Foundation in Business
Foundation course
Key facts
UCAS code
N101
Start dates
September 2023 / September 2024
Location
Course length
Full time: 1-year foundation course leading to 3-year undergraduate degree (or 4-year undergraduate degree if it involves a work placement or you take a study abroad year)
Department
UCAS Tariff Points
80
This course is not available to students classed as International for fees purposes.
Overview
This course is designed for students from a range of educational backgrounds who need an additional year of study prior to their undergraduate degree. You should take this course if any of the following apply to you:
- You haven't met the entry requirements for direct entry on to the first year of a degree
- You have less than 13 years of schooling
- You need to improve your academic skills to join an undergraduate course
The course is classed as an integral part of a 4-year degree, and takes place before the first year of your chosen degree. After your total four years of study (five if you take a work placement) you will graduate with a BA or BSc (Hons) combined degree in the same way as your classmates on your specific degree.
This foundation course can be tied with a range of our excellent degrees in subject areas such as business and management, accounting and finance, marketing, or hospitality (see 'Progression and degree options' below).

How to apply
Wherever possible we make our conditional offers using the UCAS Tariff. The combination of A-level grades listed here would be just one way of achieving the UCAS Tariff points for this course.
Standard offer
UCAS Tariff Points: 80
A Level: BB
IB Points: 24
BTEC: MMP
Further offer details
Equivalent qualifications accepted.
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
Applicants without the appropriate Maths GCSE grade (or equivalent), who wish to progress to a course that requires Maths GCSE (or equivalent), will need to take the compulsory Maths and Statistics module within the foundation year.
Please also see the University's general entry requirements.
English language requirements
- IELTS 5.5 overall with 5.5 in all skills
- Pearson Test of English 51 with 51 in all communicative skills
Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Credit transfer
Many of our courses consider applications for entry part-way through the course for students who have credit from previous learning or relevant professional experience.
Find out more about transferring to Brookes. If you'd like to talk through your options, please contact our Admissions team.
Application process
Full time Home (UK) applicants
Apply through UCASTuition fees
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
Tuition fees
Please note tuition fees for Home students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by government. Tuition fees for International students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students.
Oxford Brookes University intends to maintain its fees for new and returning Home students at the maximum permitted level.
Additional costs
Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.
Optional costs
Additional costs | Amount (£) |
---|---|
It’s your responsibility to cover print / binding costs where coursework submission is required. Please note that a lot of the coursework is now submitted online. |
From £30 |
You may choose to purchase books to support your studies. Many books on our reading lists are available via the Library, or can be purchased secondhand. | £20-60 per book |
Accommodation fees in Brookes Letting (most do not include bills) |
£94-265 per week |
Accommodation fees in university halls (bills included, excluding laundry costs) |
£122-180 per week |
Graduation costs include tickets, gowning and photography. Gowns are not compulsory but typically students do hire robes, starting at £41. |
Typically £0-200 |
Students are responsible for their own travel to and from university for classes. BrookesBus travel is subsidised for full-time undergraduate students that are on a course with a fee of £9,250 or more, or living in an Oxford Brookes hall of residence. There is an administration fee for the production of a BrookesKey. |
From £8 |
Funding your studies
Financial support and scholarships
Featured funding opportunities available for this course.
All financial support and scholarships
Learning and assessment
Over the course of two semesters you choose a pathway of modules that build on your current academic skills and reflect your own subject and career interests.
You will develop your knowledge of academic subjects through modules related to your future course of study. One of these modules will be at undergraduate level to give you the experience of studying at a higher level.
You will develop your study skills and critical thinking skills before beginning your degree course.

Study modules
Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from that shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.
Learning and teaching
You will have around 15 class hours per week. Classes are held Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays), usually between 9am and 4pm. Some subject modules may be between 5pm and 8pm.
You will need to spend at least 20 hours per week on independent study which includes homework, assignments, tutorials, reading and preparation for classes (in groups or individually).
Assessment
Assessment methods used on this course
In your foundation year you will be taught by highly qualified academic staff.
You will gain practice and training in the different kinds of assessment that are common in higher education, for instance essays, reports, individual and group presentations, reflective learning journals and project work.
After you graduate
Further study
Students from this course can go on to study the following degree courses:
- BSc (Hons) Accounting and Economics
- BSc (Hons) Accounting and Finance
- BA (Hons) Business and Finance
- BA (Hons) Business and Management
- BA (Hons) Business Management and Geography
- BA (Hons) Business Management and International Relations
- BA (Hons) Business and Marketing Management
- BA (Hons) Business and Law
- BA (Hons) Business, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
- BSc (Hons) Economics, Finance and International Business
- BA (Hons) Economics, Politics and International Relations
- BA (Hons) Events Management
- BA (Hons) International Business Management
- BSc (Hons) International Hospitality and Tourism Management
- BA (Hons) Marketing and Events Management
- BA (Hons) Marketing Communications Management
- BA (Hons) Marketing Management
Programme Changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website.For more information, please visit our Changes to programmes page.