There are so many different types and levels of qualification that you can study after you finish school and college. While the standard bachelor’s degree is the one that gets the most attention, it’s not your only post-18 option. Despite this, students will often not be aware of all the different kinds of qualifications out there even they don’t want to do a bachelor’s degree. This article will be bringing awareness to one of these higher education qualifications that you might not have heard of – the Diploma of higher education (DipHE).
The Diploma of Higher Education, often abbreviated to DipHE, is a level 5 academic qualification that can be studied at universities, higher education colleges or other higher education providers. These courses are equivalent to the first two years of a bachelor’s degree. They usually last two years if studied full time and can be studied in a wide range of subjects.
While above has given you a short introduction to what a CertHE is, the rest of this article will dive into this topic in much more detail, allowing you to better understand what these qualifications actually are and how they compare to other qualifications.
Table of Contents
What is a DipHE?
In the UK, a DipHE is the abbreviated form of the qualification officially known as a diploma of higher education. These are academic qualifications that can be studied in a wide range of different subjects. While academic, they tend to be rather specific to a certain field and allow you to develop the professional skills you need for this area.
As the name suggests, this qualification is a form of higher education. This means that it is more advanced than qualifications at level 3, such as A-Levels or BTEC Nationals. To learn more about higher education have a look at our dedicated Think Student article.
A diploma of higher education is a level 5 qualification. This means that it is two levels above A-Levels and at the same level as over level 5 qualification that we’ll look into later on in the article.
DipHEs will typically be taught at universities, higher education colleges or some other kind of higher education provider. The entire diploma of higher education course will typically last 2 years if studied full-time and longer if studied part-time. These courses are worth 240 credits in total.
You can learn more about diplomas of higher education by checking out this article by Uni Compare.
Where can you study a DipHE?
You can study DipHE at universities and colleges. The best places to check for courses are on the following websites:
Other helpful places to look is the UCAS website, Prospects and on individual university websites.
How much does a DipHE cost?
The cost of DipHE varies depending on the course. They are similar to Bachelors degrees and are capped at £9,535. To find out the exact cost you would need to find a specific course and contact your chosen university or college.
Can you get student loans for DipHE?
Yes you can get student loans for a DipHE. This gov.uk page lists the following courses as eligible for student finance:
- a first degree, for example BA, BSc or BEd
- a foundation degree
- a Certificate of Higher Education
- a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)
- a Higher National Certificate (HNC)
- a Higher National Diploma (HND)
- an Initial Teacher Training course
- an integrated master’s degree
- a pre-registration postgraduate healthcare course
- a level 4 or 5 course with Higher Technical Qualification approval
As you can see the DipHE is listed on the gov.uk website. If you have already studied one of these qualifications before you may not be eligible for a second loan. We have a Think Student article discussing whether you can get multiple student loans. Check it out here.
What is a DipHE equivalent to?
Equivalency comes in several ways. We can look at other qualifications at the exact same level as it, in this case other level 5 qualification. However, we can look at it in terms of a more advanced qualification and see how it compares.
First of all, let’s see which other qualifications are at level 5 in the national qualification levels or at level 8 in the SCQF levels. Look at the following list to see examples of level 5/ level 8 qualifications.
- Higher national diploma (HND)
- Foundation degree
- Level 5 higher apprenticeships
- Level 5 technical apprenticeships
- Level 5 NVQs and SVQs
- Level 5 BTEC qualifications
You can learn more about the UK qualification levels by checking out this Think Student article.
As previously mentioned, we can look at its equivalency by looking at another qualification, in this case, a bachelor’s degree.
In the UK, a bachelor’s degree is a level 6 qualification or a level 9/ 10 qualification in Scotland depending on if it has honours or not. Considering that the typical bachelor’s degree lasts three years if studied full-time and is just one level up from a DipHE, a DipHE is worth the first two years of a bachelor’s degree.
This means that you might be able to top up your DipHE into a full bachelor’s degree by only completing the final year of study as long as your course is similar to the degree. How this exactly works will depend on each university so it’s best to look at their policies for more details.
In the same way, if you start a bachelor’s degree and complete the first two years but are unable to finish the last, you might be able to still get a qualification, such as a DipHE out of it.
You can learn more about top up degrees by checking out this Think Student article.
What are other similar qualifications?
DipHE are very similar in both name and function as a few other qualifications which they can easily be confused with. These include: Access to HE diploma, CertHE, HNC and HND. Take a look at the table below to see summary of these qualifications.
| Qualification | Level | Typical Duration | Main purpose | Common progressions |
| Access to HE Diploma | Level 3 | 1 year | Prepares adults for university-level study; equivalent to A-levels | Entry to CertHE, HNC, HND, DipHE, or degree |
| Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE) | Level 4 | 1 year | Academic qualification — equivalent to the first year of a bachelor’s degree | Progress to DipHE, HND, or 2nd year of degree |
| Higher National Certificate (HNC) | Level 4 | 1 year | Vocational/work-related qualification — practical focus | Progress to HND or 2nd year of degree |
| Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) | Level 5 | 2 years | Academic qualification — equivalent to 2 years of a bachelor’s degree | Progress to final year of degree |
| Higher National Diploma (HND) | Level 5 | 2 years | Vocational qualification — practical and career-focused | Progress to “Top-Up” BA/BSc (final year) |
| Bachelor’s Degree (BA/BSc) | Level 6 | 3 years | Full undergraduate degree | Progress to postgraduate (Master’s, Level 7) |
DipHE vs HND?
A diploma of education can easily be mixed up with other qualifications that sound similar. This is particularly the higher national diploma qualification also known as a HND – probably the most similar from the list above.
A diploma of higher education and a higher national diploma are not the same thing. However, they are incredibly similar qualifications.
First, let’s go through what the HND qualification actually is.
What is an HND?
A HND is a vocational level 5 qualification. This means that it also a form of higher education, but the real difference is that it is very practical based and is aimed at directly preparing students for work.
HNDs will generally take two years to study full-time. You can learn more about them by checking out this Think Student article.
Let’s start with the similarities! Look at the following list to see the similarities between diplomas of higher education and higher national diplomas.
- Both DipHEs and HNDs are level 5 qualifications.
- Both DipHEs and HNDs take 2 years to complete if studied full-time.
- Both DipHEs and HNDs are forms of higher education.
- Both DipHEs and HNDs can be studied in a wide range of different subjects.
As we can see, DipHEs and HNDs are very similar qualifications. However, there are still some differences between them, which you can see in the following list.
- While DipHEs are academic qualifications, HNDs are vocational. This means that DipHEs give a broader foundation in the subject and that HNDs are much more practical and use work-based learning.
- Due to this, DipHEs and HNDs also differ in assessment. DipHEs use coursework, exams and essays, whereas HNDs are likely to have projects and some kind of practical exam.
- While DipHEs can be studied at university, HNDs will typically be studied at higher education colleges.
You can learn more about the difference between HNDs and DipHEs by checking out this article from Uni Compare. For more details about HNDs, you can have a look at this article by Prospects.