Access to HE Business online, is it too late to start?

Hi everyone,

I’m about to start an online Access to HE Diploma in Business with either learndirect or DistanceLearningCentre and I could really use some advice because I’ve never done UCAS before and I don’t want to waste money.

I’m 20 and I originally started an Access course in college but had serious attendance issues due to family reasons (all resolved now). I don’t want to wait another year to redo the course in person, so I’ve been looking at online options.

My main questions are: is it too late to start a course now? Most people start around September/October, so if I start now, will I still be able to finish in time for UCAS, or would it push everything back a year? I’m also really confused about how predicted grades work for Access diplomas. Do I need to finish a certain number of units before the tutor can give predicted grades for UCAS and do I need to finish them before the UCAS deadline?

Will starting this late affect my chances with universities? Will they accept an Access student who starts partway through the year as long as I complete the course before the offer deadline? Do learndirect or DLC actually provide predicted grades and references as part of the course, or is that something extra you have to request?

If anyone’s done an Access course later in the year, how hard was it to catch up? Did you need to study full-time hours or can you realistically do it while also working? And on the money side, I know this won’t be covered by the Advanced Learner Loan because I’ve already used mine, so are there any other funding options at all? I really don’t want to spend £1k+ only to find out I can’t use the qualification this year.

Also, do I have to complete certain assessments before the January UCAS deadline, or can the provider still predict grades based on the early units? If anyone has experience with learndirect or DistanceLearningCentre, I’d love to hear what it’s actually like.

Thanks so much, I’m totally new to this and any advice would help.

Reply 1

TwizzyOG

bump

Reply 2

jkjkjjkjkj

Original post

by TwizzyOG

Hi everyone,
I’m about to start an online Access to HE Diploma in Business with either learndirect or DistanceLearningCentre and I could really use some advice because I’ve never done UCAS before and I don’t want to waste money.
I’m 20 and I originally started an Access course in college but had serious attendance issues due to family reasons (all resolved now). I don’t want to wait another year to redo the course in person, so I’ve been looking at online options.
My main questions are: is it too late to start a course now? Most people start around September/October, so if I start now, will I still be able to finish in time for UCAS, or would it push everything back a year? I’m also really confused about how predicted grades work for Access diplomas. Do I need to finish a certain number of units before the tutor can give predicted grades for UCAS and do I need to finish them before the UCAS deadline?
Will starting this late affect my chances with universities? Will they accept an Access student who starts partway through the year as long as I complete the course before the offer deadline? Do learndirect or DLC actually provide predicted grades and references as part of the course, or is that something extra you have to request?
If anyone’s done an Access course later in the year, how hard was it to catch up? Did you need to study full-time hours or can you realistically do it while also working? And on the money side, I know this won’t be covered by the Advanced Learner Loan because I’ve already used mine, so are there any other funding options at all? I really don’t want to spend £1k+ only to find out I can’t use the qualification this year.
Also, do I have to complete certain assessments before the January UCAS deadline, or can the provider still predict grades based on the early units? If anyone has experience with learndirect or DistanceLearningCentre, I’d love to hear what it’s actually like.
Thanks so much, I’m totally new to this and any advice would help.

Hi, Im started my Access to HE in late October and am now applying for ucas. The deadline for applications sent to your third party education system is the 19th of December but you must of completed Unit 5 by then. Each unit really takes 2 full days of concentration but then you would also need to pay out extra money to get your assignments marked quickly as you cannot submit one until the previous one has been graded. its certainly a risk depending on if your willing to take it but its never too late

Reply 3

holly.ann

Original post

by TwizzyOG

Hi everyone,
I’m about to start an online Access to HE Diploma in Business with either learndirect or DistanceLearningCentre and I could really use some advice because I’ve never done UCAS before and I don’t want to waste money.
I’m 20 and I originally started an Access course in college but had serious attendance issues due to family reasons (all resolved now). I don’t want to wait another year to redo the course in person, so I’ve been looking at online options.
My main questions are: is it too late to start a course now? Most people start around September/October, so if I start now, will I still be able to finish in time for UCAS, or would it push everything back a year? I’m also really confused about how predicted grades work for Access diplomas. Do I need to finish a certain number of units before the tutor can give predicted grades for UCAS and do I need to finish them before the UCAS deadline?
Will starting this late affect my chances with universities? Will they accept an Access student who starts partway through the year as long as I complete the course before the offer deadline? Do learndirect or DLC actually provide predicted grades and references as part of the course, or is that something extra you have to request?
If anyone’s done an Access course later in the year, how hard was it to catch up? Did you need to study full-time hours or can you realistically do it while also working? And on the money side, I know this won’t be covered by the Advanced Learner Loan because I’ve already used mine, so are there any other funding options at all? I really don’t want to spend £1k+ only to find out I can’t use the qualification this year.
Also, do I have to complete certain assessments before the January UCAS deadline, or can the provider still predict grades based on the early units? If anyone has experience with learndirect or DistanceLearningCentre, I’d love to hear what it’s actually like.
Thanks so much, I’m totally new to this and any advice would help.

Hi! Sorry I’m a bit late but I thought I’d still give a reply just in case you were still debating whether you have enough time. The workload of an access course does vary by provider and subject but generally you should be able to complete an assignment/unit in about 7-10 days providing you can put aside maybe 10-12 hours of study. In regards to UCAS, the application portal is still open until January (the 14th I believe) but you will need an academic reference to add to your application. This will either need to be from a school or college you’ve previously attended or from the provider of your current access course (if they provide one). Predicted grades aren’t a requirement for access courses but you may still get them from your access course provider. I didn’t have to add them on my UCAS application (I’m currently studying an access course and applying for 2026 entry) and all I had to add was the module/unit names and how many credits they were. As long as there isn’t a problem with your access course provider in terms of providing a reference at such short notice then theoretically you should still be able to apply. You would just need to keep in mind that you must finish the course for around May/June time. If you do decide to apply for next year entry it is worth noting that for the next couple months there will probably be a significant workload. If you’re studying the access course essentially full time then you will more than likely be fine but if you are working a job with more than 25 hours a week you’d most likely struggle. Lmk if you have anymore questions