Program Overview

Arts and Humanities with Foundation Year BA Hons

Overview

The Arts and Humanities with Foundation Year BA Hons is a preparatory year designed for talented UK students with an interest in arts and humanities subjects, but whose personal circumstances make achieving our usual entry requirements difficult.

Entry Requirements

• BCC
• 24 Points overall or 544 in 3 Higher Level Certificates (IB score)
• GCSE English grade 4 (C)
• Additional entry requirements:
  • Some degrees, notably those provided by the Department of Music, and post-A level pathway Modern Languages, have additional entry requirements.
  • Progression to certain UG degree programmes within the Faculty of Arts is dependent on student holding additional specific qualifications.

Personal Circumstances

• Your current or most recent school cannot be an independent school.
• You must meet at least one of the following personal background criteria:
  1. You live in an area where people are less likely to go to university – check your postcode.
  2. You were in receipt of free school meals (FSM) on any census day in the six years before the census day of your final KS4 year.
  3. You are the first generation in your family to enter higher education.
  4. You will be over 21 years old when you begin your course.
  5. You have spent more than three months in local authority care.
  6. You have refugee status from the Home Office.
  7. You need to study in the East Midlands (for example for family, cultural or financial reasons).
  8. You provide long term care of a sick or disabled family member.

Tuition Fees

• £5,760 (2025/26 academic year)

Additional Costs

• Essential course materials are supplied.
• Books: You'll be able to access most of the books you’ll need through our libraries, though you may wish to buy your own copies of core texts.
• A limited number of modules may have compulsory texts which you are required to buy. We recommend that you budget £100 per year for books.
• Volunteering and placements: You will need to pay for transport and refreshments.

Scholarships and Bursaries

• Faculty of Arts Alumni Scholarships
• University of Nottingham bursaries and scholarships

Course Structure

• One year foundation course, three year undergraduate course (or four years undergraduate course if you choose a course with an integrated Year Abroad, or take an optional year in industry or other study abroad opportunity.)

Study Abroad

• You can apply to study abroad at one of our partner institutions or at University of Nottingham China or University of Nottingham Malaysia.

Placements and Internships

• You can choose to add an Optional Placement Year to your three year progression degree.

Careers

• Evidence shows that students commencing their university study at foundation level achieve the same levels of undergraduate degree as their fellow direct-route students, which in turn leads to the same wide range of career options.

Job Prospects

• 78.8% of undergraduates from the Faculty of Arts secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual starting salary for these graduates was £23,974.

Teaching and Learning

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Tutorials
• Workshops

Assessment

• Essay
• Poster
• Presentation
• Portfolio (written/digital)
• Creative piece
• Workbook
• Exam (if taking a language module in place of the The Project)
• Oral exam (if taking a language module in place of the The Project)

Contact Time and Study Hours

• At least 12 hours of timetabled contact a week through lectures, seminars and workshops.
• Four general progress tutorials as well as individual module-focused tutorials during your foundation year.

Modules

• Important Thinkers Through History
• Critical Thinking and Reflective Learning
• Language and Culture
• Media, Communication and Society
• Narrative and Creativity
• The Project / Language Centre modules

Campus

• University Park Campus covers 300 acres, with green spaces, wildlife, period buildings and modern facilities. It is one of the UK's most beautiful and sustainable campuses, winning a national Green Flag award every year since 2003.