Medicine

Information for centres

The Access to HE Diploma (Medicine) meets the requirements of the QAA Approved Subject Descriptor for Medicine. The subject descriptor has been approved by QAA and was developed in consultation with The Medical Schools Council (MSC) and other HE and FE specialists. 

The purpose of the subject descriptor is to define the minimum requirement of content for a Diploma that is designed and publicly claims to provide the preparation needed for progression to undergraduate study in Medicine.

The aim of the subject descriptor is to bring greater standardisation to Diplomas titled Access to HE Diploma (Medicine). This will allow the medical schools currently accepting Access to HE students for direct entry to have greater confidence that an unfamiliar Diploma will be very similar in selection, content and assessment to those that they currently accept. It may also encourage those medical schools not currently accepting Access to HE students to review their admissions policies based on a clear definition of an Access to HE Diploma (Medicine) student. 

How can we deliver this qualification?

You can enquire about becoming an approved centre for delivering Access to HE Diplomas by completing the Centre Approval Enquiry Form.

You can find out more about the delivery of the Access to HE Diploma by reading our Access to HE Brochure and the OCN London Access to HE Diploma Guide.

Information for learners

Is this the right qualification for you?

The Access to Higher Education Diploma (Medicine) is a Level 3 qualification which prepares people without traditional qualifications for study at university.

The qualification gives you the relevant academic subject knowledge needed for higher education study and the opportunity to develop study skills to help you to succeed. It is well established and widely accepted by universities, qualifying for UCAS tariff points that are comparable to the tariff points for three A levels.

Learners primarily progress to Higher Education study in areas related to Medicine. These may include some of the following areas of Degree level study:

• Applied Medical Sciences
• Biomedical Sciences
• Biomedicine
• Dentistry
• Medical Biochemistry
• Medical Physiology
• Neuroscience
• Nutrition and Dietetics
• Occupational Therapy
• Optometry
• Pharmaceutical Science
• Pharmacology and Physiology
• Pharmacy
• Veterinary Medicine and Science

You can find out more about the Access to HE Diploma in our Guide for Learners and Learner Area.