Access to HE Diploma (Business) - Level 3

The aim of the course is to give mature learners (19 years and over) a second chance at education by developing personal confidence and achievement, the ability to study, and guidance to help decide your future. The course will provide a thorough grounding in the key concepts and theories they will meet during their further studies or training.

Students gain an insight into business studies and support is offered to those students wanting to apply for university. Teamwork and oral skills are promoted through group discussion during seminars, which helps prepare students for employment by encouraging interaction with colleagues.

Units include:

IT Skills and HE Skills: cover the basic skills the learner needs to develop their academic writing skills and prepare them for academic writing at university.

Business: includes business structures, introduction to objectives, stakeholders, functional areas and culture.

Ethics in Business: includes ethical perspectives, sustainability and corporate and social responsibility and how these are used by businesses.

Management and Leadership: considers teamwork, motivation and wide range of leadership theories.

Employment Law: considers key legislation in relation to employment contracts.

Managing People: explores the role of HR in workplace planning and how reward systems and training to support organisational needs.

Marketing: covers the core principles of marketing including segmentation, and how to market product and services.

Accounts: explores the processes needed to produce basic financial documents including profit and loss, balance sheets and cashflow. You will learn to how to use ratios to support decision-making.

Whilst there are no official entry requirements, you may be asked to complete an initial assessment to assess your English and maths skills.

How long is this course?

1 year

When does this course start?

02/09/2026

How many hours / days per week is this course?

This course will run two days a week with face-to-face delivery - Wednesday and Thursday - from 8:45am - 4pm.

Fee information

Adult (19+) learners

Depending on your age, course, educational history and personal circumstances, there may be options available for you to receive a course fully-funded by the government. Our fee calculator will help give you an idea on whether you'll be able to have your course fee waived or covered by an Advanced Learner Loan.

Complete our fee calculator

Learners with an active Education, Health & Care Plan

If you are aged 19 - 24 at the start of your course and have an active Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP), any course up to and including level 3 will be fully-funded by the government. This means you will not have a course fee to pay and any equipment considered essential to complete your course will be provided by the college.

What qualification will I achieve?

The Access to Higher Education course (depending upon the final qualification) is equivalent to A-Levels. It is recognised by higher education institutions, advanced apprenticeships, business, retail and appropriate professions. Our Access to Higher Education courses are validated by the Cambridge Access Validating Agency and the qualification is universally recognised as demanding and rigorously assessed.

How is my course assessed?

The course will be split into modules which are mainly individually assessed, but there are also some presentations that are assessed as a group. Later modules build on the skills developed in the earlier ones. The modules are assessed through a combination of written assignments, exams, and presentations. These are spread out throughout the year and are graded at Pass, Merit or Distinction.

How many UCAS points will I achieve on this course?

The number of UCAS tariff points for an Access to Higher Education diploma varies between 48 and 144 points, depending on your grade for each module.

Access to Higher Education qualifications are split into a total of 45 graded credits and each module will have a different credit weighting (for example, one module may be worth 3 units and another may be worth 6). For each graded module, you'll achieve a pass, merit or distinction and these each carry a different amount of UCAS points (with pass being the lowest and distinction being the highest).

For example, if you pass each graded module, you will achieve 48 UCAS points. If you gain a distinction in each graded module, you will achieve 144 UCAS points (equivalent to three A grades at A Level).

We've included some examples below of what grades you need to achieve common UCAS tariff point entry requirements:

You can find more details on the UCAS Tariff points calculator here.