Will two A levels plus RSL Level 3 diploma keep uni options open? Any admissions tutors out there?

[MugShout]

Youngest DC currently choosing ALevels and thinking of 2 A levels plus an RSL Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in Music Practitioners. They are really bright but not too keen on studying for hours, and I think this combo would be engaging and not too much pressure (struggles with anxiety). BUT they are very keen not to close off university options. College assures us the course is A-level equivalent and gives generous UCAS points. However when we have looked at a sample of university admissions pages they rarely couch entry requirements in UCAS point terms, and I have never seen the RSL diploma even mentioned as an alternative.
Are there any admissions tutors that can confirm whether a level 3 diploma would be accepted alongside a couple of A levels for the type of course where the A level offer might be 3 Bs and above? (I realise maths/science probably out).

I work in university admissions and we’d accept it. Heck we’d accept flower arranging if it had ucas points attached to it. What does your dc want to do at university and do they know which uni? Some courses/universities may have specific requirements.

It depends where you are applying. The best thing to do is identify a few degrees that that DC might be interested and drill down into the entry requirements. The info will be there in the small print - and it will vary from uni to uni.

You are right @MugShout that a lot of higher ranked unis don’t accept based on UCAS points. Obviously plenty of excellent unis do tho - usually places like NTU, Leeds Beckett, Sheffield Hallam.

I agree, ID a couple of courses at different unis and see what they ask for.

I doubt if this qual will get you to Oxford or Warwick but BBB wouldn’t either so I assume she won’t be looking at that level.

@stripesandspotsanddots This is the issue - they really don’t know what they will want to study at uni. I have tried to drill down on a few websites - occasionally BTEC diplomas are mentioned, but not RSL. Seems a bit niche which worries me, although two of our local colleges do offer it.

@JulietteHasAGun thats reassuring. Would you be willing to say which uni? I’m not sure whether most of them will look at UCAS points if the student has non-standard quals, or if there is a whole tranche of high achieving unis that would be off the cards. DC has had some significant challenges during school so far and so trying to strike a balance between something not too stretching at post-16 but could still springboard to a competitive course if that’s where they’re at in two years.

I sm a former STEM admissions tutor, very maths-heavy discipline in a well regarded School with a very high offer.

I had not heard of this qualification. I am not sure what we would make of it with only teo A Levels. I can see the argument that practising music is inherently mathematical, but also the argument that this combination doesn’t do as much to prepare you to work at the necessary level to succeed in our School.

However there are many wonderful options, that don’t require working at this level, that can prepare one for an excellent career.

OP, the most important thing is that the question is a respectable (and interesting) one that admissions tutors should be happy to answer directly. The best thing is for DC to ask them, preferably via email. The public face of the admissions team will route the query correctly.

Best wishes to DC

@clary thanks I think that confirms what I fear which is that if they suddenly decided to pursue a more academic path it might cause a blip in the road! My older DC is starting at Oxford in the Autumn so whilst this one is not in the same place at this point due to significant anxiety struggles, they do potentially have the ability. (Although a hugely competitive uni may not be ideal for someone with anxiety issues in any case!)

@poetryandwine thank you. Maybe we will ID a range of plausible routes and send some emails - good to hear that we would not be treated as a nuisance! Had feared that a Y11 enquiring would be fobbed off, but it feels quite important to know things like this before choosing subjects!

A Y11 enquiring will be thought intelligent!

The unis which advertise a tariff point entry requirement will almost certainly accept it. Those who express their offer in terms of A level grades may not. Is that the definite qualification? It looks like a 1.5 - 2 A level equivalent to me so the workload may be a bit higher than anticipated!

The UCAS website has a tool on which you can search for degree subjects and it tells you want their usual offer is. Those that won't accept UCAS points indicate that on there. Though of course things could change between now and when they will apply, but could be a useful tool for initial consideration.

Is your DC ready for university? Anxiety (about what??) and "not too keen on studying for hours" do not bode well.

Maybe some time out in the world volunteering using their music skills, and maybe tutoring for money to live on, while they sort out their unspecified anxieties and work out just how hard they want to work to get where they want to go, would be a better idea?

If they need a degree to take the next steps, then they'll be more motivated to work harder than they think they want to at the moment. Kids (especially from the aspirational middle-class) are so pressured on an educational treadmill at the moment, a lot of them need to step away and just breathe.

Not everyone has to go to university, and not everyone is suited to the work and pressure of university.

Great post from @ParmaVioletTea

I’m in a RG, not as high up the league tables as @poetryandwine and we wouldn’t take that for a lot of courses. But it’s going to depend what course your DC wants to do.

