Foundation courses
A foundation year can develop your skills and make it easier to get started at university. It is an extra year of study at the start of your course that leads in to a full degree programme. It’s a great option if:
- You don’t have the grades for a full degree course
- You have non-traditional qualifications or experience
- You’re starting university after some time away from education
- You’re looking for more support during the transition into university study.
As someone that's only studied heavy academic subjects before, it's quite refreshing to undertake assignments with challenges I have not encountered before. It also gives us a chance to discover what we might enjoy more or be more skilled in.
Ellie Perrett
Foundation courses
Arts and Social Sciences
Entry requirements: CCD at A-level or equivalent. Our foundation year courses will require specific GCSE subjects, please check the course pages for details.
- Accounting and Finance BSc (Hons)
- Acting*
- Business Economics BSc (Hons)
- Business Management BSc (Hons)
- Business Management (Entrepreneurship) BSc (Hons)
- Business Management (Human Resource Management) BSc (Hons)
- Business Management (Marketing) BSc (Hons)
- Criminology BSc (Hons)
- Criminology and Sociology BSc (Hons)
- Economics BSc (Hons)
- Economics and Finance BSc (Hons)
- International Business Management BSc (Hons)
- International Event Management BSc (Hons)
- International Hospitality Management BSc (Hons)
- International Hospitality and Tourism Management BSc (Hons)
- International Relations BSc (Hons)
- International Tourism Management BSc (Hons)
- Law LLB (Hons)
- Law with Criminology LLB (Hons)
- Law with International Relations LLB (Hons)
- Media and Communication BSc (Hons)
- Musical Theatre*
- Politics BSc (Hons)
- Politics and Sociology BSc (Hons)
- Sociology BSc (Hons)
*Please note that this foundation course does not form part of a BA (Hons) degree. If you would like to study BA (Hons) Acting or BA (Hons) Musical Theatre after the foundation course you should apply separately through UCAS.
Engineering and Physical Sciences (excluding chemistry and mathematics)
Entry requirements: CCD at A-level, including mathematics C and either physics or chemistry, or equivalent. Our foundation year courses will require specific GCSE subjects, please check the course pages for details.
- Aerospace Engineering BEng (Hons)
- Automotive Engineering BEng (Hons)
- Biomedical Engineering BEng (Hons)
- Chemical and Petroleum Engineering BEng (Hons)
- Chemical Engineering BEng (Hons)
- Civil Engineering BEng (Hons)
- Computer and Internet Engineering BEng (Hons)
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering BEng (Hons)
- Electronic Engineering BEng (Hons)
- Electronic Engineering with Computer Systems BEng (Hons)
- Electronic Engineering with Nanotechnology BEng (Hons)
- Electronic Engineering with Space Systems BEng (Hons)
- Mechanical Engineering BEng
- Physics BSc (Hons)
- Physics with Astronomy BSc (Hons)
- Physics with Nuclear Astrophysics BSc (Hons)
- Physics with Quantum Technologies BSc (Hons)
Mathematics
Entry requirements: CCD at A-level including mathematics C. Our foundation year courses will require specific GCSE subjects, please check the course pages for details.
Chemistry
Entry requirements: CCD at A-level, including Chemistry, or equivalent. Our foundation year courses will require specific GCSE subjects, please check the course pages for details.
Biosciences
Entry requirements: CCD at A-level, including Science or Mathematics, or equivalent. Our foundation year courses will require specific GCSE subjects, please check the course pages for details.
- Biochemistry BSc (Hons)
- Biological Sciences BSc (Hons)
- Biomedical Science BSc (Hons)
- Food Science and Nutrition BSc (Hons)
- Microbiology BSc (Hons)
- Nutrition BSc (Hons)
- Nutrition and Dietetics BSc (Hons)
- Sport and Exercise Science BSc (Hons)
- Veterinary Biosciences BSc (Hons)
Nursing
Entry requirements: CCD at A-level or equivalent. Our foundation year courses will require specific GCSE subjects, please check the course pages for details.
- Nursing Studies (Registered Nurse Adult Nursing) BSc (Hons)
- Nursing Studies (Registered Nurse Children and Young People Nursing) With Foundation Year BSc (Hons)
- Nursing Studies (Registered Nurse Mental Health Nursing) BSc (Hons)
Psychology
Entry requirements: CCD at A-level or equivalent. Our foundation year courses will require specific GCSE subjects, please check the course pages for details.
Life as a foundation year student
During a foundation year you’ll learn about your chosen subject, develop your study skills and get used to university life. On successful completion of your foundation year, you’ll be ready to progress to the first year of your degree course.
As a foundation year student, you’ll be a full student of the University and part of our community. You’ll have access to all our campus facilities and support.
Entry requirements
To apply for a foundation year course you normally need to have at least CCD at A-level, achieved in the last two years. Our foundation year courses will also require specific GCSE grades. Please check on the relevant course page for full details of our entry requirements.
We welcome applications from people who don’t have A-levels or who completed their A-levels more than two years ago. We make decisions on applications like these on a case-by-case basis.
Fees and funding
Our courses that include a foundation year cost the same each year as our other undergraduate degree courses.
For 2021-22 entry, foundation year students who meet set widening participation criteria may be eligible for the Full Surrey Award. Students meeting all eligibility criteria, and who have a household income of less than £20,000 or less and who are resident in POLAR4 quintiles 1, 2 and 3 will receive an award to the value of £2,500, available in all years of study (excluding Professional Training placement year and re-sit years). The University will identify eligible students, so there is no application form for this scheme.
Find out more about fees and funding.
Fees for international students on undergraduate courses with an integrated foundation year
The course fee for the foundation year (Level 3) will match the lowest Level 4 overseas fee rate from across the substantive courses for that year of entry. Students subsequently progressing into Level 4 will be liable for the same fee as overseas students joining at Level 4 for the same course in that year. Annual fees after Level 4 will increase by four per cent for each subsequent year of study, rounded up to the nearest £100, subject to any overriding applicable legislative requirements.
International students
If you’re an international student, we also have an international foundation year course. It’s similar to our other foundation year courses, but also includes English language training and is especially designed to help you settle in to studying in the UK.
How to apply
Many of our courses have the option of studying with a foundation year.
To apply for a course with a foundation year, simply search on UCAS for your chosen degree course and look for the option of your course ‘with Foundation Year’.
Contact us
Please email Erivan White (e.f.white@surrey.ac.uk) for the Arts and Social Sciences courses, Dr Richard Harrison (r.harrison@surrey.ac.uk) for the Engineering and Physical Sciences courses, and Admissions for Health and Medical Sciences.