What are university foundation courses and who are they designed for?

What do the foundation programmes involve?

The exact format of these courses can vary from centre to centre, but they tend to be a year in length, and usually include English language tuition, classes in core study skills and specialist modules depending on what you want to go on to study at university.

Who is eligible to apply?

Foundation year programmes are usually open to students over the age of 16, and an entrance requirement is that they have satisfactorily completed secondary or high school in their home country. Students are also normally required to have an IELTS level of English of around 4.5 (TOEFL – 477).

What are the benefits to students?

Aside from expert tuition and great preparation in study skills, university foundation courses also offer students an all-important opportunity to familiarise themselves with the British way of life prior to starting independent study at university. Being integrated into the culture can prove priceless when it comes to settling into university life and starting your degree.

Without a doubt one of the most beneficial aspects of university foundation courses though, is the fact that usually they offer students a guaranteed place at a UK university. Securing a place at a UK university can be both competitive and lengthy if you’re applying independently from another country, but the long-standing relationships that many foundation course providers have with UK universities, and the support that they can offer you in terms of submitting an application, makes the process much more straight-forward.

Can students who take a foundation course apply to do a degree at any university?

Usually, foundation course providers will have specific university partners where their foundation students can go on to do a degree course. Some providers may only work with one or two, whereas other providers, such as Cactus’ partner schools in Brighton, Cambridge and London, have established relationships with dozens of universities, including several of those listed amongst the top 20 in the UK.

For more information on university foundation courses with Cactus, please visit the Cactus Language website.

0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *