Access to HE with Open Awards

With our learner-first approach to Access to Higher Education (HE), we offer Diplomas that appeal to your learners’ interests and needs, meet the job market’s requirements and anticipate industry demands.

Regulated by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), we offer:

  • Over 400 units across 50 qualification titles
  • Subject descriptor-compliant qualifications in Medicine, Nursing and Health Professions
  • Titles in growth sectors such as Early Years and Esports
  • Flexible course creation
  • Up-to-date titles created by sector experts
  • Opportunities to write and develop qualifications and units
  • Tailored curriculum development services
  • Face-to-face support from our Access to HE team
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What subjects does Open Awards offer?

We work with providers across the UK, providing high-quality Access to HE Diplomas across a range of disciplines.

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Social Sciences

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Languages, Literature and Culture

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Education and Training

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Business, Administration and Law

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Health, Public Services and Care

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Science and Mathematics

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Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care

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Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies

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Digital Technology

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Leisure, Travel and Tourism

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Arts, Media and Publishing

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History, Philosophy and Theology

Explore Access to HE Diploma qualification titles

Why choose Open Awards as your Access Validating Agency?

As a not-for-profit organisation and a registered charity, we are passionate about our vision to change lives through learning and this manifests in our flexibility and creativity when it comes to working with our providers and learners.

We know that Access to HE Diplomas require commitment and dedication from both staff and learners, so in order to support effective delivery, Open Awards Access to HE Diploma Providers benefit from the following:

No additional costs

With Open Awards, there are no additional costs for programme validation, revalidation, or making minor changes to your programmes.

A wide range of GA, UA and UD units

All qualifications contain a range of graded academic, ungraded academic and ungraded developmental units for you to choose from.

Flexibility in programme design

Choose from a wide range of units in each qualification to design a programme that is truly reflective of learner needs, local economy, and local HEI progression.

No prescribed assessment methods

Our units are free from prescribed assessment methods, leaving you, the experts, to design creative and engaging assessments to meet the needs of your learners.

Additional supporting information.

Access to HE Diploma Provider Handbook.

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Key Dates 2025/26.

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Information on Pre-Access qualifications.

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Advanced Learner Loan – Information Guide.

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Enrolling as a Young Learner (16-18).

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