Access to HE Diploma (Counselling and Psychology)
Course overview
If you live in England, you might be able to do this course for FREE, see ‘Additional Information’ tab for more details.
Apply today and our team will confirm if you could qualify for free place, with no obligation.
Access to Higher Education qualifications are nationally-recognised, one-year, intensive Level 3 courses. They are a fast-track route to gaining the skills and qualifications you need to study at university and begin the career you’ve dreamed of.
An Access course is for mature students (19+) who have been out of full-time education for one or more years and would like to go on to higher education but do not have the formal qualifications needed.
The course contains study skill units to develop skills as well as academically based study to prepare students for Higher Education within the field of Counselling and Psychology. On the Access to HE: Counselling and Psychology Level 3 Diploma pathway, you will study psychology, approaches to counselling and professional healthcare practice.
You will be introduced to some of the theories regarding human behaviour and experience and will explore some of the explanation’s psychologists have to understand humans and their interactions with the world. This is coupled with an introduction into the practice of counselling.
Students from this pathway have progressed on to higher education to study psychology, deaf studies, counselling, occupational therapy, human services, sociology, religion and theology.
Benefits of studying with Activate Learning:
- Designed exclusively for adults (19+)
- Supportive environment provided through tutors with subject expertise and includes guidance webinars for every module.
- One year programme equivalent to three A Levels, allowing you to achieve the qualification you need to progress to university.
- Widely recognised and accepted qualification by UK universities. This is validated and moderated by Ascentis under licence from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
- Help and guidance on writing your personal statement and completing your UCAS application
- Flexible learning enabling you to study whilst working and around personal commitments
- Funding with the Advanced Learner Loan available.
Each year, around 95% of our Access to HE students progress to university on completion of their programme, going on to over 100 different universities across many different degrees and disciplines.
Course Fees £3384
Remember:if you go to university and complete a degree, the loan for your Access course is written off by the Government.
As well as developing subject knowledge, you will improve your communication, personal and study skills through a common core programme that also provides one-to-one tutorial support.
There will be a focus on ethics, professionalism, contemporary approaches to counselling and practicing counselling skills in a simulated environment. You will be introduced to the study of psychology and explore the fundamental of this field to include a number of key theorists to support your understanding of the subject areas of application in practice.
Please note: this course is an introductory route into counselling as a profession or indeed to enhance valuable skills for work in a care setting. This programme of study is suitable for those who have limited or no previous experience of counselling.
Teaching will take the form of lectures, discussions, group work and self-directed learning. Credits are gained for a variety of tasks such as quizzes, case studies, essays, research projects, oral presentations and timed assessments.
You will be assigned a personal tutor who will agree on performance targets with you and support you to achieve these targets. Your tutor is also the first port of call for any pastoral issues.
Our committed team of staff and careers specialists will also guide and support you with your higher education choices and applications. Almost all our Access to HE students’ progress to higher education.
You will benefit from socialising in an educational environment and working collaboratively on projects. All of this is excellent preparation for higher education.
To be eligible for a place on this programme, you do not need any formal qualifications.
For university however, you will need to have a GCSE at grade 4 (C) or above in both English and maths, or a Functional Skills Level 2 qualification. It is advisable that you have these qualifications prior to starting your Access level 3 course as the skills you will have gained from studying these qualifications will really help you on this programme.
Please note: If you wish to go on to study a medicine degree, most universities require five GCSEs, including English, maths, and science at grades 7–9 (A–A* equivalent).
- Applicants are advised to contact their university of choice to confirm the criteria.
- Some degrees require that you have some relevant paid or voluntary work experience, and this will also be checked at interview.
- Applicants must be aged over 19 and have been out of full-time education for a year.
- You will have a numeracy and literacy assessment to check your suitability to study at Level 3 and may have the opportunity to re-take either a maths or English GCSE alongside this course.
If you don’t meet the entry criteria, don’t worry! We have a range of one-year, Pre-Access courses available to help you get started.
There is also a wide range of support available at the college for students, including financial support.
On successful completion of this course, you will be able to progress to higher education to continue your academic studies in the psychology and counselling field.
You could also choose to progress to the FdSc in Counselling, which is awarded by Middlesex University and delivered at our Guildford College campus. This will lead to further study and employment opportunities in the counselling sector (subject to meeting entry requirements).
Funding Options:
To be eligible for funding, you will need to live in England. Anyone in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland will need to self-fund the course.
Level 3 Entitlement fee remission: If you are aged 19-23 and do not hold a prior full Level 3 qualification, you may be eligible to study the course for free. This would also depend on your location within the UK, but we would check this for you during your application process.
19+ Advanced Learner Loan:If you are aged over 23, or you are 19-23 with a full Level 3 qualification, you can fund the course with the Advanced Learner Loan supplied by Student Finance England. This loan will be wiped from your records if you progress to university and complete your studies! If you do not progress to university or a higher education course, you will not need to start paying back the loan until you earn over £25,725.00.
Remember: If you go on to study at university and complete a degree, the loan for your Access course is written off by the government.
Alternatively enrol by phone quoting AS/P/F3004 or ask a question
