Defunding Access to HE Diplomas for 16 to 19 Year Olds is a Mistake
On 20th May 2026, the Department for Education published their list of qualifications for 16 to 19 year olds that they believe are being replaced by V Levels and therefore being defunded from August 2027. Without warning or reference amongst the consultation documents, and many presentations, there were several Access to Higher Education Diplomas, and yes, full disclosure, Open Awards has six on the list. However, this is not a self-interested plea (whilst we see growing numbers, this cohort still makes up a small percentage of total students) but one for keeping a qualification that has proven ability to widen representation within Higher Education and can address the challenges of chaotic attendance and barriers to attainment.
For the uninitiated, the Access to HE Diploma is a Level 3 qualification, specifically created to prepare students for university study and recognised by UK universities, including many Russell Group institutions. It links especially to a chosen University pathway, such as medicine, nursing, education, etc. It carries UCAS tariff points and indeed UCAS facilitate the application process in the same way as A Levels. Access to HE Diplomas are nationally recognised, long-established and well-regulated by QAA.
It is a diploma made up of units and not a qualification that is taken in combination, such as A Levels or the new V Level. It is intended for students who know what their pathway is, and its sole purpose is to provide a pathway to Higher Education. It begins to bring elements of Higher Education into practice by including research and self-guided wider study, fitting the student for their next stage. The qualifications map more closely to HE progression than to the occupational routes in scope for funding removal. The student outcome is not “occupational competence” but readiness for further academic study.
Importantly, it is, and always has been, viewed as widening participation for students who struggle with traditional academic routes or typical school sixth form demands such as Monday to Friday attendance. Indeed, the cruel irony was that the announcement came as Access Validating Agencies, Access to HE Providers and students gathered at the House of Commons to celebrate the Keith Fletcher Awards. These awards recognise the many barriers that individual students have overcome, including a student who undertook an Access to HE Diploma who, when starting, could not engage in the class with poor first assignments, but they carried on, supported by their college and managed to lead discussions and talk with staff across the Provider by the end of the course. Another learner was able to continue with her course despite a leukaemia diagnosis and subsequent treatment.
The Augar Review recognised that Access to HE Diplomas allow disadvantaged students to remain or return to learning, giving them a very clearly defined route to their end goal of Higher Education to pursue their aspirations in areas of growth. Removal of the funding for this cohort disproportionately impacts students who, for many reasons, need a funded route away from their disadvantage.
Access courses are a key pipeline into professions facing shortages such as Nursing and healthcare, Social care, Teaching and Public services. Cutting funding will weaken recruitment into essential services, affecting the NHS and wider public sector.
Access to HE Diplomas are mainly delivered by FE colleges, which are facing significant financial challenges, and the loss of this funding could well put larger cohorts of students, where adults and young students mix, at risk. It further damages community-based education and local progression routes. A greater co-operation between FE and HE is being encouraged, and the Access to HE Diploma provides that with the vast majority of students moving from a local college to a local University.
Compared to traditional routes, Access to HE courses are short (usually 1 year), many students progress quickly into employment in high-demand sectors, and the Advanced Learner Loan for Access is often written off if the student completes a degree, making Access to HE a targeted, high-return public investment.
Access diplomas don’t just teach subject content; they also prepare students directly for HE study by building confidence, research, and writing skills. This helps to improve University retention rates and student success outcomes.
In my opinion, removing funding would dismantle a pathway that already works well. Keeping Access to HE Diplomas funded is important because they open doors to HE, drive social mobility, supply key professions, strengthen FE colleges and their links to HE whilst delivering strong economic returns.
By Heather Akehurst OBE, Chief Executive at Open Awards
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