The message from Scotland’s new commissioner for fair access to higher education in his interview with TESS last month was clear: articulation - the process by which students move to university from college with credit for their prior learning - was key to encouraging wider access for those from poorer backgrounds (“If you can make a difference, however small, you should”, Insight, 17 February).

In fact, he insisted one of the reasons why Scotland had a higher access rate for those from deprived backgrounds than England was because of colleges. And I have talked before about the amazing opportunity articulation offers - not only as a way into university for those unlikely to take the traditional route but also, crucially, as a worthwhile route in itself. One generally combining two years of college study with a vocational focus and two years of more academic university study.

Articulation can offer a broader experience with more practical work than many degrees

This is where articulation really shines. It can offer a broader experience with more practical work than many degrees, all within the context of an arguably more diverse student cohort. At a time when the phrase “learner journey” is ever-present, and the government insists it is committed to ensuring students have a variety of routes to choose from, promoting articulation seems a no-brainer.

And universities, as well as colleges, are keen to boast about the numbers of students who move from HE in college to university. But that is only half the story. This week, TESS can reveal that, more often than not, that is all that can really be said for these students’ journeys - that they have moved from a college to a university.

‘Not getting the credit they deserve’

Frequently, they do not receive credit for their previous study. Of the 8,391 students who moved from college to university in 2014-15 and for whom the destination is known, more than 3,500 received no credit, meaning they had to start in the first year, rather than the second or third. And 4,008 - fewer than half - received full credit, allowing them to actually complete a degree in four years.

Scotland’s ancient universities have long been criticised for their performance on widening access, and these statistics do not paint them in a positive light. Of the roughly 300 students who moved into the University of Glasgow from colleges, only 20 received full credit for their prior learning. And at the University of Edinburgh, only five of the 95 students did so with full credit.

Maybe what we need is not a Scotland-wide silver bullet but bespoke plans

But those figures also show an interesting regional dimension. All five students who received full credit articulated from Edinburgh College. And across the country, the most successful articulation routes can be found between universities and their local college partners. Fundamentally, this is where the secret lies to not only cracking college university routes but also widening access.

Individual colleges have built strong relationships with their local universities. Alongside the links they have with schools, this means that they can truly offer variable and individualised routes through the system. They are very clear on how they have managed to make this work - by actually sitting down with their university partners. In some cases, agreements have taken years to establish. Articulation isn’t easy, and requires some rather detailed work around curricula and teaching styles.

So maybe what we need is not a Scotland-wide silver bullet: perhaps a more effective strategy would be a commitment from universities and their neighbouring colleges to draw up bespoke plans.

You never know: it might just help learners to navigate a successful “journey” into HE.

@JBelgutay