Studying with us

100% online

Everything is delivered totally online. Study when and where it suits you best.

Start any time of year

Unlike traditional colleges and many online learning providers, you can start with us any time of year.

Choose how long you want to take

When you enrol, you choose how long you wish to take to complete your Course. Studies and payments are tailored to match the date you choose. We know circumstances can change during your studies, so you can ask your tutor to bring this forward or move it back any time you wish. Your studies and payments will be adjusted accordingly.

Easily take a Study Break

We have a uniquely flexible approach to pacing your studies when life's priorities change. You can take a Study Break (between 1 and 6 months) and return when it suits you, picking up your studies as though you had never been away.

During this time, you do not use up any of your maximum study days and you also take a break from your payments, if you are on an instalment plan.

Changing your course part way through

For many courses, if you get part way through your studies and decide the Course is not for you, we can arrange a Course Transfer. Any work you have completed which is also on the new course can be transferred. You can discuss anything Course-related with our experienced staff, and they will recommend the best solution.

If you leave the course, you can still return later

If you leave without completing your studies, due to a change of circumstances, you can return at a later date and pick up where you left off.

We cannot guarantee that there will have been no changes if you are away for more than six months, though it is likely that you will still be able to use most or all of what you have already achieved if you do return. We will not make you start paying for the whole course again from scratch.

We are proactive, we contact you

What really makes us different is that we don't wait for you to contact us. Your tutor will contact you regularly to ask if you would like any help and offer a tutorial slot. If we don't hear from you for a while, we will contact you to find out if there is anything further we can do to support you, or just to help boost your motivation and keep you on track. The main thing is that you get to know your tutor and your tutor gets to know you, which leads to much better success for you.

Lots of ways to communicate

Our tutors support you throughout your studies by: email, WhatsApp, virtual meetings and/or phone. You will also have your tutor's email address and phone number so you can contact them when you need assistance. Texts and WhatsApp messages come in useful.

Building your understanding of the subjects

Our tutors provide expert (but easy to understand) help and advice on your subject, and assess your progress, mark your assessments, and give you extensive feedback to improve your understanding and skills.

Fully Qualified Subject Specialists

All tutors have a professional teaching qualification and a Degree (or higher) in their specialist subject, as well as experience in a variety of adult education environments. All our tutors are on permanent employment contracts which means they tend to stay with us for a long time and you benefit from the experience and efficiency this brings.

Friendly and Supportive

Your tutor will be friendly, reliable and supportive. They will help you plan and sustain your learning even when other commitments intervene, keep you motivated if the going gets tough, and encourage and celebrate your achievements.

Building your confidence

Our students are from diverse backgrounds. Our tutors know how to build confidence and skills among students who didn't have a great experience at school, or who have been out of education for some time.

Achieve the best outcome for you

We know and understand that the idea of returning to a learning environment can be quite daunting. Our mission is to provide you with the maximum amount of support to ease you back into education and achieve the best possible outcome.

Expert advice

Our experienced advisors can help you identify the best course to meet your learning or career goals. If you are unsure about the type of course, subject, or options which are best for you, or have any questions about the planning and timing of your studies, or the enrolment process, they will be happy to help. Email Student Services or call us on 0333 224 9451.

'How to' Guides

All our Courses include 'How to' Guides and/or Developmental units which are particularly useful if you have not been in a learning environment for some time. They help you return to an educational environment and develop your study skills.

You never feel alone

Some people believe that distance learning can be a lonely experience and that you miss out on the support you may gain from other students if in classroom situation. This is not true.

We have a lively student Facebook Group where you can contact and keep in touch with other students. It provides a place to discuss your studies with others on the same course and receive help and advice if your tutor is not immediately available. It is also a great platform to receive and give encouragement to and from your fellow students. give encouragement to your fellow students and receive encouragement in return.

First-rate peer support

The Facebook Group also has experienced ex-students and current students who are designated volunteers to help newer members. This includes the Student Action Group, a group of students who meet regularly with our staff to suggest ways we can improve our services.

Written by us

All our Course Materials and Assessments are written and copyrighted by us.

