All our Partner Universities and Colleges throughout the UK offer Access and Foundation courses for students wishing to enter bachelor degree or diploma programmes. These are aimed at students who need an introduction to academic study, further tuition in their chosen subject, or to improve their study skills and English language ability (see table below to see whether you will need to attend a foundation course). Successful students can progress to a variety of different undergraduate courses.

Many students entering UK degree programmes do so by using entry qualifications such as A levels or overseas equivalents. Some students, however, have no formal qualification in the discipline in which they wish to study for a degree qualification, or have not studied at a high enough level. There are a variety of courses to help students who do not meet the normal entrance requirements for first degree and other undergraduate programmes. These courses can help students who need to develop their English language or study skills, or those whose academic achievements are not sufficiently advanced.

Access and foundation courses are essentially programmes designed for students who wish to continue their studies, and are not regarded as separate qualifications. They are widely recognised by universities in the UK.

Access courses are often designed for adults who have left school some years previously without formal qualifications.

Foundation courses are suitable for students who have already studied a subject up to A level standard, or who need to improve their study skills and English to undertake a degree course.

Access and foundation courses are sometimes called bridging courses, as they provide a way of bridging the gap between a student's current academic abilities and those needed to be able to undertake a degree programme.

Access and foundation courses may be offered:

1. for entry onto particular degree programmes, at the same institution, or another partner institution
2. to provide entry qualifications for degree programmes in a particular subject at any institution offering such programmes
3. as a general course to prepare students for entry onto a wide variety of degree programmes.
   

Examples of these three types of course

1. Some universities and colleges offer 'extension degree' programmes, where students will take one year more than usual to obtain a degree. The first year of such courses offers a foundation programme in the discipline to be studied, or an access programme including study skills and literacy tuition. The range of such courses that are available in the UK is quite wide, but most individual institutions offer only a limited number of extension programmes.

Sometimes students study a foundation year at a partner institution to that offering the degree programme, and have a guaranteed place on the degree course upon successful completion of the foundation course.

2. Some foundation or certificate courses focus on one subject to prepare students for degree study in the same subject. For some degree programmes such as fine art, A levels and equivalent qualifications are considered inadequate. In such cases, applicants usually need to study a foundation course after studying to A level standard. There are other foundation and certificate programmes in subjects such as engineering, mathematics or science where students may not have studied relevant subjects before. These courses introduce students to their chosen discipline. Students studying such courses can apply to several institutions offering a degree programme in the same subject, and may be offered a place conditional upon successfully completing their foundation course.

3. Some colleges offer general foundation courses that prepare students for entry onto a variety of degree programmes. These courses may include elements such as English language, study skills, or an introduction to British culture. Successful students can proceed to degree programmes in a variety of subjects, especially those that do not require students to have an A level or equivalent qualification in the subject to be studied.

Pre-sessional courses

Students who do not require a whole year of foundation studies before beginning a degree programme often follow a pre-sessional programme. Many colleges/universities offer these programmes, usually in the period from April to September, for students who need a preparatory course in English, academic study skills, and possibly cultural background studies, before starting a full-time degree programme.

In the following table, you can check whether you will need to attend a foundation course.

By clicking here, you can also see and compare your qualifications with its British equivalent.