Skip to main content
Access to HE

Access to HE Diplomas with AIM

The Access to HE diploma is a full Level 3 qualification designed to prepare learners without traditional qualifications for entry into Higher Education (HE).

Highly respected and acknowledged throughout both the Further Education (FE) and HE sectors, Access to HE diplomas provide the knowledge and skills needed to progress to level 4 study at university or college and enable learners who may be lacking in confidence, or lacking formal educational backgrounds, to access higher level education or new work and career opportunities. Each year around 40,000 learners in the UK register on Access to HE Diplomas and most go on to succeed in HE and embark on life-changing new careers.

On successful completion, learners receive a national qualification which is accepted as a standard entry qualification by many HE providers in England and Wales. AIM Qualifications and Assessment Group works with over 80 centres who offer over AIM Access to HE courses in a wide-range of sectors. A full list of AIM diploma titles can be found here.

AIM  - Your AVA of Choice 

AIM is an Access Validating Agency (AVAs). We develop, approve and monitor Access to HE courses. QAA (the UK’s Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education) licenses AVAs to award the Access to HE Diploma to successful students. AVAs develop, approve and monitor Access to HE courses, and work with course providers (colleges, training providers etc) to deliver excellent courses that meet the needs of their learners.

AIM Qualifications and Assessment Group is one of the leading Access Validating Agencies in the UK with over 40 years’ experience of developing qualifications. 

Not all AVAs are the same

With AIM you get:

  • An AVA with a great reputation: AIM is one of the leading AVAs delivering Access to HE Diplomas to over 80 colleges/training providers across the UK. (See QAA)
  • Choice: A large selection of Diploma titles including social sciences, business, education Nursing and allied health professions, engineering and arts.*
  • Pre-Access to HE qualifications: Level 2 qualifications providing a stepping-stone to an Access to Higher Education Diploma. 
  • Bespoke centre resources to assist your centre in delivering the Access to HE diploma and spread the word across your centre, downloadable here.
  • eLearning courses specially developed to support learners in AIM Access to HE centres with some free study skills options:  
    • Developing Emotional Resilience 
    • Improving Emotional Resilience
    • Time Management
    • Improving Mental Well-being 
    • Online Safety
  • High-value and competitive pricing
  • Academic rigour and strong achievement rates.
  • A robust quality assurance approach designed to support you throughout the year
  • Awards and recognition: Annual Excellence Awards and prizes to recognise outstanding learner commitment and achievement.
  • A specialist team: AIM’s Access to HE team will help you to enhance the delivery of your provision.
  • Relevant, quality diplomas developed by specialist practitioners from FE and HE meeting the needs of students.
  • Instant access: Ready-made, off the shelf diplomas that can simply be selected and used immediately after approval.
  • Training and networking events 
  • Effective and supportive quality assurance through external moderation and standardisation with subject specialist moderators offering support and guidance.
  • Support provided to centres to check their selected units meet the rules of combination.
  • Approved units: Access to a bank of approved units across a range of curriculum areas to support meeting Rules of Combination for each Diploma, and to allow tutors to plan their teaching to meet the interests of specific cohorts. 
  • Flexible Assessment methods; Flexibility to design own assessment briefs using a range of different assessment methods with support from the Access team and external moderators to ensure relevance and appropriateness.
  • Efficient registration and awards process with fast certification 
  • Support and development: On-going curriculum support and development for new diplomas
  • Recognition of learning excellence: AIM centres can nominate their learners and their centres for AIM’s excellence awards and to the national Keith Fletcher memorial prize. 

Become an AIM centre

It's a simple process and our team will support  you all the way. See our webpage for more information all contact  businessdevelopment@aimgroup.org.uk