forms.

No, I don't believe they prefer where you study your further education but rather the qualifications your receive.

Hope this helps.


At quite a lot of 6th forms you dont have uniforms...
Original post by BlackPink24
can someone explain to me what the difference between 6th form and college is...
Can you do A levels in college?
do universities prefer students who went to 6th form or college?
Thx :smile:


Sixth form: attatched to a high school, usually only offers a levels.
Sixth form college: similar to sixth forms but simply separate from high schools. They offer a-levels and btecs.
Colleges: Offers a lot of different courses, including a-levels, btecs, access courses, adult learning etc.
Colleges. Hm. "may offer A Levels but not as many". My college offers 17 different A Levels, the 6th form of the school I went to offers less than that, definitely.

My college offers courses ranging from level 1 (below GCSE) to a degree level. I chose to go to a college because they give you more independence at A Level. I didn't want to feel like I was in a secondary school for another 2 years of my life (I was seriously over it). Yes, 6th forms are more strict, but college is like a stepping stone and alleviates the shock of moving from a very strict environment at a 6th form, to life at a uni.

Colleges, 6th forms, or even 6th form colleges are not preferred over each other by unis. It's about the results you get.
(edited 6 years ago)
Sixth form = Attached to a school and you are usually able to study A-Levels and BTEC's, however, all my secondary school sixth forms in my area didn't have any BTECS to offer.

Sixth Form College = 16 - 19 institution only - (doesn't allow adults any older) Again you can study both A-Levels, BTECS, CILEX and other vocational courses.

College = Anyone from the ages of 16 and up can attend this, You can study a variety of courses including foundation degrees, A-Levels, BTECS, City & Guilds qualifications, apprenticeships etc.

Personally, I wish I went to a sixth form instead of a College in general. Colleges tend to be bigger, whereas sixth form is a lot smaller and is like a community + They actually focus on students + I think sixth forms are more civilised in my opinion!

Universities do not have a preference on what type of institution you go to, it is all about the grades you get and what you're studying.


Original post by BlackPink24
can someone explain to me what the difference between 6th form and college is...
Can you do A levels in college?
do universities prefer students who went to 6th form or college?
Thx :smile:
(edited 6 years ago)
I go to a sixth form college. It's less strict but they offer loads of a levels, several BTECs, and a few apprenticeship type things to as well as adult learning and a foundation art course. It's not exactly the place to go if you want a rigidly academic place, but also don't go if you're not self motivated because you won't get any work done.

You're not at any disadvantage if you go to a sixth form college or a college as long as you are taking qualifications the university recognises.
Original post by BlackPink24
can someone explain to me what the difference between 6th form and college is...
Can you do A levels in college?
do universities prefer students who went to 6th form or college?
Thx :smile:


Sixth form are where you can do BTECS and A levels whereas colleges are where you can study only A levels. Most universities accept students even if they have done BTECs but the only universities that don't are the university of Oxford and the university of Cambridge. So even if you do BTECs you can still get into good universities with them. I hope this helps :smile:
Original post by tiarichards16
Sixth form are where you can do BTECS and A levels whereas colleges are where you can study only A levels. Most universities accept students even if they have done BTECs but the only universities that don't are the university of Oxford and the university of Cambridge. So even if you do BTECs you can still get into good universities with them. I hope this helps :smile:


This isn't true at all - I go to a sixth form college where people can study either A-Levels or BTECs or a combination, and there are colleges in the area which offer more BTECs than A-Levels.

It's also not true that Oxford and Cambridge don't accept BTECs - I'm almost certain that both of them do, as long as the BTEC is relevant to the course you're applying to.
Original post by StevetheIcecube
This isn't true at all - I go to a sixth form college where people can study either A-Levels or BTECs or a combination, and there are colleges in the area which offer more BTECs than A-Levels.

It's also not true that Oxford and Cambridge don't accept BTECs - I'm almost certain that both of them do, as long as the BTEC is relevant to the course you're applying to.


Ah I see, the colleges that I applied for when I was in year 11 only offered A-level but I guess then that there are colleges that do offer BTECs and A-level. I will have to do a bit of research on what colleges do and don't offer BTECs, then I will list all colleges that offer BTECs and all colleges that don't offer BTECs in this forum. Also I will list all universities that accept BTECs and all universities that don't accept BTECs.
for me I have an A level college where people focus on A level subjects. Depending on the school, sixth form has lesser people in one class. But in college there are more people in a class than in sixth form. Teachers can guide you more easily in sixth form, but in college, the teachers do help you only if you ask.
Sixth forms invest more money per student and better quality teaching, for example I study A level Economics and there are just 2 students and 1 teacher, whereas my friend who studies A level business in college he has up to 40 students with 1 teacher. So this is the difference, the quality of teaching and the amount money invested in you, so studying in Sixth form increases your chances of getting better grades, and thus this increases your chances of getting into university. Most sixth forms only accept the elite with different grade requirements per sixth form. In my sixth form you had to get at least 5 level 6s in GCSE to join the sixth form, therefore this would suggest that sixth form is for smarter people, and as a reward they get better quality teaching and more access to resources that colleges don't have.
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by rosie.mn
So there's 3 different types:
Sixth form: attatched to a high school, usually only offers a levels.
Sixth form college: similar to sixth forms but simply separate from high schools so you have more freedom. Offers mainly a levels but the occasional BTEC. Bigger colleges may offer both. Just because a sixth form college offers BTECs doesn't mean it's bad, it just usually has a large range of courses.
Colleges: More BTECs, adult learning etc. May offer a level courses but not as many.
I go to a sixth form college and it's amazing, far better results than any local sixth forms. Sixth form colleges where I live tend to be better than the actual sixth forms but it's dependent on location.


Which sixth form do you go to?

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