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
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Transcript
Video transcript:
Beverley: I was really nervous about the thought of going to University as an older student. I mean, I was 38 by the time I started uni and I was like "oh, what am I doing going here with all these kids" you know, but it was just fantastic. I needn't have worried; it was brilliant! I found like-minded people and you know, other mums, that were all there for the same thing: they really wanted to be a primary teacher as well and and we just sort of bonded. It was great.
Kerriann: Not everybody knows what they want to do when they're in high school or even after they left high school. I didn't really know fully what I wanted to do until I'd had lots of life experiences and bringing life experiences to the table has really just helped enhance my whole journey.
Tony: I knew that I wanted to get a degree but I didn't know how to really go about it or like, what the process of doing it was, you know?
Karen: My aim was always to be a nurse and I've progressed that and I'm now three years on, just about to revalidate.
Melanie: I wanted to be a forensic scientist but I think doing a science degree it completely opened so many doors. I'm in a better place than I ever imagined I would be though.
Kerriann: I am working as a primary school teacher and that's exactly what I set out to achieve. Where I started this, the SWAP course.
Karen: When you're at college how did you feel about going to uni?
Melanie: It was absolutely terrifying. In college it was a very small, close, and very personal but University is a big place. Once I got to University and I realised that I'm on a journey and I'm there for a reason and with an end goal. Their lecturers and the staff were just brilliant.
Tony: It's not going to be easy at the start. You're going to have nerves, you're going to have questions, but that's completely to be expected.
Beverley: It's not like at school. At school, you're told what to do and when to do it, sort of thing. You've got to manage your own time and make sure you read everything you have to read. You've got to go out there and find the things you've got to read it's not all this time to do sort of thing.
Kerriann: You end up having such a community, like a little family along the way so for so many years, you've developed so many close friendships that you'll keep on for life. It's never too late to go into higher education, you know, because a lot of people are stuck in their jobs that they and they think there's no other options or it's they can't do because they've got children, I've got two children myself you can definitely do it. I went to do the SWAP access course when my daughter was one and yeah, it was challenging going back into education, but I've never looked back and it's been the best thing for me and my children.
Karen: So what did you get out of University?
Melanie: I got a completely different life out of the University.
Tony: SWAP course has enabled me to actually see a future for myself, not just working job to job you know.
Beverley: it was definitely all worth it. All the all the hard work was definitely worth it. I wouldn't change a thing.
Karen: I've become more independent than I was before. I was always leaning on other things to help me through but now I've gone and I had to do the work myself. It was only me that could qualify and get to where I am, and now I am where I want to be which is helping people.
Tony: I'm a lot happier than I was previously and enabled me to get a good decent amount of education out of it too.
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. You can find out more about what’s on offer on our Scholarships and Bursaries page.