Hi

I only have NVQ2&3 in health and social care as a 54yr old mature student do you think I will be able to gain a placement in university as I would love to gain a degree in phycology and counselling or something else in health and social care

Reply 1

normaw

Volunteer Section Leader, Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post

by Danteforme

Have you checked the entry requirements for the courses you are interest in on the course page on uni websites? Did you take your qualifications within the last 3-5 years as unis usually want to see recent study? It's worth calling a few unis and speaking to staff in admissions about their entry requirements for specific courses.

(edited 8 months ago)

Reply 2

Danteforme

Hi
I did my courses over 20 years ago
I guess I should just not hope then
I medically retired to care for my elderly mum and was hoping to gain a degree to progresss in my personal development
Oh well
I think to save my embarrassment from rejection I will withdraw my applications

Reply 3

normaw

Volunteer Section Leader, Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post

by Danteforme

Call admissions at the unis you have applied to. They might suggest an alternative route. You could take a one-year Access to Higher Education Diploma - lots of mature students take this qualification to enable them to apply to uni.

https://www.accesstohe.ac.uk/about-access

Reply 4

University of Salford Student Rep

Official Rep

Hi @Danteforme !

You absolutely could look into gaining a place at university to study a course such as psychology and counselling, or something similar that you would enjoy! Your current qualifications may not quite be enough to get onto a course currently although I am unsure without knowing exactly what you have studied how many UCAS points your qualification carries. However, you could look into studying an Access to HE course at a local college, to provide you with enough UCAS points to gain entry to a university degree. I studied an Access to HE in Social Sciences myself, in my late twenties, which gave me the points I needed to gain a place on my course. I absolutely loved studying my access course and really recommend it, they are a great way to get back into education and also refine your academic skills ready for heading to university. There were also students on my course ranging from 20 to late 50s and we were all there in the same classroom studying the same course so don't let any worries about age hold you back.

Have a search on Google of the local colleges in your area and if they can provide an Access to HE course in a relevant area, and I really encourage you to get in touch with them to have a little chat about it and what your options are 😊

I also recommend looking at the entry requirements for degrees which interest you, for example here is the course page for BSc Psychology and Counselling that we offer at the University of Salford. You could also attend some open days at any universities which have courses that interest you and get a feel for if you would enjoy learning there, as well as chat to staff and students about any questions you have. We usually hold a talk for mature students on these days so look out for these too - I loved mine when I was exploring my options!

You can also get in touch with universities themselves to chat about the course, for example we have a Course Enquiries team here at the University of Salford who you could direct any questions you have to and who would be more than happy to help ☺️

The main things to consider are meeting the entry requirements, having some relevant work experience to your degree which you can discuss in your application, and figuring out which course most interests you.

Education is a wonderful, fun world but can definitely seem a little scary when you've been away from it for a while. There's no harm in asking a few questions and exploring your options so if you want to do it then go for it 🎓️

Good luck!

Becky
University of Salford Student Rep