Articulation

Articulation is defined as a student gaining entry into second year of a degree with a Higher National Certificate (HNC) gained at college, or into third year with a Higher National Diploma (HND) gained at college.

SFC wants articulation to be an active and valid route to university study, with colleges and universities supporting the learner at every stage of their journey. We support colleges and universities to develop and maintain articulation pathways and routes, working to targets that are realistic for each region and underpinned by a national 10-year strategy.

National Articulation Forum

The National Articulation Forum Final Report [PDF] was created with support from the Scottish Funding Council and builds on the Commission on Widening Access’s 2016 report, A Blueprint for Fairness, which identified increased articulation as a means to widen access to university. The Forum took forward the Commission’s recommendation on delivering progress for student articulation and to provide national leadership on this agenda.

The report sets a series of recommendations for colleges and universities to create more opportunities for students to progress seamlessly between Higher National (HN) qualifications into a university degree.

The report takes on even greater significance in the context of the recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate impact on young people and those who are already disadvantaged. The recommendations are focused on creating more flexible opportunities for learners as well as closer collaboration between colleges and universities to meet learner demand in the post-pandemic economy.

For further information see our news story.

Scottish Credit & Qualifications Framework

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) Partnership is funded by SFC and the Scottish Government and works with every sector of education and training plus learners, parents, carers and employers. The Framework underpins the work of articulation, and the Partnership provides valuable support on other areas of work such as mapping of military qualifications.

National Articulation Database

SFC’s redevelopment of the National Articulation Database  resulted in the first publication to report on the articulation of college HNC/HND students, their movement to Scottish HE institutions and the prior academic credit they attain. The database provides information on articulation between Scotland’s colleges and universities and is part of the work to map learner journey pathways and widen access to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

Content from the National Articulation Database is now incorporated into the Report on Widening Access - see the Statistics publication schedule.