Foundation Year, Pre-degree course

Foundation Year Programme at Cambridge

Have circumstances prevented you from reaching your academic potential? If you want to study a degree in the Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences, the Foundation Year can help you get there.

The aim of the course is to prepare you to study a degree at Cambridge. It is a full-time, residential programme.

The programme offers a challenging academic curriculum. It will broaden and deepen your knowledge and understanding of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. You'll get to experience Cambridge's teaching methods and educational community.

On the course, you'll live and study in Cambridge, alongside our other students. You'll also be part of a College community and can join the University's student societies.

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Progression and further study

Completing the programme will equip you to continue to many degree courses in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

At Cambridge, if you complete the course to the required standard, you will be able to progress on to one of 18 degree courses.

Cambridge courses you can progress to

For some of our courses, you will need to complete relevant curriculum streams. Those courses are:

• History and Modern Languages
• Modern and Medieval Languages
• Music
• Philosophy
• Linguistics
• Archaeology
• Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic
• Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
• Classics
• History of Art
• Land Economy

Other Cambridge courses you could progress to are:

• English
• Law
• History
• History and Politics
• Human, Social and Political Sciences
• Education
• Theology, Religion and the Philosophy of Religion

You will also be supported to apply to degree courses at other universities.

At the end of the programme, you will get a recognised qualification from the University of Cambridge. This will help set you up for successful study and careers in a range of fields.

Facilities

You will be based in the West Cambridge Hub for most of your studies.

You’ll have access to:

• a variety of modern spaces for your lectures, seminars and supervisions
• private and small-group study spaces
• West Hub library, with staff offering one-to-one and small group support to students
• cafeteria and café bar

You will also be able to visit archives and museums within the University and elsewhere in the UK, depending on your course interests.

Tuition fees and course costs

Tuition fees

There are no tuition fees charged for the Foundation Year.

If you continue to study at Cambridge by progressing to a degree course, you will need to pay the tuition fee for that course. Find out more about our tuition fees.

Living costs

You’ll get a Scholarship on the Foundation Year to cover:

• rent
• other living costs

This will be the same as what you would receive as a maintenance loan from student finance. It will also be ‘topped up’ so that it is in line with the levels of support that undergraduate students are given through the Cambridge Bursary Scheme.

Because you will receive the Scholarship, you won’t need to take out student finance loans or support.

If you move on to a degree course after the Foundation Year, you may need to apply for student finance support to help with your living costs. As part of the Foundation Year, you’ll be given guidance on the options available to you when you progress. This includes government financial support and Cambridge-specific bursaries that you may eligible for.

Course costs

• Photocopying and printing: on average, you might spend between £10 and £30 in using printers based in libraries or Colleges during the Foundation Year.
• Textbooks/course books: University and College libraries are well-stocked and it shouldn’t be necessary to purchase more than a handful of books. These should not exceed £200.
• Your College and Department, together with the University Computing Service, offer computing facilities for your academic work. You'll have a University email account, and access to central file storage for your work and for publishing web pages. Some Colleges may charge for internet/wireless connection but fast free WiFi is available throughout the University.