Doing a year in the college first (access and foundation courses)
An access or foundation course is a one-year programme run by the college itself that prepares you for a specific degree. You apply to the college, do the year, and progress into the degree it links to rather than competing on points.
What you actually do
- 1Check whether the college running your degree offers an access or foundation year linked to it.
- 2Apply directly to the college, often with an interview and evidence of your circumstances.
- 3Complete the year and meet the progression standard set out at the start.
- 4Move into first year of the linked degree.
The dates that matter
Deadlines are set by each college and often fall between February and May, earlier than you would expect.
The hard part, said plainly
Progression is conditional on meeting the standard, and the place is usually tied to the one degree the course links to. Many access courses are also restricted to applicants who meet income or circumstance criteria.
Courses you can get into this way
0 courses in our 2026 research set have this route. Type a course or college to narrow it down.
Questions students ask about this route
Is a foundation year a waste of a year?
It carries a progression place into a named degree, which a repeat year does not. You get a year inside the college learning how third level actually works.