University of Canberra International Foundation Studies

Take the steps to higher education

The International Foundation Studies Program is a one-year pathway program for international students seeking entry into the first year of the majority of undergraduate degrees at the University of Canberra. It is a non-award program designed to equip international students with the skills and capabilities for successful undergraduate study.

It is a pre-university year and the curriculum is equivalent to the Australian Year 12. The curriculum has a strong focus on the development of both English language skills and tertiary preparation skills. The curriculum also focuses on developing those preparation skills for study in the Australian tertiary environment. The course can be delivered both onshore and offshore.

The program is designed as a generalist (multi-field) program. This provides international students with the opportunity to seek admission to a broad range of degrees. The unit offerings span a range of disciplines and include the following key learning areas:

• English
• Mathematics
• Technology
• The Arts/Humanities/ Society

Whilst the current program consists of 12 core units of study, it has also been structured to ensure that as future opportunities arise there is capacity to introduce specialisations (streams). Possible examples include business, information technology and communication. This would be achieved through the introduction of electives.

The teaching calendar consists of 3 terms of study. Each term consists of;

• 12 weeks of teaching
• a one week mid term break
• 1 week of assessment
• typically, there are three recess weeks for students between each term

All students (domestic or international) must be at least 17 years of age at the time of commencing this course to be eligible for entry.

This course in not eligible for FEE-HELP or SA-HELP as they are non-awarded courses.

- Successful completion of Year 11 or equivalent.

- 17 years of age at the time of commencing the course.

- Certified forecast or provisional examination results are not accepted if final results are not available.

An overall IELTS Academic score (or equivalent) of 5.5, with no band score below 5.0.