A project studied use of assessment of prior experiential learning (APEL) in admissions to part-time degrees and diplomas at the University of Kent at Canterbury (England, United Kingdom). The APEL course was highlighted in brochures advertising part-time degree, diploma, and Access courses. Interviews with 40 applicants explained APEL and assessed their ability to benefit from the intensive, "fast-track" option. The nine participants had achieved success, were upwardly mobile, were becoming more aware of themselves and their abilities, and wanted more actively to determine the course of their own lives. Admissions tutors most likely to deal with APEL students were interviewed to introduce the project, to establish what criteria they considered important when selecting adults for degree and diploma courses, and to establish what kind of portfolios the tutors might want from would-be students. A 4-day course was developed that incorporated the following: (1) study, writing, and analytical skills; (2) group dynamics; (3) identification of prior achievements and future needs; (4) practice in basic tools of academic survival; and (5) a portfolio. Admissions tutors were interviewed again after APEL was completed. The intention was to use the interviews to reflect on the project, but this proved impossible since some tutors who interviewed students were not those originally interviewed. A questionnaire administered to all participants showed APEL was an important experience. (Appendixes include the survey instruments. Contains 13 references.) (YLB)