Fastrack is an intensive preparation programme, designed to prepare you for Higher Education. The programme is suitable for applicants to Edge Hill University who do not have the required qualifications to enter degree level study.
Fastrack is validated at level 3, which means the programme is the same level of study as A Levels. The course will prepare you in terms of both subject knowledge and the academic skills required to study in higher education.
Students are required to complete all aspects of Fastrack before they can progress on to a relevant degree programme at the University. Students are also required to demonstrate an aptitude for study at degree level.
Some subject areas will have other conditions of progression which will also need to be met. Further details of which can be found below:
When does the programme start?
The full time, on campus element of the programme lasts for six weeks. The start date is Monday 2 June 2025.
Please note, there may be course preparation tasks for you to complete depending on your choice of degree progression. If tasks are allocated, you will be contacted about these directly.
The programme finishes on Friday 11 July 2025.
What support is there for students with additional needs and disabilities?
Edge Hill welcomes students with additional learning needs and disabilities and has a range of services to support them:
The SpLD Support Team offers tailored and specialised services for students with Specific Learning Difficulties Including:
Student Services Inclusion Team provide information, guidance and support to applicants and students, including those with disabilities and additional needs and we work closely with academic and support staff across the University.
We encourage disabled applicants to make contact as soon as possible to ensure that support is in place at the start of your university course. We provide a friendly and professional service and applicants and students can discuss individual requirements in complete confidence.
Our highly experienced team are here to advise you on:
Disclosure and Confidentiality
Your move to university
Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) and eligibility
Learning Facilitators
Reasonable adjustments
Exam modifications and alternative assessments
Adapted rooms on campus
Rights and Responsibilities
If you are unsure about whether this information applies to you or whether you would benefit from the support we offer, please make contact as soon as possible by calling us on 01695 584190 or by emailing [email protected].
Do I need to apply through UCAS?
UCAS is the University and Colleges Admissions Service for the UK and is the service most applicants to higher education use to apply. However, Fastrack students are slightly different and your current circumstances will determine what you need to do now.
In applying for the fastrack programme you have also applied for a degree. If you have applied directly for Fastrack you do not need to worry about UCAS at this stage. We will process an application on your behalf once you have completed the Fastrack programme.
If you have applied through UCAS and have received fastrack as a condition of your offer please do not forget to accept this offer through UCAS.
What will my timetable look like?
Your timetable will include two sessions per day Monday to Friday, from 10am to 12pm and 1pm to 3pm. However, you will also be required to complete aspects of study outside of these hours.
The Fastrack programme consists of two different modules. The first is the subject area and this will be relevant, or similar, to the subject you wish to progress onto for your degree. This will form 1/3 of the programme. See the information tab ‘What subject will I study?’ below for details.
The second module will be focused on developing your academic skills. This looks at areas such as essay writing in higher education, time management, planning and preparation, group work and presentation skills.
What subject will I study?
The Fastrack Programme is designed to build your knowledge and skills to a level sufficient to study on a degree programme.
Where possible the subject you study on Fastrack will have a close link to the degree that you are going to progress onto but may not match it exactly. E.g. students progressing on to any of the Allied Health Programmes will study a generic Health Pathway.
All Pathways are subject to enough students being recruited to form a viable cohort. When this does not happen your application may be moved to the nearest possible alternative subject. However, this should still allow you to progress onto your chosen degree.
Is there an attendance criteria?
Your attendance will be monitored and you will be required to show an excellent level of commitment to the programme. Timetabled sessions will be compulsory unless previously agreed.
Are there any other requirements I need to meet before progressing on to my degree?
In having been offered a place on the Fastrack programme you are now classed as holding a conditional offer for a degree at Edge Hill University. This degree will depend on the pathway you have been interviewed for.
Some pathways such as Health, Teaching, Nursing and ODP will already have a degree pathway stipulated, and changes can only be made through a formal request. Other subject areas offer some flexibility as to which degrees you can progress on to. You will be asked towards the end of Fastrack to stipulate which degree you want.
Please be aware that if your progression on to your degree requires you have GCSEs this requirement will still need to be met unless the UK government advises otherwise.