Foundation Years
Focusing on your transition and preparedness for undergraduate study at the University of Chester.
What is a Foundation Year?
A Foundation Year offers a transition year entry point into university undergraduate studies for those that may not have the full entry requirements to start on a three-year degree. This includes mature students (over 21) with no traditional qualifications but with a passion for learning, self-development, and with aspirations to follow a particular career.
At Chester, we offer four-year undergraduate degrees that include a Foundation Year. For example, BA History (including a Foundation Year) or BSc Biomedical Science (including a Foundation Year). You are an undergraduate as soon as you enrol on your four-year degree and are part of the University’s vibrant undergraduate community from day one.
For mature students there is no minimum requirement. We review applications on a case-by-case basis and recruit through interview, primarily assessing individuals on their life experience, and their commitment to study.
Our Foundation Years are also an excellent option for students under 21s who may not have the required UCAS points to start a three-year degree at the University of Chester. We require 72 UCAS points for our four-year degrees.
Why study a foundation year at Chester?
Gain Confidence
A Foundation Year at Chester provides you with subject-specific curriculum and will enable you to gain confidence in developing university-level skills, as well as understanding academic life and transitioning to the next level of your studies.
Why study a foundation year at Chester?
Prepare for Degree-Level Study
Our Foundation Years are designed with your next level of study in mind. We develop our curriculum to ensure there is alignment with the modules and topics that you will study after completing your Foundation Year. Our teaching, learning and assessment methods reflect those that you will experience throughout your degree. In addition, we work closely with University faculties to ensure a smooth transition from your Foundation Year to the next year.
Why study a foundation year at Chester?
Get Real Support
Our teaching philosophy has student support at the heart of it. We are a dedicated team of academics that focus on a student’s transition to a university environment. We are experienced in supporting students from a wide range of backgrounds, especially mature students returning to education. We can give you the confidence to succeed at university, and we are proud of what our students achieve whilst they are with us.
Why study a foundation year at Chester?
Be Part of a Community
At Chester, you will benefit from being taught in a department with academics that solely teach on Foundation Years. This allows us to create a Foundation Year community that consists of students studying anything from engineering to the arts. You will get to know the academics extremely well because they are all based within the Centre for Foundation Studies building in Chester city centre.
Exton Park
Just a 10-minute walk from Chester city centre, Exton Park is where our story began and is home to a number of academic Schools, accommodation and a range of sport and recreational facilities.
Wheeler
Wheeler offers specialist vocational courses with excellent facilities for health and medicine, and delivers law and policing courses right in the heart of Chester’s ‘legal quarter’.
University Centre Warrington
Our University Centre specialising in delivering professional practice-based courses for those looking to pursue or progress a career in either education, health and social care.
University Centre Birkenhead
Our dedicated University Centre for health and nursing offers a range of outstanding subject specific teaching and learning facilities, all on one site, only a short commute from the city of Liverpool.
"We pride ourselves on being student focused and, as such, offer a highly supportive environment for all students whether they have recently left college or school or are returning to education to start their degree journey later in life. I am lucky to be working with a dedicated team of academics who teach exclusively on Foundation Years within our Department; they are consistently commended by their students for their commitment to students’ success and the student experience."
Jan O'Driscoll
Dean of Students and Lifelong Learning