Simple access

You do not need any special software or equipment.

Whether you are using a Mac or Windows operating system, you just need a computer, an internet connection, a phone, an email account and a word-processing package. For courses where there are exams, they are observed by your tutor. This takes place as a virtual meeting, for which you will need a microphone and a camera (so in most cases a mobile phone with these is fine).

Anyone with basic IT, email and word-processing skills finds it easy to access our online systems for administration, payment and learning and if you do have any problems we have a dedicated Technical Support Team to help you.

Course resources in plain English

All of our Course materials are detailed and professionally written and edited, in plain English. We provide you with a wide range of resources and you can also preview some examples from Cell Biology here:

• Learning Materials - interactive text books for each unit in PDF format which you open with a password given to you by your tutor.
• Videos & Podcasts - to complement and support the Learning Materials, also with Transcript.
• Scheduled Webinars & Group Tutorials - covering specific subject areas.
• Self-Assessed Questions (SAQs) - for you to test your own learning and compare with model answers.
• Assessments - give you all the information you need to complete and pass your assessment. Further Podcasts and Videos are included in the Assessments.
• Student Answer Sheets the documents you complete with your answers for the Assessments.

In addition to the support that we provide, we also offer extra help for those who it would benefit.

Learning Support

Supporting students who have declared a disability to us. They provide advice and guidance and signpost individuals to help and resources which can help them with their studies. They may also be able to arrange approval for aids & reasonable adjustments, such as extra time for exams.

Student Support

Supporting students who are having problems with their studies. This may be due to a wide range of factors, personal, financial, confidence, changed circumstances etc. Generally, tutors will refer students to Student Support if they feel that they would benefit from some extra help or advice.

As a UCAS Centre we are happy to assist you in the development of your university application

For students studying Access to HE Diplomas and ABID Qualifications, our UCAS Manager works closely with universities across the country to ensure that information on course entries is current. All tutors are also trained and experienced in delivering these services across the college.

This means we can give you up-to-date advice and guidance on entry requirements, personal statements, references and interview techniques which is consistent, thorough and professional.

Throughout the university application process you can expect the following level of service:

• Your tutor will check your personal statement and offer any advice necessary to ensure that it conforms to required conventions for your chosen degree. This is based on tutors experience and knowledge of degree programmes and university expectations.
• The advice will also include feedback on presentation including content, spelling and grammatical errors.
• Your tutor will provide you with an individually tailored reference.
• On completion of your application form, a final review of the completed form will be undertaken and further feedback provided if necessary.

We will then submit your form and continue to offer advice and guidance as you receive offers for university places.

Our feedback tells us that over 40% of our new students come to us recommended by a friend, colleague, employer or university.

We must be doing something right!

Student Success

We have provided Distance Learning Courses for 30 years, specialising in Access to Higher Education Diplomas, but also offering a wide range of other qualifications. During this time, we have helped over 10,000 students to achieve their goals and transform their lives. We currently see around 1500 of our students taking up places at university each year. They have gone on to study at over 170 different HEIs across the UK.

Highly Recommended

Some universities specifically recommend us as the best place to study by distance learning. Many universities are keen to take applicants who have studied with us knowing that our students are self-motivated, disciplined students who have already mastered the skills needed for independent study at university level. They also know that our experience means that the content of our courses is tailored to their entry requirements.

Positive Student Reviews

The stories our students tell about studying with us are really inspiring. Many say that their vision of themselves and their career aspirations are transformed by their studies with us. Read some of their stories in our reviews.

Fully Accredited

Our Access to HE Diplomas, Advanced British International Diplomas, Functional Skills and Level 2 Awards are fully accredited by recognised Awarding Bodies. Access to HE Diplomas are also regulated by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).

Our current examination boards for IGCSE and GCSE courses are AQA and Edexcel, which are both fully recognised by OFQUAL, the official regulator for GCSE qualifications and exams.

Consistently high quality standards

We consistently receive excellent Moderation Reports from our Awarding Bodies, and we were held up as an example of best practice at the QAA conference to celebrate 20 years of Access to Higher Education.