Access to HE Diploma funding approval update

Today we have received the news from the Department for Education that the proposed withdrawal of funding for Access to HE learners aged 16-19 has been reviewed, and that funding for learners aged 18 and above will now be maintained.

DfE notes that “Access to HE Diplomas are an important pathway designed to support adults to enter higher education, particularly for those individuals who did not follow a traditional academic route. 

From academic year 2027 to 2028, for Access to HE diplomas relating to the subjects in the first tranche of V Levels, students who are aged 18 to 24 years old, and are eligible for the 16 to 19 study programme funding will retain funding by exception.”

We know this decision will be welcomed across the Access Validating Agency (AVA) network, which has worked collectively to demonstrate the vital role Access to HE Diplomas continue to play within the education landscape. The qualification serves a distinct purpose, supporting learners whose needs are different from those met by T Levels and V Levels.

Learners aged 19 and over will continue to be able to fund their Access to HE Diploma through an Advanced Learner Loan (ALL).

Importantly, if a learner completes an eligible higher education course, such as an undergraduate degree, the outstanding balance of their Advanced Learner Loan for the Access to HE Diploma is written off. This means many learners will not have to repay the loan they took out for their Access to HE qualification.

Heather Akehurst, CEO at Open Awards highlights that “Access to HE Diplomas provide a nationally significant and distinctive contribution to widening participation in higher education and to the professional workforce pipelines that depend upon it. The qualification exists specifically to enable non-traditional learners — including a small but important cohort of appropriately placed younger adults — to progress into degree-level study and subsequently into priority workforce sectors.”

This funding decision will enable Access to HE Diplomas to continue doing what they do best: supporting learners from a wide range of backgrounds, with diverse needs and circumstances, to progress successfully into higher education.