Co-written by Julie Goodwin, Head of Development and Vicky McClymont, Marketing and Access to HE Development Manager
When we regulate Level 3 qualifications at Open Awards, UCAS automatically generates points for these qualifications and adds the qualification to the official Tariff tables. The purpose of the Tariff is to enable higher education providers to draw high-level comparisons between the wide range of available qualifications.
So, whether you choose one of our extensive Access to HE Diplomas or one of our Level 3 qualifications, you will get points upon completion of the qualification.
Level 3 Qualifications
Our Level 3 qualifications cover a range of subjects, including:
- Braille
- International Supply Chain Logistics suite
- Maritime suite
- Master Quilter
- Maternity Support Worker
- Mentoring suite
- Network Cabling suite
- Occupational Health Technicians
- Pharmacy suite
- Procurement
- Responding to Substance Misuse
- Teacher Training suite
- Youth work suite
For full details please check the UCAS Tariff points webpage by clicking here.
Access to HE Diplomas
As Tariff points are awarded for Level 3 qualifications, Tariff points against an Access to HE qualification are only attributed against the 45 Level 3 credits, graded at Pass, Merit or Distinction.
The highest Tariff value achievable for an Access to HE qualification is 144 (a learner holding all 45 credits at Distinction) and the fewest Tariff points is 48 (based on 45 credits achieved at Pass). All variables of learner achievement across the 45 Level 3 credits are included in the Tariff (i.e. D30M12P3, D27M9P9, D3M9P3).
When researching HE courses, you will typically see the minimum number of tariff points required to gain entry within the ‘Entry Requirements’ section for each course. From this you will be able to work out how many credits at Distinction, Merit or Pass you will need to gain in order to meet the tariff requirements. Do this by using the Tariff tables and clicking the ‘Access to HE’ tab at the bottom of the sheet:
Whilst there is no hard and fast rule about the value of Tariff points against a grade of Distinction, Merit or Pass, a basic calculation could look like this:
- If a learner achieves 45 credits at Pass standard, they get 48 tariff points - which would mean 48 / 45 = 1.067 points per Pass credit.
- An all-Merit profile would award a learner 96 tariff points, therefore we could assume 1 credit at Merit level equals 2.13 UCAS points (96 / 45).
- A full Distinction profile would give a learner 144 tariff points, meaning that 1 credit at Distinction level equals 3.2 tariff points (144 / 45).
To calculate the tariff points you would receive for the 45 graded credits on your Access to HE Diploma, use the UCAS Tariff Points Calculator, by adding in your qualification and credits achieved at Distinction, Merit, and Pass level: UCAS Tariff Points Calculator
Apprenticeships
For the 2026 cycle, UCAS are introducing a new Tariff points structure that now includes Level 3 apprenticeships alongside A-levels, T Levels, and other post-16 qualifications. These changes aim to support apprentices' progression to higher education by creating a unified system that helps universities and colleges evaluate apprenticeship qualifications against traditional academic routes.
For apprenticeships achieved in England, Northern Ireland, and Wales, the size band is based on the published expected duration of the apprenticeship (not the amount of time the apprentice took to complete it).
To determine the number of Tariff points you will be awarded (from 2026) for the completion of an apprenticeship standard, use the Tariff Tables and click ‘Apprenticeships’ at the bottom of the sheet: