Access to HE Nursing: How the Access to Nursing Course Works

An Access to Nursing course is an Access to HE Diploma, a Level 3 qualification that gets adults without A-levels onto a nursing degree. It's usually a one-year course of 60 credits, 45 of them graded Distinction, Merit or Pass. Since August 2025, diplomas titled "Nursing" must include biology, health numeracy and professional behaviours units.

If you've been out of education for a while, you're exactly who the diploma is designed for. It's a well-trodden route: the Access to HE site says 24,000 Access students are accepted at over 140 universities every year. Below you'll find what you study, what nursing degrees ask for, and how your grades turn into UCAS points.

What is an Access to Nursing course?

It's an Access to HE Diploma with a nursing or health focus. Access to HE Diplomas are regulated by QAA and prepare "people without traditional qualifications for study at university". They're "designed, in particular, for people who have been out of education for some time".

Every diploma has the same basic structure:

Most people study full-time for a year, but you can also study part-time over two or more years. That flexibility is useful if you're working or have children.

What do you study on an Access to Nursing course?

Since 1 August 2025, QAA's subject descriptor for Nursing and Health Professions applies in full. It had been piloted from August 2024. Any diploma titled "Access to HE Diploma (Nursing)" or "Access to HE Diploma (Health Professions)" must include its essential content:

That's 21 credits of essential content, leaving 39 credits for other units. QAA recommends psychology, health studies and sociology for those.

The numeracy unit applies even if you already have GCSE maths. QAA explains that the focus is "numeracy in a health context, rather than purely mathematical skills".

The descriptor covers all fields of nursing, including adult, children's, learning disability and mental health nursing. So the same diploma keeps your options open if you haven't picked a field yet.

Do you need GCSEs to start an Access to Nursing course?

Colleges set their own entry rules for the Access course itself, so ask your provider. What matters more is the degree you're aiming for. QAA points out that GCSE English and maths aren't a requirement of the NMC (the Nursing and Midwifery Council), but universities decide their own GCSE rules, and most nursing degrees have them.

For example, for 2027 entry Nottingham asks for GCSE English and maths at grade 4 (C), and Manchester asks for five GCSEs at grade 4 including English Language, maths and science. King's College London says the numeracy and literacy units in an Access diploma don't count towards its GCSE requirement. If you're missing a GCSE, sort it out alongside your Access year.

What grades do nursing degrees ask for from Access students?

Here's what five universities ask for on their adult nursing degrees, checked on their own course pages on 24 September 2026:

The range is wide. A London research university like King's wants two thirds of your graded credits at Distinction, while Sheffield Hallam's requirement is 15 credits at Merit. So a less-than-perfect set of grades still leaves you real choices.

King's also has a contextual offer for Access students: 30 Distinction, 6 Merit and 9 Pass credits. Read more about how these work in our guide to contextual offers.

How many UCAS points is an Access to Nursing course worth?

Only the 45 graded credits carry UCAS points. The 15 ungraded credits, including the health numeracy and professional behaviours units, don't add points. Your total depends on your mix of Distinctions, Merits and Passes, and 45 credits all at Distinction carry the same points as AAA at A-level.

The quickest way to see your total is the Access to HE UCAS points calculator: enter the credits you expect at each grade. The Access to HE UCAS points table shows every profile.

The Access to HE site says only diplomas awarded after July 2017 are included in the UCAS Tariff, and diplomas started before September 2014 can't be given points. If yours is older, ask the university how it will assess it.

Points matter most at universities that make offers in points, like Sheffield Hallam and UWE Bristol. Universities such as King's, Manchester and Nottingham set a credit profile instead, so hitting a points total isn't enough on its own. For the wider picture, see our guide to UCAS points for nursing.

Should you study at college or online?

Both can work. The key checks are the same wherever you study:

• the course is a QAA-recognised Access to HE Diploma
• if it's called Access to HE Diploma (Nursing) or (Health Professions), it meets the subject descriptor's essential units
• the unit mix fits your universities, such as Manchester's 30 science or health credits

College courses give you face-to-face teaching and a study group. Online courses can fit around shifts and childcare, but you'll need self-discipline. Whichever you choose, ask how the provider supports your UCAS application and reference.

How do you pay for an Access to Nursing course?

If you're 19 or over, you may be expected to pay the course fees. You can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan if you're 19 or older on the first day of the course. The loan doesn't depend on your income and there are no credit checks.

The best part: Student Finance England will "write off" any outstanding Advanced Learner Loan balance for an Access to HE course once you complete a higher education course, as long as it's eligible for student finance. For the degree itself, our guide to student finance basics explains tuition fee and maintenance loans.

What should you do next?

1. Shortlist three to five nursing degrees and note each Access requirement, using the table above.
2. Choose a QAA-recognised Access to HE Diploma whose units fit those requirements.
3. Check your GCSE English, maths and science.
4. Work out your likely points with the Access to HE UCAS points calculator.

New to the diploma? Our guide to the Access to HE Diploma explained covers the basics. Thinking about another health career? See how the same route works for Access to HE and paramedic science.