Mature students

Being a mature student isn't about age. It's about your educational journey.

A mature student is someone who's been out of education for some time and who hasn't studied at university before. Normally this means three to five years out of formal education (depending on your circumstances) such as high school or full-time college courses.

We welcome large numbers of mature students into Heriot-Watt every year, mostly through college or Open University courses. This includes those completing HNC, HND qualifications, or an access course such as those run by the Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP). For more information on using a HNC or HND to get into Heriot-Watt have a look at our College student pages.

We also consider other access programmes for degree entry, please contact us for more information.

SWAP access courses

SWAP provides access courses designed to help mature students get into university. Courses are designed for anyone who has been out of education for some time and who has few or no formal qualifications. We are part of the SWAP East partnership in the east of Scotland, but we also warmly welcome students from the west of Scotland on access courses provided through the SWAP West partnership.

To find the right access course for you, you can search the possible degree progressions on the SWAP East section of the SWAP website. Alternatively, get in touch with SWAP directly, or email us at access@hw.ac.uk: -

• SWAP East - swap.east@ed.ac.uk
• SWAP West - swapwest@scottishwideraccess.org

If you're not sure which route would be best for you get in touch and we'll help you work it out.

If you think another college course, such as a HNC, HND or portfolio course, would be better for you have a look at our College student pages for more information.

Open University courses

Some students find that distance learning is a better route for them, and we're happy to accept Open University (OU) courses as part of our entry requirements. Typically, we'd look for 60 credits at OU Level 1 in related subjects. If we ask for a required subject at Higher then we would expect at least one of our OU courses to be in the same subject.

For example, for our Physics degree programme we require school pupils to have a Higher in both Physics and Maths. If you wanted to use OU courses to get into our Physics degree you would need to study courses in both Physics and Maths. If, however, you were considering one of our Business degrees we would just recommend a related subject as we have no required subjects for these degrees.

If you're not sure which courses to choose, send us information on the courses you're thinking of studying and we'll check with our admissions colleagues for you.

Practical and financial support

We offer a wide range of support to mature students. This includes advice on finances, childcare, and making the transition into university through our ‘Get Ready for Success' programme. We go to several college career fairs every year, and we'd be happy to come and talk to your class, or to arrange a class visit to our campus. Just ask your course leader to get in touch with us.

We also provide tailored support sessions for college students at all our on-campus events, including Open Days and Offer Holder Days. We'd always encourage college students to come to our Open Days and Offer Holder Days. These are the best way to find out more about our courses, talk to lecturers about what you will study and talk to current students about what it's like to be a student in your chosen subject. You can find us in the ‘widening access' zone at each event – our staff and student ambassadors are always happy to chat and answer any questions you might have.

If you can't make one of our big events but still want to come and see the campus let us know and we'll arrange a campus tour with one of our student ambassadors and a chat with one of our widening access or recruitment staff.

There are a few bursaries and scholarships that are open to college and widening access students. This is money that you don't have to pay back. All you have to do is apply.