Overview

Ready to start your journey into nursing? With the NHS projecting a need for 197,000 nurses by 2036, there’s never been a better time to train for this rewarding career.

This Level 3 qualification is designed for adults (19+) returning to education, covering key topics such as health and wellbeing, nursing roles, and psychology. It prepares you for university and a future in adult, mental health, or children’s nursing.

Flexible online learning: Study at your own pace, with most students completing the course in 12-18 months by committing 15 hours per week.

The awarding body for this course is the Skills and Education Group Access.

How will I learn?

Flexible learning - Study at a time that suits you, balancing education with work or family commitments.
24/7 online access - Learn anytime, anywhere with round-the-clock access to your course materials.
Convenient and comfortable - Advance your education from the comfort of your own home while maintaining your income.

Do you want to gain more confidence, knowledge and skills before joining one of our Access to HE courses? Then our First Steps into Access to HE course is just for you!

Start dates and fees

Start Dates

Various.

Cost

£3,022 (See 'Funding options')

What will I study?

You will study a range of modules including:

Study skills
Health and wel-lbeing
Cell biology
Human nutrition and the digestive system
The roles and responsibilities of the registered nurse
The human endocrine and nervous system
Classification and use of social drugs and medicines
Sociology
Psychology.

Before starting your Access to HE Diploma, you’ll complete a one-week Blended Pre-Access Course. This course introduces the study topics, provides success tips, and helps you decide if you're ready. After completing it, you’ll attend a review and induction to prepare for your diploma.

FAQs

We have created a downloadable document that lists all our most frequently asked questions.

View Access to HE FAQs

Entry requirements
This course is only available adults aged 19+ (as of 31 August 2025).
- GCSE grade 4-9 (C or above) in English Language and maths.
Don’t have the required GCSEs? No problem!
We’re here to help you get ready for your next step.
- Need one GCSE? Study it alongside our Preparation for Access to HE course.
- Need both GCSEs? Join our GCSEs for Access to HE courses, designed just for adult learners.
You’ll take a short assessment to see what support you need. Then, we’ll guide you to the best option.
For more information please contact 0808 100 3626 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Assessment
Assignments that are set regularly throughout the course - completed in your own time.
To successfully complete the course, you will need a total of 60 credits. Credits are split into the following two categories:
- Graded – 45 credits (focus on the academic subject)
- Ungraded – 15 credits (such as writing and study skills).
Progression
There are a range of healthcare related courses available to progress onto including:
- BSc (Hons) Nursing (choice of adult, child or mental health specialisms)
- Midwifery.
There are a range of healthcare related courses available to progress onto including:
- BSc (Hons) Nursing (choice of adult, child or mental health specialisms)
- Midwifery.
*As we are a partner college of Nottingham Trent University (NTU), you may qualify for various benefits should you choose to apply to NTU after completing your college course. This could include a Progress NTU offer, where you would receive an offer one grade below their standard offer. For instance, a typical offer for one of their courses might require 128 UCAS tariff points. With Progress NTU, your requirements would be 120 UCAS tariff points. For further details, please call us on 0808 100 3626 or discover more about this benefit on the NTU website.
Careers
Qualifications gained
- Access to University Nursing (Online)
Funding options
Don't let paying for this course hold you back from achieving your goals. There are different funding routes available for adult learners. Dependent on your personal circumstances, you may be eligible to:
- Apply for an Advanced Learner Loan
- Split the cost of courses over four instalments
- Apply for additional financial support.
Did you know? If you successfully go on to complete a Higher Education qualification following an Access to HE course, you won’t have to pay your Advanced Learner Loan back at all.
For more information please contact 0808 100 3626 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Disclaimer

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information on the website is correct, some details may be subject to change. West Nottinghamshire College reserves the right to make amendments to the courses, dates, fees or other details, and to make cancellations or changes if numbers are insufficient. In the unfortunate situation that we have to cancel a course we will refund your fees in full, but we regret we are not able to offer any refund if you withdraw from your course or fail to start, and you will be liable to pay any outstanding fees that may be due.