Progression Routes

College can be a route to university. Some people go to college to sit the extra Highers they need to apply to university. For others though, completing a college qualification allows them to move straight into the second or third year of a university degree.

What is 'articulation'?

Some universities will let you start in the second or third year of a degree course if you have completed an HNC or HND in a related subject at college first. This is called 'articulation'.

Because full-time HNC courses take one year and HND courses take two, you can see the advantage - you might be able to complete a university degree no more than one year later than you would have done if you'd entered university straight from school.

What are the benefits?

Taking this route brings several benefits:

1. Lower entry requirements

You can still end up with a university degree even if you don't quite have the grades required to enter university straight from school. The entry requirements for HNCs and HNDs are considerably lower than those for university degrees.

2. A shorter journey

Jumping ahead into the second or third year of a degree means:

you don't need to start from scratch with a subject you've already learned a lot about at college.
you don't need to worry about funding four years of university on top of 1-2 years at college. See our advice on Student Finance.

3. An easier transition

College helps bridge the gap between school and university level. A lot of people who went to college before uni will tell you that they felt better prepared for studying at a higher level.

Research your options

So, if you don't have the grades required to enter university yet but you would like to gain a degree, you should research which college courses will allow you to progress on to university afterwards.

In the west of Scotland, Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) have specific arrangements in place to let college graduates enter their courses. However, several other universities throughout Scotland offer advanced entry in some cases so check out college and university websites for details.

To get you started, we've put together some examples of the progression routes you can take to university from some of the most popular college courses in Scotland. Have a look below and find out the 'articulation' options that could be open to you:

HND Accounting

College Qualification(s)	University Degree
HND Accounting	Entry to - 3rd Year of Accounting at Glasgow Caledonian, UWS, Stirling and Edinburgh Napier

HND Acting and Performance

College Qualification(s)	University Degree
HND Acting and Performance	Entry to - 3rd year of Performance at UWS

HND Business / HND Marketing

College Qualification(s)	University Degree
HND Business HND Marketing	Entry to - 3rd year of Business or Marketing degrees at Glasgow Caledonian, UWS, Stirling and others

HND Coaching and Developing Sport

College Qualification(s)	University Degree
HND Coaching and Developing Sport	Entry to - 2nd year of Sports Coaching or Sports Development at UWS 2nd year of Sports Studies at Stirling

HND Computer Art and Design

College Qualification(s)	University Degree
HND Computer Art and Design	Entry to - 2nd year of some design courses at Glasgow School of Art 3rd year of Computer Games, Computer Animation, and others at Glasgow Caledonian and UWS

HND Computing

College Qualification(s)	University Degree
HND Computing	Entry to - 3rd year of Computing degrees at Glasgow Caledonian and UWS 2nd or 3rd year of Computing degrees at Stirling and Edinburgh Napier

HND Graphic Design

College Qualification(s)	University Degree
HND Graphic Design	Entry to - 3rd year of Graphic Design or Digital Art at Glasgow Caledonian and UWS

HND Legal Services

College Qualification(s)	University Degree
HND Legal Services	Entry to - 2nd year of Law (LLB) at Glasgow Caledonian 3rd year of Law and Business at UWS 1st year of Law (LLB) at other universities (if combined with sufficient grades and experience)

HND Mechanical Engineering

College Qualification(s)	University Degree
HNC Mechanical Engineering - City of Glasgow College (Riverside) - University of Glasgow HNC Mechanical Engineering - Glasgow Kelvin College (Springburn) - University of Glasgow HNC Mechanical Engineering - Ayrshire College (Kilmarnock) - University of Glasgow Please note, the above programmes provide a route into Year 2 of the following BEng degree programmes only: Aeronautical Engineering, Aerospace Systems, Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Design Engineering, Mechanical Engineering with Aeronautics, and Mechatronics. Applicants to the Engineering programmes will require Higher Maths at grade B or above, and another relevant Higher (usually Physics or Engineering Science) HND Mechanical Engineering	Entry to - 3rd year of Mechanical Engineering (and related degrees) at Glasgow Caledonian, UWS and Edinburgh Napier 2nd year of Product Design Engineering at Strathclyde 2nd year of selected Engineering degrees at the University of Glasgow (HNC)

HND Media and Communication

College Qualification(s)	University Degree
HND Media and Communication	Entry to - 2nd year of Journalism degree at UWS and Strathclyde 3rd year of Broadcast Production or Filmmaking & Screen-writing at UWS 3rd year of Communication and Media at Glasgow Caledonian, Queen Margaret and Edinburgh Napier 2nd year of Film and Media Studies or Journalism Studies at Stirling

HNC Social Care

College Qualification(s)	University Degree
HNC Social Care	Entry to - 2nd year of Social Work at Glasgow Caledonian and Stirling 2nd year of Integrated Public Services at UWS 1st year of Social Work at Strathclyde (or 2nd year with work experience)

HND Social Sciences

College Qualification(s)	University Degree
HNC Social Science - Glasgow Clyde College (Langside) - University of Glasgow HNC Social Science - West College Scotland (Paisley) - University of Glasgow Please note, the above courses provide a route into Year 2 of the following degree/joint degree programmes only: Politics, Sociology, Social & Public Policy, Central & East European Studies, Economic & Social History, and any of these degrees ‘with Quantitative Methods’. The Articulation Programmes do not provide a route into UofG Psychology degrees HND Social Sciences	Entry to - 3rd year of Social Sciences or Applied Psychology at Glasgow Caledonian 3rd year of Social Sciences, Criminal Justice, Politics, Sociology or Social Policy at UWS 3rd year of Criminology or Sociology at Stirling 2nd year of History, Politics or Psychology at Stirling 2nd year entry to selected Social Sciences degrees at the University of Glasgow (HNC)

HND Sound Production / Music Technology

College Qualification(s)	University Degree
HND Sound Production or Music Technology	Entry to - 3rd year of Commercial Sound Production or Music Technology at UWS 3rd year of Audio Technology at Glasgow Caledonian

HND Travel and Tourism

College Qualification(s)	University Degree
HND Travel and Tourism	Entry to - 3rd year of Tourism Management at Glasgow Caledonian and UWS

Progression Routes

- Glasgow and the west

Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) and University of the West of Scotland (UWS) accept many HNC and HND graduates into degree courses.

Read the course entry requirements for GCU and UWS to find out which courses accept college graduates into Year 2 and 3.

The Open University will also allow you to transfer 'credits' from your HNC/D towards a part-time degree in a related subject. For more info, visit OU College Routes.

Progression Routes

- East and Central Scotland

The University of Stirling, Edinburgh Napier, and other universities in the east of Scotland are happy to accept college graduates into some degree courses.

Use Stirling University's Articulation Search to match college courses with their degrees.
Also refer to prospectus information to research university articulation agreements in Edinburgh and the east.

The Open University will also allow you to transfer 'credits' from your HNC/D towards a part-time degree in a related subject. For more info, visit OU College Routes.

- Pathways.ac.uk

Pathways allows you to search through the articulation routes which are available in the East of Scotland