Qualification type identifier(QUALTYPEID)

All EntryQualificationAward entities

This field records the qualification type and contains valid entries to allow the return of level three qualifications as well as HE level qualifications.

The awarding bodies have given their consent, via the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), for some of the results data that they forward to UCAS to be shared with HEPs for admission purposes, to also be used in preparing the Student Record from 2007/08 onwards. This data will be made available to providers by UCAS (through the *J transaction). The HESA record will work to the existing UCAS coding frame.

The coding frame used by HESA contains both Awarding Body Linkage (ABL) and non-ABL qualifications.

The data made available to providers by UCAS through the *J transaction only contains ABL qualifications, this results in HESA having a more expansive list than that published by UCAS.

Providers are expected to survey students against the new coding frames each year. The details of the coding that will be provided by UCAS can be found in the *J transaction. Providers in England who do not use UCAS will need to use the same coding frame for their students' qualifications.

Providers in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are encouraged to provide this information for students who did not enter via UCAS where it is available.

The HE level valid entries are only required for teacher training students in England, Northern Ireland or Wales.

UCAS valid entry re-allocation

The following QUALTYPEIDs have been removed from this field as these are codes from a previous collection that had been incorrectly reallocated to a different qualification. UCAS have now allocated new QUALTYPEIDs for these qualifications. 

The below table indicates the previous incorrect codes that were assigned and the newly allocated codes. When returning these qualifications, the new codes will need to be used.

The following valid entries H7, HB, HJ, HM, HN, HQ and HR have been included as part of *J to providers.

Guidance on specific qualifications

Singapore Higher qualifications

Note that H1, H2 and H3 A level qualifications are Singapore Higher qualifications awarded by University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE).

BTECs

From 2012/13, BTEC qualifications are available through the UCAS *J transaction. The ability to return these qualifications through the HESA record was previously accomplished through the provision of a HESA-specific code: B 'BTEC Nationals (NQF)'. This permitted the return of a subset of BTEC qualifications to allow for analytical requirements.

A suite of new QUALTYPEs have been introduced by UCAS for the range of BTECs which can now be supplied through the UCAS *J transaction. These new codes also cover the qualifications that correspond to those that could previously be returned under QUALTYPE 'B'.

To minimise burden on providers, HESA will accept qualifications for continuing students coded using either system. There is no requirement for continuing students to be recoded to the more detailed QUALTYPEs; instances under either coding system will be treated identically for analysis purposes. Data obtained from UCAS using the newer codes does not need to be altered in order to be submitted in the HESA Student record - the UCAS codes should be used unchanged.

In addition to the B code, HESA previously made available QUALTYPEs BE, 1B, 2B, 3B, B1, B2, B3 and B4. These map directly to the equivalent qualifications under the new UCAS codes.

Diploma in Foundation Studies (Art and Design)

The 'Diploma in Foundation Studies (Art and Design)' qualification is passed to providers through the UCAS *J transaction in the form of the FY 'Foundation Studies' code. This code is used for several subsidiary Foundation Studies qualifications, of which only the Diploma in Foundation Studies (Art and Design) qualifies for UCAS tariff points.

For tariff calculation purposes, it is necessary to split out this subset into a separate QUALTYPE. Code FA 'Diploma in Foundation Studies (Art and Design)' in this field exists for this purpose. Where a provider is aware that a FY code passed through the UCAS *J transaction represents a 'Diploma in Foundation Studies (Art and Design)', it is recommended that it is recoded to FA in this field to qualify for the associated tariff points. There is, however, no obligation for providers to do so.

A dialogue is on-going between HESA, UCAS and the awarding bodies to harmonise the coding of this qualification.

UCAS will no longer process results under QUALTYPE FY Foundation Studies as this is not nor has been representative of a single qualification. This qualification has now been split out for ABL into the new QUALTYPES FT, WY, U5 and WZ. Note WZ does not attract Tariff points.

T Levels

T Levels are new courses which follow GCSEs and are equivalent to 3 A levels, these 2-year courses were launched September 2020.