QAA publishes new version of Access to HE Recognition Scheme
| Date: | May 30 - 2025 |
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The Quality Assurance Agency has published the new iteration of the Recognition Scheme for the Access to Higher Education (AHE) Diploma.
QAA has been responsible for the regulation of this qualification since 1997, and the Recognition Scheme underpins the terms of this regulatory activity.
The new version of the Scheme introduces significant changes to the way in which QAA will regulate the qualification from September 2025.
The Access to HE Diploma is a Level 3 post-16 qualification focused on providing adult learners who wish to enter higher education the opportunity to gain the necessary qualifications in the subject areas they wish to follow.
The publication of the new edition of the Recognition Scheme follows an extensive period of public consultation which took place last year.
QAA licenses Access Validating Agencies (AVAs) to develop, validate and award the AHE qualification, and to work with providers that deliver AHE Diploma courses.
QAA places regulatory requirements on AVAs through its Licensing Conditions and related monitoring arrangements. It also sets out particular requirements through the Diploma Specification and the associated Grading Scheme. For some subject areas, it sets requirements for the content of Diplomas through Subject Descriptors. These are the regulatory elements which constitute the Recognition Scheme.
Changes to Recognition Scheme have been designed to ensure the AHE Diploma's ongoing relevance and to support its continuing development as a key instrument for the promotion of widening participation in higher education.
"This new principles-based framework offers a balanced and proportionate approach to regulation which is intended to foster opportunities for innovation, enhancement and growth in this valuable area," says Claire Swales, Access to HE Diploma Officer at QAA.
Key changes featured in the new Scheme include:
- A shift from 118 prescriptive rules to 22 key outcomes;
- The introduction of time-limited licences of up to five years duration to create a nuanced approach to managing risk;
- The publication of decisions and judgments relating to regulatory interventions.