Expand your education options
Thinking about a degree, or a career that needs one? An Access to Higher Education Diploma can prepare you for university study, whether you're still serving, getting ready to leave or have already left. Here's how it works, what universities look for and how you might fund it.
Last reviewed: 25 October 2026.
What is an Access Diploma?
To give it its full name, the Access to Higher Education Diploma is a qualification that prepares you for study at degree level. It gives you relevant subject knowledge and the chance to learn how to approach university-level study, with techniques to help you succeed.
The Diploma is a full Level 3 qualification made up of 60 credits. Of these, 45 are at Level 3 and are graded Pass, Merit or Distinction, each unit graded separately. The other 15 credits are ungraded and may be at Level 2 or Level 3. You must achieve all 60 credits to be awarded the Diploma.
Courses are usually completed in one year full-time, though full-time rarely means attending college every day. Part-time and flexible options, including some distance learning, take longer. Find approved courses near you, or online, with the Access to HE course search.
Is it right for me?
The Diploma is designed mainly for adults who have been out of education for a while, or who want to prepare for higher education but don't have the qualifications to apply. That makes it a good fit for many people in or leaving the Armed Forces, especially if you joined up straight from school.
There's no typical Access student, and each provider sets its own entry requirements, so ask them what you need to start. The course builds the knowledge, study skills and confidence you'll need at university.
How does it compare with other qualifications?
The Diploma is a full Level 3 qualification. Other Level 3 qualifications include A levels, T Levels and, in Wales, the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales, which replaced the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate. Being at the same level doesn't make qualifications the same in content, size or value for admissions. Each university decides how it treats each one for each course.
Do universities recognise it?
The Diploma is widely recognised by UK universities, and many encourage applications from Access students. Thousands of Access students go on to higher education every year. Recognition doesn't guarantee a place on every degree, though. Universities set their own entry requirements, so before you enrol, ask the university you're aiming for whether it accepts the Diploma you're planning to take, and check:
- which subjects or units it needs you to study
- how many credits it needs at Merit or Distinction
- which GCSE subjects and grades it expects, such as English and maths
- any other conditions, such as an interview or relevant work experience.
An Access course doesn't automatically count in place of GCSEs. If a degree needs particular GCSEs, you may have to take them alongside the Diploma or beforehand.
Funding
Think carefully about the full cost before you enrol. As well as course fees, allow for your living costs, travel, childcare, and books or equipment. If you claim benefits, get advice about how studying could affect them. Your Access course provider can tell you what it charges, how fees apply to you and what support is available.
Free courses before loans
In England, if you're aged 19 to 23 and this would be your first full Level 3 qualification, you may be able to take an approved Access Diploma free of charge. Other adults may also get help with fees, depending on their circumstances, the course, where they live and the local funding rules. Serving personnel living in England can get this funding on the same basis as anyone else. Ask your provider what funding you can get before you think about borrowing. The rest of the UK has its own funding arrangements, so check with your provider.
Advanced Learner Loans (England)
If you aren't eligible for free tuition, you may be able to apply for an Advanced Learner Loan. To be eligible you must:
- be 19 or over on the first day of your course
- meet the nationality and residency conditions
- be studying an approved course at an approved college or training provider in England.
Serving personnel posted outside England, and some family members living with them, may still qualify for a course with an English provider. The loan contributes towards your tuition fees, up to the maximum allowed for your course. It's paid direct to the provider and doesn't cover living costs. You can only apply for a loan for one Access to HE course. Check your eligibility on GOV.UK's Advanced Learner Loan eligibility page.
When the Access loan is written off
If you complete your Access course and later complete a higher education course that's eligible for student finance, Student Finance England will write off the outstanding balance of your Access loan. You won't have to repay it. You must have been eligible for student finance when your higher education course started, but the course doesn't have to follow straight on from your Access Diploma, or be in the same subject. Higher National Certificates, Higher National Diplomas and foundation degrees count. A degree you don't fund with a student loan, for example through ELC, the Publicly Funded scheme or your own money, can still count if you were eligible for student finance when it started; check with Student Finance England. Repayments you've already made aren't refunded. Read the Advanced Learner Loan write-off rules on GOV.UK.
Changes from January 2027
Access Diplomas stay within the Advanced Learner Loan scheme. If you go on to an eligible higher education course starting on or after 1 January 2027, though, you may need to apply through the new Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE). See student finance for courses starting from January 2027, and check with Student Finance England how LLE study affects the write-off.
Using your military funding
The Armed Forces schemes have their own rules, and they work differently from civilian funding. Get advice before you enrol, because the route you choose for your Access course can affect how you fund a degree afterwards.
Enhanced Learning Credits (ELC)
MOD policy lists university access courses among the study that can be funded by ELC. If you're eligible, whether serving or within your entitlement period after leaving, you may be able to use it towards the tuition fees for an Access Diploma. Both the provider and the specific course must be approved by ELCAS, and ELC pays up to 80% of the fees within your tier limit. You can use other public funding, such as an Advanced Learner Loan, alongside ELC, as long as the total doesn't exceed the tuition fee. Submit your claim at least 15 clear working days before the course starts, and don't begin until you've received your Claim Authorisation Note (CAN) and given it to the provider.
Publicly Funded Further/Higher Education scheme
This separate scheme pays tuition fees in full, up to set limits, for an eligible Service leaver's first full Level 3 qualification or first higher education qualification, such as an HNC, HND, foundation degree or degree. You must be an ELC member, normally with at least six years' service (or an attributable medical discharge after Phase 2 training), and apply within five years of leaving (ten for some medical discharges). You also need three years' UK residence before the course, and time served overseas counts. You can't receive other public funding for the same tuition, so it can't be combined with an Advanced Learner Loan or free adult funding for that course, although it can be combined with ELC through a joint claim.
Choose carefully. If you use the scheme for a first full Level 3, such as an Access Diploma, you can't use it again for a degree. The scheme does fund a foundation year or introduction-to-higher-education course as preparation for a degree, but only if the degree starts straight afterwards, with no gap. Your authorising education staff decide whether your course qualifies, so get it confirmed before you enrol. That no-gap condition doesn't apply to ordinary ELC or the Advanced Learner Loan write-off.
Talk to your education staff, or your Single Service Representative if you've left, before you commit. They can help you work out the best combination of funding for both your Access course and your degree.
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