Courses

A foundation year is an extra year of study at the start of a university course. It allows students who don't meet the entry requirements for the normal course to fill in the gaps and go on to study a full degree.

Who are foundation years for?

There are a variety of situations in which you might be able to study a foundation year:

• You might have taken A-levels that don't match up to the degree you want to study - for example, you might want to study computer science but didn't take math. Courses with foundation years often ask for good A-level results but don't specify the subjects.
• You might not quite have made the grades you need to go straight on to the standard degree course. Offers are sometimes lower for courses with foundation years.
• You might have a kind of qualification that isn't accepted for the course you want to study, such as a BTEC or an unrecognized qualification from another country.

Universities will usually give the entry requirements for courses with and without the foundation year, so you can compare the two.