Program Overview

International Foundation Programme

The International Foundation Programme (IFP) is a university-led foundation programme that offers students the opportunity to prepare for an undergraduate degree at a British university. The programme is designed for students who do not have British A-level qualifications or the equivalent.

Overview

The IFP is a full-time programme that runs from January to August, with two entry points, one in September and one in January. The programme enables students to progress to most degrees within the University of Reading. Popular progression degrees include:

• Construction Management and Engineering
• Quantity Surveying
• Consumer Behaviour and Marketing
• Politics and International Relations
• International Development
• Education Studies
• Museum Studies and Archaeology
• Computer Science
• Psychology

Degrees that cannot be progressed to from this programme are most Science and Life Science degrees, Economics, Henley Business School degrees (Accounting, Business, Finance, Real Estate and Management), Art and Media degrees, and some degrees within the Institute of Education.

Learning

The IFP is subject to the same quality and assessment procedures as the rest of the University. Students will study academic skills and a selection of subjects relating to their chosen pathway. Depending on their English language skills, they may have to take the Academic English module. Students will be taught by experienced University academics and will have an academic tutor assigned to support and guide them through their studies.

Entry Requirements

The typical offers are expressed in terms of A-level, BTEC, and International Baccalaureate requirements. However, the University also accepts many other qualifications. The entry requirements include:

• AS and A Levels: 72 UCAS tariff points
• International Baccalaureate: 24 points from the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme or International Baccalaureate Certificate
• GCSE: GCSE/IGCSEs at grades 94 (A*C) in five subjects
• IELTS: a UKVI IELTS between 5.5 and 6.5 overall, with no skill below 4.55.5, depending on the intended degree course

Structure

The programme consists of compulsory and optional modules. The compulsory modules include:

• Academic Skills
• a selection of subjects relating to the chosen pathway

The optional modules include:

• Foundation Programme: Biology
• Ecology and the Environment
• Environmental Sustainability
• Chemistry
• Foundation Economics: Microeconomics
• Foundation Economics: Macroeconomics
• Core Mathematics
• Further Mathematics
• Quantitative Methods
• An Introduction to Business and Management
• Academic English 1
• Academic English 2
• Foundation Statistics and Data Science
• Introduction to Foundations of Law
• Further Foundations of Law
• Physics
• Concepts in Politics
• Government and Politics
• Introduction to Sociology
• Topics in Sociology
• Psychology and Biology
• Psychology and Research

Fees

The tuition fees for the IFP are:

• New UK/Republic of Ireland students: ｣9,535
• New international students: ｣22,500

Careers

During the IFP, students will develop transferable skills such as the ability to produce high-quality written work, interpret and analyze a range of information, think critically, and communicate well. Students from the IFP go on to study a wide range of degrees at the University of Reading and have gone on to postgraduate studies and careers in various industries, including law and legal services, higher education, government work, and the public sector.