Routes
Six ways people reach degree-level study, laid side by side. For each one: who it is built for, how long it takes, whether it scores on the UCAS Tariff, and where the decision is made by somebody other than you. The last one is delivered by the centre this site recruits for, and we say so.
Two years at school or sixth-form college, three subjects examined at the end. The route the Tariff describes most easily and the one most grade-based offers are written in.
Vocational Level 3 over two years, assessed mostly by coursework. At the top grades worth the same as A levels; accepted for most courses that quote points, less often for those that name subjects.
Two-year technical programme with a 45-day industry placement, graded as one qualification the size of three A levels. Newer, so acceptance varies course by course.
One year, usually at a further education college, for adults without Level 3 qualifications. Scored credit by credit, and well understood by universities, many of which make specific Access offers.
Year 0 of a specific four-year degree at a specific university, applied for through UCAS with lower entry requirements than the degree. Pass it and you progress to Year 1 at that university.
OTHM or Qualifi Level 3 diplomas, Ofqual-regulated, assignment-assessed, open from 16 or 18 with no grade requirement. Completing one qualifies you for a Level 4 diploma at the same centre; Level 5 follows; some universities then consider top-up entry to a final year.
Delivered by London School of Planning and Management (LSPM); this site is its independent recruitment agent. See the 34 diplomas by subject, or start with the general foundation diploma.
Three questions settle it for most people.
Do you need points for an offer you already have, or a course you already want? Then only the Tariff-scored routes will do, and the calculator will tell you how far off you are. A Level 3 diploma from OTHM or Qualifi will not close that gap, however well you do on it.
Are you 19 or over and able to study for a year, full-time or part-time, at a college? Look hard at an Access to HE Diploma. It is the adult route universities know best, it scores on the Tariff, and subject-specific versions exist for nursing, science and social work.
Do you want to start now, study around work, avoid examinations and reach degree level one stage at a time, without going through UCAS? Then the Level 3 to Level 4 route is worth a conversation. It is the one this site recruits for, so we have an interest, and we will still tell you plainly if one of the others would serve you better.
No route guarantees a place at a particular university. Points-based offers come with conditions; grade-based offers can be missed; foundation years can be failed; and progression from a Level 5 diploma to a degree top-up is decided by each university, course by course, year by year. Anyone who tells you a route is certain is selling something. The most any of them offers is a fair chance, and the honest job of this site is to help you pick the route where your chance is best.
Level 4 is the first year of higher education on the Regulated Qualifications Framework, Level 5 the second, Level 6 the final year of a bachelor's degree. OTHM and Qualifi issue diplomas at each of those levels. If you want to see what Level 4 study looks like subject by subject before you commit to a Level 3 year, our sibling site level4diploma.org is written for that question and nothing else.
We are an independent agent, not LSPM's sales team, and we will say whether a UCAS application, an Access course or a Level 3 diploma is the better option for you, even when the answer earns this site nothing. Replies within two working days.