QAA regulates Access to HE courses through our Recognition Scheme for Access to Higher Education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We set up the scheme to assure the quality and adequacy of standards of student achievements, on all Access to HE courses.

We do not directly recognise individual courses or award certificates to students. We license Access Validating Agencies (AVAs) to do this and regulate the way in which AVAs undertake their responsibilities.

Our Recognition Scheme has three elements:

• national level: we have overall responsibility over the framework and the implementation of the Recognition Scheme
• regional level: we license AVAs to approve Access to HE courses and to award QAA-recognised Access to HE qualifications to students in the regions they work in
• local level: providers of Access to HE courses deliver the courses and recommend learners to the AVAs for the award of Access to HE qualifications.

If you are a course provider, and would like to offer Access to HE Diploma courses, you must first contact one of the Access Validating Agencies.