Apprenticeships will be allocated UCAS tariff points from next year, the university admissions body has confirmed.
Level 3 apprentices who want to apply for higher education courses will be awarded up to 112 points on the University and College Admissions Service applications system from May.
UCAS initially scheduled the rollout for September this year, but following a summer consultation pushed back the timetable again by eight months to give university admissions teams more time to adopt the new proposals.
It means learners applying for courses starting in September 2026 will be able to use UCAS points from their apprenticeship.
UCAS said it will review the model from autumn 2025 to autumn 2026 and publish data assessing the use of tariff points, the impact on university admissions decisions and evaluate any “external changes” to the apprenticeship landscape across all four UK nations.
The points will only apply to apprenticeships at level 3 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) at level 6. UCAS confirmed it currently has “no plans” to broaden the scope of the tariff beyond level 3.
To be eligible for the points, apprentices will have to meet the conditions of their degree offer, such as passing their end-point assessment, by September 4 of the forthcoming academic year.
UCAS chief executive Jo Saxton said: “Bringing parity to vocational and technical qualifications was one of my key priorities during my time as chief regulator at Ofqual, and I am delighted that UCAS is continuing that drive for parity by allocating tariff points to apprenticeships.”
Jennifer Coupland, who heads up the Institutes for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, added: “Apprenticeships are already recognised by prestigious employers and professional bodies. Getting recognition from universities completes the hat-trick.”
9 in 10 colleges support changes
UCAS launched a four-week consultation to universities, colleges and representative bodies in May over its proposals to allocate points based on the size and grading structure of an apprenticeship in the four UK nations.
It was floated in 2023 with the aim of putting level 3 apprenticeships on a level playing field with A-level, T Levels and other UK level 3 programmes.
The consultation received over 200 responses. 89 per cent of colleges that responded were in favour of the model, followed by 85 per cent of schools and 77 per cent of universities.
The “most divided” consultation response was agreeing with UCAS removing grade bands above pass (e.g. merit, distinction). 50 per cent agreed but 35 per cent disagreed, saying it was “unfair” not to recognise achievements and could “demotivate” students in seeking more than a ‘pass’.
Incoming system
The points are as follows; apprenticeships typically lasting between 12-17 months would give successful apprentices achieving a ‘pass’ 48 UCAS points.
An 18 to 23-month apprenticeship would be awarded 64 points, and a two-year apprenticeship would be awarded 96 points, equivalent to three A-levels with grade C, or a T Level pass grade.
An apprenticeship lasting 36 months or longer would accrue 112 UCAS points.
Previous FE Week reporting pointed out that the most popular apprenticeship among under-19s last year – the 18-month-long level 3 business administrator – would award successful apprentices 64 UCAS tariff points, short of the typical minimum university 72 to 128 UCAS point entry requirements.
UCAS acknowledged the concerns around the number of tariff points in an FAQ document.
It said: “[UCAS] appreciates the significant learning, experience and preparedness for higher education that an apprenticeship can bring.
“However, UCAS has a responsibility to ensure that the UCAS tariff does not indicate that an apprentice is necessarily better prepared for higher education than those that have completed an A-level, T Level, Scottish Highers, or other equivalent programmes of study.”
Duration vs credits
The tariff will use the expected duration of an apprenticeship set out by IfATE to determine the number of points, which previously received criticism from two university groups for having “pitfalls”. The groups suggested a credits system that awarded one credit for 10 hours of teaching, following the Scottish system.
Half of consultation respondents agreed or strongly agreed with using duration as the best measure of the size of an apprenticeship. Over a fifth were neutral and another fifth of respondents disagreed.
Susanna Kalitowski, head of policy at University Alliance, said its concerns that the model will “undermine” the aim of parity of esteem “still stands”.
She told FE Week a two-year apprenticeship being worth no more than 96 points “risks signalling that these qualifications are less rigorous or prepare students less well for HE study, when that is very much not the case”.
“We know UCAS will do all they can to mitigate this, and we welcome the commitment to regularly reviewing the policy,” Kalitowski added.
UCAS doubled down, saying it was the “best and only viable” model and had tested using credits but “it did not show any significant difference”.
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