A few weeks ago, I finished an Access to HE diploma in Social Science at Leeds City College, with a set of results that have brought about an offer to study Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Cambridge. This is something I could hardly have imagined growing up in a low-income household, facing significant personal and educational challenges.
I am a mature student, meaning that I will be starting my undergraduate degree at 21 or over. For mature students, carers, and anyone who doesn’t fit the traditional school-college-university route, Access to HE diplomas can change everything. Combined with peer mentoring schemes, doors to better futures are not only opened, but people are also taught how to stride through them with confidence! Now, using my experience, I help other non-traditional students pursue their studies and build transferable skills that will help them in their higher education, careers, and personal life.
What is an Access to HE diploma?
Access to HE diplomas are 9-month qualifications designed for people aged 19+, who missed out on A-levels, left school early, or want to retrain. A diploma is roughly equivalent to three A-levels, but uses essays, presentations, and research projects instead of just final exams. Crucially, they do not just test what you know, rather what you can do with it: how you think, analyse, and communicate. Courses include small seminar-style discussions, tutorials, and workshops on study skills, academic writing, and time management. There are also ungraded modules – on self-study strategies, as many students have taken years out of formal education and may struggle with learning effectively, and offering guidance through the university application process using UCAS.
These courses are not limited to social science; students can study health professions, humanities, engineering, computing, business, and more, allowing progression into hundreds of degrees, including those leading to regulated professions like nursing. HE diplomas are accepted by most UK universities, including Russell Group institutions.
My journey
I had previously had a disrupted journey through the education system. I came from a socioeconomically challenged area, struggling with my mental and physical health, debt, caring responsibilities, and bereavement. The COVID pandemic, which overshadowed my college years, definitely didn’t help either. Starting the Access diploma brought a sense of belonging among fellow students, and a warm welcome from staff who mostly had non-traditional experiences themselves. This created an environment of shared understanding, focusing on supporting and uplifting each other rather than competition.
Over an intense year, I ended the course with the highest possible grade: 45 distinctions. This achievement, combined with my diverse experience, led to a conditional offer from Cambridge. A shocking turnaround from being rejected by all five of my university choices in 2021! This is a statistically rare opportunity for Access students, but clearly not impossible. My success serves simply as a testament to what can happen when someone is finally given the right opportunity to thrive.
What Access courses do differently
Traditional qualifications, like A-levels, demand learning a strict curriculum, where marks are often dependent upon use of key words over ideas. In contrast, by encouraging wider learning, Access diplomas feel closer to university expectations. One of the most powerful aspects is freedom: within module themes, you’re able to research what interests you the most. In my case, this meant exploring topics deeply connected to my background and community, which made learning more personal and meaningful. For many students, Access courses help people view themselves not just as learners, but as thinkers, researchers, and educators.
Courses are often taught part time (online or in-person), typically 12-16 hours per week, plus independent study, allowing students to continue supporting the other areas of their lives.
Paying for an Access course
Access courses can in fact be entirely free, through an “Advanced Learner Loan”, which can cover the entire course cost and is then completely wiped after you complete a higher education course. This is paid monthly, directly to the education provider, meaning that if, for whatever reason, you cannot finish and withdraw from the Access course, you only pay back what was actually given to the school, instead of the full fee. This is treated like student loans, where you pay back a small percentage each month, only if you earn over a certain threshold.
You also have the option to pay for the course yourself, currently around £3000, which is a lot. However, compared to the costs of structured teaching, learning resources, and examination for three A-levels, it can work out cheaper.
Access course highlights
One of my favourite aspects of the course was studying sociology for the first time. In those lessons, we had classroom debates on socially sensitive topics, which I found thrilling. It strengthened my ability to critically think and communicate. This turned out to be invaluable at my Cambridge interview. Although I didn’t have much formal interview preparation, the practice of thinking on my feet and viewing questions interdisciplinarily meant I could answer challenging questions confidently and naturally, rather than sounding rehearsed and regurgitated.
Another moment that stayed with me was when someone from a local university admissions team spoke to us. She emphasised that general life experiences can be relevant to a university application. For instance, she mentioned a student who worked in construction and was interested in mental health nursing who referenced his experience of first aid and care on site.
It was inspiring to see how Access courses don’t just teach you what to write; they help you see your own value in a new light. The tutors went above and beyond what the curriculum required, introducing us, for example, to the basics of RStudio in our statistics class, which will be frequently used in my undergraduate studies. Even in subjects where I already knew most of the curriculum, like psychology, my tutor still pushed me to learn new theories and make creative links.
I was never bored; I genuinely looked forward to starting each assignment, knowing I could bring something unique to it. What really made the course special was how the teachers supported students’ wider goals beyond the classroom, through volunteering, networking, or simply reading.
Social mobility in practice: mentoring and peer support
Qualifications alone aren’t always enough, so applying to top universities can feel daunting. Even more so when you don’t know anyone who has been there and have no personal application guidance.
That’s why I volunteer with charities and non-profit organisations, like Project Access, an international mentoring programme, pairing disadvantaged applicants with mentors studying at high-ranking universities. It’s more than advice; it demystifies the process through sharing experiences and showing that someone like us does belong there. Before starting my Access course, I didn’t know anyone who had studied this diploma type before, so it was a huge relief to be paired with a mentor who not only attends my dream university and studies my ideal degree but also completed an Access to HE diploma too! The sense of relatability brought me a lot of reassurance in my suitability: if they could do it, so could I. Now I try to feed that confidence forward: if I can do it, you can too!
Mentoring helps break down invisible barriers: the fear of not fitting in, the belief that elite communities are “not for people like us”, and the practical overwhelm over applications, interviews, and student life. In my case, it significantly changed my outlook on myself, my experience, and my perception of higher education.
Barriers that remain
In a fair society, accessing higher education shouldn’t be dependent on background, age, or postcode. Yet for many, traditional backgrounds are blocked. Access diplomas, contextual admissions policies, and peer mentoring schemes help universities see potential beyond grades. They show that talent and resilience comes in many forms, and that universities are stronger when they include students with diverse life stories. These interventions don’t just increase application numbers; they change who feels entitled to apply in the first place.
Challenges do persist – course fees, living costs, and sometimes lingering stigma. Not all admissions staff or employers understand what Access diplomas involve, and awareness among potential students is far too low. We need more investment, better outreach, and a cultural shift that values alternative routes as equal.
It’s never too late to learn
Studying an Access to HE diploma gave me the balance to learn new subject fields, develop my previous knowledge, and gain wider experience that will allow me to succeed in my future career. Without my Access course and peer mentorship, I wouldn’t be on my way to Cambridge, or ready to help others do the same. It’s a second chance for students who have been systematically overlooked.
Above all, it was the dedication and kindness of my tutors that made this journey possible. Their genuine effort transformed the classroom into a safe space where I could explore, question, and grow.
If you’re thinking about studying later in life, don’t let doubt stop you. It’s never too late to learn.
