Access to Higher Education
AQA is an Access Validating Agency for Access to Higher Education courses. We are licensed by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) to issue Access to Higher Education certificates.
Access courses are intended for people who don't have traditional sixth-form or vocational qualifications, allowing them to prepare for, and gain entry to, degree and other higher education programmes. For general information on Access to Higher Education courses see the Access to Higher Education website.
People who enrol on an Access course have made a conscious decision to return to education and bring a commitment and wider life experience to their studies: the courses are designed to reflect this background.
Colleges devise Access courses to meet the needs of their students. All courses include Study Skills, as well as either subject-specific (eg Law or Biology) or vocational pathways at Level 3.
AQA validated Access courses are unit based. Units are assessed at Level 3 or Level 2.
Until July/August 2007, AQA Access to Higher Education courses awarded certificates on the basis of 18 credits at Level 3 (one credit = 30 notional study hours).
In 2007/8 some Colleges running AQA's Access to Higher Education courses are running courses compliant with the new QAA Diploma requirements, which are certificated on the basis of 60 credits, of which a minimum of 45 must be at Level 3 and 15 at Level 2 or above (where one credit = 10 notional study hours).
From September 2008 all Colleges running AQA Access to Higher Education courses will be running the new courses as required by QAA.
The new Access to Higher Education Forum is available for AQA's Co-ordinators, Moderators, Partners, Subject Specialists and Teachers to exchange ideas, pass on good practice and get advice. Contact us to register.
As courses are revalidated during 2007/8 to meet the new requirements, the units will be made available to Colleges through our Unit Database: please contact us to find out how to access the database.
If you would like AQA to validate your unitised courses, please contact us.