Northampton College is proud to welcome students of all ages and abilities, and with a wide range of courses on offer at many levels, there are plenty of ways to get started.

Outlined below are the course levels offered, along with their entry criteria. Equivalent qualifications may be considered, (e.g. BTEC or Cambridge Nationals.)

In exceptional circumstances, applications which do not meet the formal entry criteria may be considered on an individual basis e.g. if your young person has been out of education and does not have GCSEs or equivalent.

Our Subject List shows our full range of courses. Alternatively, you can use our Course Explorer to browse by campus, level and more.

• Supported Learning

  Courses specifically designed for students with special educational needs and disabilities. This department was graded ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted.

  A programme of study will be tailored to each student’s individual needs.

• Entry and foundation

  This one-year programme is an ideal starting point for those who are unsure of what they want to do or need to improve their entry qualifications. Many students progress onto further levels of study at the College.

  • Entry Criteria - GCSEs at grade 2-1 (F/G). A satisfactory school reference is also required.

• Level 1

  These are introductory qualifications which provide the perfect stepping stone onto a higher level qualification, from Level 2 and above.

  • Entry Criteria – 4 GCSEs at grade 2 (E) or above

• Level 2

  For those that didn’t get the GCSE results they hoped for, we also offer a one-year specialist study programme, designed for students who need to focus solely on an intensive programme of maths and English.

  Our Level 2 courses allow for progression onto a Level 3 full-time course or Apprenticeship.

  • Entry Criteria – 4 GCSEs at grade 3 (D) or above

• Level 3

  We offer a series of highly regarded qualifications at Level 3, including A Levels, T Levels, BTEC, City and Guilds, Cache or equivalent.

  • Entry criteria for most Level 3 courses – 4 GCSEs at grade 9-4 (A*-C) or above.
  • Entry criteria for T Levels - 5 GCSEs at grade 9-4 (A*-C) or above. English and maths GCSEs must both be at grade 5 or above. 
  • Entry criteria for A Levels - the required point score to join our A Level programme is 4.25 across all your GCSEs. This must include a minimum of 5 grade 5s or above including a grade 5 or above in English Language and Maths, with a grade 6 in another written subject desirable. An average point score will be calculated across your GCSE grades. A BTEC qualification at Merit grade, or above, in a related subject may also be considered in exceptional circumstances. All applicants will be invited for interview.

  Please note that some courses require higher grades than indicated on this page, grades in specific subjects (i.e. GCSE Science), or additional evidence of suitability (such as a portfolio or audition). This is specified in the entry requirements for each course.