Access to HE enrolment information

Thank you for choosing to study the Access to Higher Education Diploma with us at University Centre Newbury (UCN) part of Newbury College. We are excited to meet you this coming September. In preparation, there are some points we need you to be aware of:-

  • Over the summer period July/August, you should have received details from the college about the Advanced Learner Loan and applied for this. Should you have any problems with either of these processes please contact our Information Officer, Maria Corcoran This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 
  • The course begins in w/c 4th September 2023 with Induction to the College. You will complete Enrolment forms on the day so please bring with you proof of ID (passport, driving licence, birth certificate, national insurance card/letter) and proof of previous English and Maths qualifications (if applicable). Induction sessions will run from 9:30 – 12:30 or 13:30 - 16:30 from Monday 4th Sept. to and including Thursday 7th Sept. It would be appreciated if you could email myself on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your preferred day for study (details below).
  • The options for study day are given below. Please note that not all Diplomas are taught every day. Teaching will start week commencing 11th September 2023. 
    In college day may be  
    Tuesday 9:00 – 18:00 – Nursing and Midwifery, Science & Paramedic Science 
    Wednesday 9:30 18:30 – Nursing and Midwifery only 
    Thursday 9:30 – 18:30 - Nursing and Midwifery, Science, Paramedic Science and Health and Social Care Diploma 
    Not everyone will be able to choose the same day and there may have to be some compromise. This will be managed through mutual discussion.

As part of your course we will visit the Science Museum in London. This will be on Thursday 5th October 2023. The Museum is free but a cost for train travel will be necessary. If we do group bookings off peak this is approximately £25.00.

Preparatory Tasks
  • Investigate which universities you may apply to. Many will hold open days over the summer or in the early Autumn.
  • Begin your personal statement. There are many different resources on UCAS to help you with this – available by following this link and scrolling to the bottom How to write a UCAS Undergraduate personal statement | Undergraduate | UCAS You could also contact Karen Taylor at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and she may help you 
  • We have attached three booklets below. We would like you to work through these over the summer and before you start the course, as it will prepare you for your first assignments. Most of you will be looking to achieve good grade outcomes from this course to go on to university, and writing excellent assignments will achieve this. 

There is no set textbook for an access programme, but much of what we do follows the A-level syllabus. There are some textbooks available, many are online, and we will go through these when you start in September. Below are some suggested activities according to the subjects you will be doing:-

  • Psychology – If you have no previous experience of Psychology a good start can be found on the free learning platform OpenLearn from the Open University. There is an introduction module ‘Starting with Psychology’ which can be found at Starting with psychology - OpenLearn - Open University. You will need to set up an account, but this may be a useful site for other assignments though out the year. This is studied by all courses except for Paramedic Science.

Finally, we just want to say have a good summer, and we look forward to meeting you in September 2023.