Can you give some ideas of potential degree courses and we could all give more tailored advice? We’d be happy with that line up if you wanted music or a fair chunk of humanities courses (especially ones we struggle to recruit for) but it would be a no for our healthcare courses and most of our STEM

RSL is a Btec alternative. Several years ago some schools and colleges moved across to it or UAL because there was a problem with Btec moderation.

it should be accepted everywhere the Btec is accepted.

RSL is taken as an additional qualification BTEC/ A evens at my sixth form college in upper sixth not offered as a stand alone. how about BTEC or a level music technology?

@titchy thank you. Apparently it only takes one block in the timetable but gives equivalent of 1.5 A-levels in terms of UCAS points (that’s the sales pitch in any case). So sounds ok but maybe I will double check.

@SuperSue77 I will take a look - that sounds immensely useful…

@ParmaVioletTea they’re definitely not ready, no, but we’re talking 2.5 years away so just trying to make sure they have options. Currently educated online/via tutors so as a parent my priority is them getting back into on-person learning at a college, as that is what they are desperate for. Not terribly motivated academically currently BUT online school is pretty uninspiring in lots of ways, grateful though I am for it. Completely agree re. not everyone needing to go to university. I just don’t want to close off that option before they really know!

@MugShout my questions are, I think, robust, but these are difficult things when you have a child so alienated from institutionalised education, so it's good to hear you're keeping things open. Thing is though, the better a child does, the more options are open to them.

At my place (RG, strong in Humanities), and in my discipline, we do accept what were BTECs in a relevant field (No idea what BTECs are now) - but at DDD results level. And we warn students that if they don't have reading, writing, and research heavy A Levels alongside, they will find our degree quite an adjustment, and may need to be happy with a well-earned 2, ii and a lot of really useful learning ad a great experience (we do well in NSS results for that). I'm in a discipline cognate to music, so the practice-based element of your DC's music qualification would be OK, but my programme is quite tough to get into - and certainly for our Joint Honours degrees, the other disciplines usually require 3 A levels.

More generally, I just wish there were more time for our young people to grown up & breathe a bit more. The years 17 - 25 are known to be peak years for mental illness - not of the chronic kind, but the kinds of intense concerns that we all have but do actually grow out of (I think we call it "maturing" . For some children, that normal agonising becomes pathologised, and seeing up to a third of my undergrads in this state, I really wush we would all do something about it. If it were me, I'd send them off into the wilderness, or riding horses, or ploughing field, then to care homes or nurseries or soup kitchens of food banks - a combination of physical work, learning manual physical skills, and service to others. There is time for learning throughout life. I wish our university system (as world-leading as it is) had better exit & entry routes for mature learners.

@Mugshot Like @Comefromaway says, the RSL diplomas are like BTECs. So when you check entry requirements, I would scroll to the "BTEC" or "mixed qualifications" section and check what is accepted. Lots of unis accept two A-levels + 1 BTEC provided that required subjects are taken, so e.g. Bath (picked at random) says something like:

BTEC Diplomas and Extended Certificates
We accept Level 3 Diplomas and Extended Certificates alongside A levels or in combination with each other. You will need qualifications equal to at least three A levels to be considered.

Or e.g. Business and Management at Royal Holloway:

Sorry, meant to attach a screenshot:

I’ve never heard of RSL diploma, so you might have to approach admissions for universities you are interested in.

I can confirm that several of my DC and their friends are doing two A levels and one BTEC or CTEC (Cambridge Technical), and that they have had offers from plenty of universities, including Russell group, for example Newcastle, Sheffield, Liverpool, UEA, Reading, Leicester, Lancaster.

The ones that don’t do UCAS points offers have specified, for eg Distinction plus BB at A level.

Most uni admission pages only mention BTEC but they seem to treat the CTECs the same.

@AelinAG thank you. The other A levels would probably be Maths and Sociology so STEM/healthcare not on the cards. I reckon degrees of interest might be music-related, creative industry management, sociology, philosophy, media/communication.

@Luluthequeen this is the only music offering at the college they are looking at unfortunately. Music A Level would be better but it is not offered.

@Comefromaway , @SoftIce and @AmIUsingMadeUpWords really helpful to understand that RSL would be treated as equivalent to the relevantly-sized BTEC. And really good to hear about all the offers @AmIUsingMadeUpWords from great unis. I am confident that it is a good course and they would enjoy it, as is DC. Which is the most important thing. They just keep coming to me to say ‘Mum are you sure this will be accepted at uni’ so I feel like I can reassure now. Obviously not for the likes of physics or history at Warwick, Oxbridge etc. But for a good range of options at some great unis. (If that’s the route they choose at the time!)

I’ve never heard of RSL diploma, so you might have to approach admissions for universities you are interested in.

they are specific to performing arts & are as highly regarded as Btecs