Frequently Asked Questions

Campus Tour Afternoons and Open Day dates are listed on our website. If You  would like to join us at an event please follow the instructions to register online.

If the qualifications you have completed or are currently studying are not listed please contact the Admissions Team who will be happy to advise you on your eligibility. We are happy to consider a wide range of qualifications and  different combinations, so just drop us an email or give us a call and we can talk it through!

Many of our degree programmes include a compulsory placement year, but some routes are now available without placement years. We have found employers really like that we offer a full year of work experience in our courses and it helps graduates to find a job after they have completed their studies. For routes which are only available with a placement year, in a small number of circumstances, those with significant relevant experience working in industry, upwards of at least two years, might be exempt from placement. However, this experience would need to be assessed by the Course Manager against the learning outcomes required for placement. We recommend that even those students with experience complete a placement year. If you have any questions regarding the placement year please contact the Admissions Team.

We welcome applications from candidates who have chosen not to enter higher education directly from school/college, particularly if they are gaining further practical work experience.

A year between school and college can sometimes be beneficial in developing your maturity and motivation. If you are thinking of taking a year out you can apply in the usual way in your final year at school/college, indicating the year of entry on your UCAS form. If you later decide that you wish to begin university earlier, please contact the Admissions Officer by email as soon as possible. Also remember that  you can  apply to us during your gap year. Please note that if you apply for deferred entry, you will need to fulfil the terms of any offer during the application cycle, so unfortunately you are unable to use a “gap” year to obtain any required work experience.

Validation is the process through which courses are initially developed and then improved to give students the very best experience, taking into account employer feedback and subject developments.

If you have a foundation degree or HND you may be able to convert it to a full degree with an extra one year of full-time study, depending on your existing qualification and whether you top-up to a BSc or a BSc honours degree. Having a full degree really does open more doors to graduate level employment or running your own business. If you are interested in a top-up degree, please contact the Admissions Team for advice regarding your eligibility. Unfortunatley we can only consider UK HNDs or Foundation degrees that significantly match our own foundation degree courses.

A list of the term dates can be found on the Key Information page.

Only you can decide what is best for you but gathering as much information as possible is crucial. Visit the university, speak to staff and students, re-read the course information and evaluate which course best meets your needs and ambitions. Use the channels listed at the top of the page to ask questions or arrange to speak to someone in person. The Admissions Team are more than happy to help with any questions or to put you in touch with the right people to help with your decision-making.  

Thank you and Congratulations, you have taken a big step towards your future! Our admissions and student services teams will stay in touch with you and you will be invited to apply for accommodation and be given advice on applying for finance. You will also be invited to join an online community where you can meet your fellow future students and start to build your university network.

Please visit our additional FAQs for students due to join us in September.

We also have a page of FAQs dedicated to student finance. 

We will need a reference before we can offer a place for the course but if you are having difficulties with this please contact the Admissions Team and we will advise you.

Where an applicant is unable to meet the entry requirements of the course they have applied for, we may consider offering an alternative course, where appropriate, which the applicant can then choose to accept or decline. At results time, if you have not met the conditions of your offer, we will automatically consider you for an alternative where  places are available and where it is deemed appropriate for the individual, taking the entire application into account. 

We understand that the last few years have been unusual and stressful for students and that for many, school closures may have had an impact on their performance in their assessments, although we hope that schools are putting in support to help students to reach their full potential. With this in mind, when results are received, the Admissions Team will apply as much flexibility as possible when considering any applicant who has not met their offer conditions. 

We will never reject an applicant without revisiting their original application information and without considering if we have any suitable alternatives. Our Foundation Year Programme is one such alternative that may be offered to applicants who are in this position. Our Admissions Policy contains details of the Disrupted Studies policy which encourages applicants who have faced significant difficulties to submit a form for their case to be considered with extra leniency at results time. Any applicant with questions or concerns should contact the Admissions Team for advice.

Our course pages hold up-to-date information on our work experience requirements and these take into account difficulties which students may experience. If you are struggling to get the work experience you need, please contact the Admissions Team as soon as possible. We might be able to provide suggestions on what else you could do or extend your deadline. As we still value prior work experience, we are keen to see evidence of the efforts that you have made to try to gain experience so documentation such as copies of emails where you have unfortunately been turned down will go a long way to demonstrate your commitment to gaining a place on the course. 

If you are now considering applying to Harper Adams University please contact the Admissions Team  stating your qualifications and the course(s) you are interested in. Please do not withdraw from the offer you are currently holding until we have let you know whether we are likely to consider an application from you. 

The UCAS application facility opens in September and all ‘on-time’ applications must be submitted by the last Wednesday in January. Any applications submitted after this date will be classed as ‘late’ and institutions are not obliged to consider them. However, where we still have places available, we guarantee to review late applications, so please go ahead and apply, or contact us to discuss your options.