Access to HE Diploma · 45 graded credits

Access to HE UCAS points calculator

An Access to HE Diploma is worth between 48 and 144 UCAS points. The total depends on how many of your 45 graded credits came out at Distinction, Merit and Pass: all Distinction is 144, all Merit 96, all Pass 48. Set your credits below for the exact figure, taken from the Access to HE sheet of the official UCAS Tariff tables.

Checked against the UCAS 2027 Tariff tables on 26 October 2026how we check

Your graded credits

From your transcript: 45 graded credits in steps of 3. Pass fills the rest.

Distinctioncredits

Meritcredits

Passcredits, worked out

D24 M15 P6

115points

What profile gets you to a points offer?

The lowest-Distinction profile that reaches each common offer. Any profile with more Distinctions or Merits in place of Passes also gets there.

Offer	Distinction	Merit	Pass	Points
80	0	30	15	80
96	0	45	0	96
104	9	36	0	106
112	15	30	0	112
120	24	21	0	122
128	30	15	0	128
136	39	6	0	138
144	45	0	0	144

So 112 points needs only 15 Distinction credits if the other 30 are at Merit or better. Swapping any Pass for a Merit, or any Merit for a Distinction, always raises the total.

Every Access to HE grade profile, in one grid

Read down to your Distinction credits and across to your Merit credits. Pass is whatever is left of the 45. All 136 profiles UCAS lists are here.

UCAS Tariff points by Distinction credits (rows) and Merit credits (columns)
D \ M	0	3	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27	30	33	36	39	42	45
45	144
42	138	141
39	131	134	138
36	125	128	131	134
33	118	122	125	128	131
30	112	115	118	122	125	128
27	106	109	112	115	118	122	125
24	99	102	106	109	112	115	118	122
21	93	96	99	102	106	109	112	115	118
18	86	90	93	96	99	102	106	109	112	115
15	80	83	86	90	93	96	99	102	106	109	112
12	74	77	80	83	86	90	93	96	99	102	106	109
9	67	70	74	77	80	83	86	90	93	96	99	102	106
6	61	64	67	70	74	77	80	83	86	90	93	96	99	102
3	54	58	61	64	67	70	74	77	80	83	86	90	93	96	99
0	48	51	54	58	61	64	67	70	74	77	80	83	86	90	93	96

Source: UCAS 2027 Tariff tables, Access to HE sheet, downloaded from ucas.com.

How the Diploma is graded

Every Access to HE Diploma is 60 credits. 45 of them come from graded level 3 units and 15 from units at level 2 or 3 that are not graded. Each graded unit gets a Pass, Merit or Distinction, and there is no overall grade for the Diploma. That is the rule set by the QAA, which regulates the Diploma, in its Access to HE Grading Scheme.

Units can be worth 3, 6 or 9 credits, so two students with the same profile can hold a different number of grades. What counts for UCAS is the credits, not how many units they came from. Your transcript lists the credits for each unit; add up the Distinction credits and the Merit credits, and the calculator does the rest.

Behind the table, each Distinction credit is worth 3.2 points, each Merit credit about 2.13 and each Pass credit about 1.07, with the total rounded to a whole number. We checked that this matches all 136 rows of the UCAS sheet. It is a handy way to see why one more Distinction unit moves the total by about 3 points per credit. Quote the table figure, though, not your own sum.

Points offers, credit offers and what to check

An Access offer comes in one of two shapes. A points offer, say 112 UCAS points, is met by any profile in the grid at 112 or above. A credit offer names the grades directly, such as a number of credits at Distinction and the rest at Merit. In that case the points are beside the point: a profile can reach 112 and still miss a credit offer that wants more Distinctions.

Many courses also ask for GCSE English and maths at grade 4 (or C) or an equivalent, and some want particular subject units on the Diploma. Those conditions sit outside the Tariff. The course page on ucas.com is where they are written.

Holding other qualifications too? Access points add to them like any others in a points offer. Our main UCAS points calculator covers A levels, BTECs and the rest.

Access to HE points questions

How many UCAS points is an Access to HE Diploma?

Between 48 and 144, depending on your grades. UCAS scores the 45 graded credits: all 45 at Pass is 48 points, all at Merit 96, all at Distinction 144. The 15 ungraded credits do not change the total.

What is the maximum UCAS points for an Access to HE Diploma?

144, for 45 graded credits all at Distinction. That is the same total as AAA at A level or DDD in a BTEC Extended Diploma.

How many UCAS points is a Distinction on an Access course?

Each Distinction credit is worth 3.2 points before rounding, so a 3-credit unit at Distinction adds about 9.6. A Merit credit is worth about 2.13 and a Pass credit about 1.07. UCAS rounds the total for each profile, which is why the table on this page is the number to quote.

Do the 15 ungraded credits count for UCAS points?

No. They are needed to pass the Diploma, but UCAS points come only from the 45 graded level 3 credits.

Do universities ask for points or for credits?

Both happen. Some courses quote UCAS points, and then this calculator answers the question. Many write Access offers as a credit profile instead, for example a set number of credits at Distinction and the rest at Merit. If your offer is a profile, compare your transcript to the profile, not to a points total.

Is a Merit worth half a Distinction?

No, it is worth two thirds. In tariff terms Pass, Merit and Distinction credits sit in the ratio 1 : 2 : 3, so 45 credits at Merit (96 points) is two thirds of 45 at Distinction (144).

Offer	Distinction	Merit	Pass	Points
80	0	30	15	80
96	0	45	0	96
104	9	36	0	106
112	15	30	0	112
120	24	21	0	122
128	30	15	0	128
136	39	6	0	138
144	45	0	0	144

D \ M	0	3	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27	30	33	36	39	42	45
45	144
42	138	141
39	131	134	138
36	125	128	131	134
33	118	122	125	128	131
30	112	115	118	122	125	128
27	106	109	112	115	118	122	125
24	99	102	106	109	112	115	118	122
21	93	96	99	102	106	109	112	115	118
18	86	90	93	96	99	102	106	109	112	115
15	80	83	86	90	93	96	99	102	106	109	112
12	74	77	80	83	86	90	93	96	99	102	106	109
9	67	70	74	77	80	83	86	90	93	96	99	102	106
6	61	64	67	70	74	77	80	83	86	90	93	96	99	102
3	54	58	61	64	67	70	74	77	80	83	86	90	93	96	99
0	48	51	54	58	61	64	67	70	74	77	80	83	86	90	93	96

Offer	Distinction	Merit	Pass	Points
80	0	30	15	80
96	0	45	0	96
104	9	36	0	106
112	15	30	0	112
120	24	21	0	122
128	30	15	0	128
136	39	6	0	138
144	45	0	0	144

D \ M	0	3	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27	30	33	36	39	42	45
45	144
42	138	141
39	131	134	138
36	125	128	131	134
33	118	122	125	128	131
30	112	115	118	122	125	128
27	106	109	112	115	118	122	125
24	99	102	106	109	112	115	118	122
21	93	96	99	102	106	109	112	115	118
18	86	90	93	96	99	102	106	109	112	115
15	80	83	86	90	93	96	99	102	106	109	112
12	74	77	80	83	86	90	93	96	99	102	106	109
9	67	70	74	77	80	83	86	90	93	96	99	102	106
6	61	64	67	70	74	77	80	83	86	90	93	96	99	102
3	54	58	61	64	67	70	74	77	80	83	86	90	93	96	99
0	48	51	54	58	61	64	67	70	74	77	80	83	86	90	93	96