If you’re aged 19 years or older and dream of pursuing a career in medicine, dentistry or science but don’t yet have the qualifications you need, then our Access to HE Diploma in Medicine could be for you.
The course is validated through Ascentis and is a recognised QAA qualification.
This one-year, intensive programme is designed to support you to get the qualifications you need to get into university to study medical professions and science at degree level.
Run by a team of friendly, supportive and approachable teaching professionals, the course has been designed to support you in your career journey.
This diploma is not just for aspiring medics!
The units you will complete within this course satisfy the entry requirements for most biomedical, health science and pure science degree pathways such as:
On the course you will study:
Biology
The standard entry requirements are GCSE grade 5 or above in maths, English and at least two sciences.
Other qualification may be accepted in replacement of above, so if you are unsure please come to an open event for a chat.
If you want to study Medicine or Dentistry at university immediately following the Access diploma, you must have sat a UCAT (university clinical aptitude test) exam prior to your entry onto the course.
For more information about this, please visit here.
If you have relevant industry experience in the heath or social care sector or personal experience in a caring role for a family member, for example caring for a family member with a disability, we would encourage you to apply.
You will complete on-going assessments during your time with us.
This will include essays, reports, leaflets, PowerPoint presentations, exams, case studies and academic posters to help you show your understanding of the topics covered on the course.
You will be expected to complete initial assessments using online and written tasks during the first two weeks of the course. These will be used to determine your suitability for the course and to identify any support which you might benefit from.
Although work experience is not a mandatory element of this course we strongly recommend you complete voluntary work in a health environment to support your progression to university. There may be opportunities to gain work experience with our employer partners.
We can support you through this and we have our very own industry placement and business development team ready to offer help and advice. Across the year, we engage with local universities to support students who are making decisions about their progression.
We have we have working relationships with:
We also work closely with a local care agency to support our students in gaining paid employment and volunteer work to support their university applications.
We currently work closely with Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust who help us develop our units as well as provide us with exciting industry placement opportunities both on the wards and in hospital laboratories.
Our teachers are ambitious, talented and passionate about making your experience at college the very best it can be.
They have up-to-date industry experience to share with you and the energy and enthusiasm to help you to get where you need to be.
Our teachers understand that returning to study as an adult can be challenging and that you’ll have lots of other priorities to juggle.
They pride themselves on offering lots of one to one support to help you do your very best.
Students on the access course make use of facilities at the Baltic campus including our libraries, laboratories, clinical practice rooms and classroom environments. You will have access to our Careers and Guidance team to help you with your university application and to help you prepare for interviews and assessments.
You can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan to cover the course fees.
This is a low interest loan with no upfront fees or payments, no credit checks and is paid back in instalments once you are earning a certain amount.
More information can be found here. Once you have completed the Access to HE course, if you go onto complete a higher education degree course, the remaining balance of your Advanced Learner Loan, including any interest, will be ‘written off’, which means you won’t have to pay it back. If you do apply for an Advanced Learner Loan you may also be eligible for additional grants to help with costs associated with the course such as travel or childcare through the Advanced Learner Loans.
If you are aged 19-23 and do not yet have a full level three qualification, you will get the course for free!
For one-to-one advice, please contact our friendly team who will be able to give you the right information. You can reach them on email at [email protected] or 0191 490 2294 or via Live Chat.
Please note: The fee shown may be subject to change. If this happens, you will be contacted directly before the course is due to start.
All courses will run subject to sufficient student numbers.
Many of our students progress to local and national universities to study degree programmes.
Some of the courses our students have progressed to are:
To search university programmes and their entry requirements, you can use the UCAS website (www.ucas.com).
If you are aged 19-23 and do not yet have a full level three qualification, you can study this course for free.
If you are over 23 and need help to cover the cost of this course, you can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan.
Once you have completed the Access to HE course, if you go onto complete a higher education degree course, the remaining balance of your Advanced Learner Loan, including any interest, will be ‘written off’, which means you won’t have to pay it back.
If you do apply for an Advanced Learner Loan you may also be eligible for additional grants to help with costs associated with the course such as travel or childcare through the Advanced Learner Loans.
For one-to-one advice, please contact our friendly team who will be able to give you the right information. You can reach them on email at [email protected] or 0191 490 0300 or via Live Chat.
Whatever support you need, we’re here for you and will make sure you get the most out of your time at college. We have expert teams in place to look after every single one of our students.
To contact our dedicated Learning Support team email [email protected] or head to Live Chat
Knowledge
Medicine and Dentistry: Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Psychology: Knowledge of human behaviour and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioural and affective disorders.
Therapy and Counselling: Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counselling and guidance.
Biology: Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Median Salary
£61,777
Averge Qualifications
Education and Training: Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Public Safety and Security: Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
£21,718
£63,447
Personnel and Human Resources: Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labour relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Administration and Management: Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modelling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
£34,944
£38,523
People in these occupations diagnose, assess, and treat health problems, operate medical technology, and care for patients.
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Using mathematics to solve problems.
JOIN OUR SPORTS ACADEMIES
Eight specialist sport academies, all offering first class training, coaching and playing opportunities for everyone, regardless of what you study.
Connect with our Academy socials:
Enrolment Event
Monday 16 March 2026
Say Hello to HE Music
Monday 23 March 2026
UPCOMING EVENTS.
Find out about all our upcoming events here. Simply sign up and come along.
View or download our course guide for 16-18 year olds.