Complex Paramedic Science Degree Query

Genuinely, email admissions. They're pretty useful typically, albeit response times occasionally. I'm studying an access course at the moment though and I've received two interview offers and not heard back from the others so far. I'm 25 so a bit older than the average student like yourself. They do ask you to declare spent or unspent criminal convictions however I personally am unsure how your convictions would effect your application. No harm in asking! Good luck!

Thank you very much Harry for the advice, and I have done just that and emailed Admissions yesterday with this information, and I have a call arranged with them tomorrow for more info!
Is your access course the Paramedicine one through the ‘distance learning’ site?
Congrats on receiving two interviews so far! Do you have a background in anything related to Paramedicine apart from the access course you’re studying at the moment?

It is, and it's very good. If you get the same tutor I have (Which I assume you will). She's amazing, genuinely wants to help and always has time for you, also extremely knowledgeable on UCAS and admissions and helped me massively with my personal statement.
Thank you! I was in the military for 6 years and currently work in the ambulance service in control, so yes and no. It's the same organisation but not necessarily healthcare dealing with patients in person. I have ran a few charity races and volunteered with the medical centre in my previous career, so that may have helped.

That sounds brilliant Harry! Well done! Depending on how the call and advice goes tomorrow, I will also be signing up to the access course if i’m encouraged to do so as a means of enhancing my chances to get onto the course! I wish you all the best and thanks so much for the help!

Hi there! It would definitely be worth chatting with admissions at uni. Also, double check the trust guidelines as they have different opinions on drink driving bans etc! I know south central said if it’s within 5 years they will 100% not employ you; and for a further 6 years after that it is discretionary! Generally depending which trust and which area, they might have slightly different rules etc. they’d also require more info about the conviction. So double check with admissions, and also double check with whatever trust you are aiming to work for! It would be rubbish to get through the course, only to find you can’t complete your NQP training due to driving restrictions!

@Nickmjones2k24 As this is your second degree, you will need to consider how you will fund the course. Unlike other healthcare professions (AHPs, nursing & midwifery), paramedic science isn't considered to be an exception course by SFE:
https://collegeofparamedics.co.uk/COP/News/Campaign_for_Funding_for_Student_Paramedics.aspx

Good morning, thanks for the post. I believe the funding per year is £9,250. It will be self-funded if I am able to be offered a place at one of my choices. Is there any other advice you could offer me regarding my application please? Thank you :-)

Tuition fee costs are going up to £9,535 next year. If you are going to study at a uni in England, then you should be able to apply to the NHS LSF for the annual training grant of £5,000 even though you won't be eligible for student finance.
With regards to your convictions, you need to check the employment policy of ambulance trusts too. There's no point doing the course if you find that employers won't take you. Check with them first and then email the admissions department of all the unis you are interested in before you apply. I think that realistically, you need to look at applying for 2026 entry. Unis usually require recent academic study - usually within the last five years. Doing an Access course is a good option but it is intense and you will be pushed to complete it by next summer. You also need an academic reference for your UCAS application, which can be provided by the Access course tutor.

Tuition fee costs are going up to £9,535 next year. If you are going to study at a uni in England, then you should be able to apply to the NHS LSF for the annual training grant of £5,000 even though you won't be eligible for student finance.
With regards to your convictions, you need to check the employment policy of ambulance trusts too. There's no point doing the course if you find that employers won't take you. Check with them first and then email the admissions department of all the unis you are interested in before you apply. I think that realistically, you need to look at applying for 2026 entry. Unis usually require recent academic study - usually within the last five years. Doing an Access course is a good option but it is intense and you will be pushed to complete it by next summer. You also need an academic reference for your UCAS application, which can be provided by the Access course tutor.

Good Morning, I thought I’d update a little since the other day, having done some digging. I have been liaising with the YAS who have said that having these spent convictions doesn’t mean automatic refusal of any future job prospects; they look at things on a case by case basis.

Furthermore, I have received information from one of the Admissions Officers that it would be far better for me to apply directly to do the MSc, because I meet their entry requirements criteria for that, having a degree in a semi-related subject.

I will now be eligible I believe for a postgrad masters loan, as it is separate from the undergraduate loan I believe. I wonder if I would be eligible for the £5000 LSF grant on top of the masters loans from the SLC England.

Thanks for reading, and of course I’d welcome any feedback please to assist me further ☺️.

I have a fairly complicated enquiry regarding applying for the BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science course beginning in September 2025.
I have been out of education since 2011, when I graduated with a 2:2 in BSc (Hons) Sport Development. Ive wanted to and thought about applying for this Paramedic Science degree for six months now since speaking to family members and friends about this, and having a genuine empathy and care for the nature of the role, but never took the plunge to do it.
I am currently completing my UCAS application, and will be submitting it in the next few days (I understand that the deadline isn’t until January 2025 but I’d rather do it now so it’s sent off, but I don’t expect I’ll hear back atleast until March).
I am worried that I won’t be able to get a place on the course with any of my five Uni choices as I’m 35 years old, and have never worked in any healthcare-related environment (Hotels have been my background over the previous eight years, albeit with an exemplary record save for the incident below). I am in two minds whether to commit to the Access To Higher Education Diploma in Paramedicine which I can start online at any time, and that would show initiative that I’m easing myself back into education after such a long hiatus and furthermore it will be completely relevant to the degree.
Unfortunately I was convicted of driving with excess alcohol back in 2018 on two separate occasions, and this resulted in a four-year ban and a twelve week custodial sentence, which I obviously highly regret but can't change. My question is whether you guys think the University would accept someone on the course with this, due to the fact that I would need to be trained to drive an ambulance at some point in time on the course.
I appreciate anyone on this forum taking the time to read this, and I look forward to a response. What I'm basically asking is whether it's worth me committing to this Access course in Paramedic Science from now until next summer and spend a good deal of money on it, if when I apply for the September start date I'm going to be declined a place on the course.
Thank you so much.