Support for foundation year students

Kickstart is a pre-entry academic skills programme that includes online lessons and activities to develop your study skills for university assignments. We’ll send you information about Kickstart when you’re offered a place on your course. 

We’ll invite you to a live session, either online or on campus, where you can meet with staff and other students who’ll be on the same course as you. After the session, you’ll write a short piece of work to practise the skills you have learned. 

Our alternative entry scheme only applies to the foundation courses taught by the Lifelong Learning Centre (Arts and Humanities, Business Studies, Interdisciplinary Science and Studies in Science Foundation Year courses).

The scheme is for you if you meet all of the following criteria:

• you’ve been out of formal education for three years or more
• you haven’t returned to study three A-levels or equivalent
• you don’t meet the typical requirements for entry to these courses because you don’t have formal qualifications like A-levels, or GCSEs in English and Maths. 

We’ll automatically check your eligibility for the scheme when you apply for your foundation course. You don’t need to send a separate application for this.

If you’re eligible, instead of the GCSE requirement, you’ll complete our maths and English tests. We’ll give you sample papers and online resources, and offer you one-to-one and/or workshop support to help you understand the exam subjects. You can choose from face-to-face and/or online support.

Instead of having A-level or BTEC-level qualifications, we may ask you to write a 1,500 word essay on a subject related to the course you’re applying to. This doesn’t apply to the Studies in Science foundation course.

Please note that some undergraduate degrees, such as Medicine and Nursing, require GCSE qualifications so the alternative entry scheme may not be suitable in such cases. Our admissions team can advise you about this when you apply for the foundation course.

The following financial support might be available to you after you’ve registered as a student:

Lifelong Learning Centre Student Bursary Fund

You may be able to apply for further support from the Lifelong Learning Centre Student Bursary Fund. For more information, please email the Lifelong Learning Centre at lifelonglearning@leeds.ac.uk.

Lifelong Learning Centre Opportunities Fund

The fund helps you with costs related to professional development opportunities. For example, funding towards the cost of childcare, travel costs, attendance fees or other expenses associated with courses, conferences and residential training events. For more information, please email the Lifelong Learning Centre at lifelonglearning@leeds.ac.uk.

Other financial support

Studying a course with a foundation year is classed as the normal duration of a degree programme and is eligible for Government student loans and funding. You may also be eligible for financial support from the University.

Many of our services are online, including registration, timetabling and library resources. We can provide support if you have trouble accessing any of these services online – email the Lifelong Learning Centre at lifelonglearning@leeds.ac.uk and we’ll be happy to help.

Our fantastic support team is on hand to provide individual support online or in person. You’re welcome to drop into the Lifelong Learning Centre and talk to our welcome desk team and make use of our common room spaces. You can find our address on the contact us page.

The academic skills team can work with you to gain confidence in your abilities, develop strategies to approach your academic work and help you to develop skills to achieve your academic goals. We also have a specialist who works with students with Specific Learning Differences. You can book an appointment or ask a question by emailing the Skills team at LLC-Skills@leeds.ac.uk.

Impartial information, advice and guidance is available to all part-time and mature undergraduates currently studying at Leeds, as well as all students enrolled on courses taught by the Lifelong Learning Centre. You can book an appointment by emailing the Lifelong Learning Centre at lifelonglearning@leeds.ac.uk

We recognise that your journey to university and experiences as a foundation year student can differ from those who have applied directly to the first year of an undergraduate degree. 

We aim to make the University of Leeds a place where foundation year students feel like they belong, are valued, and can thrive academically and socially. 

The Foundation Year Student Advisory Board (FYSAB) recognises the diversity of our foundation year students and creates an environment where your voices and experiences can inform the development of our Foundation Year courses, as well as the support we can offer to our students. 

Each year we recruit current foundation year students and those who've completed their foundation year to join the board.

The Middle Ground Network is here for you if you feel a bit ‘stuck in the middle’ – feeling a little older than your 18-20 year-old peers, but maybe not identifying as a mature student either. 

You’ll be able to meet people of a similar age and life experience through regular events and meet-ups throughout the year. 

Check out our Middle Ground Linktree for more information.

The Lifelong Learning Centre provides regular opportunities for foundation year students to meet at social events both on campus and across Leeds. We host fun trips, celebratory events as well as opportunities for you to connect with students who have completed their foundation year and are now studying on their chosen undergraduate degree. 

The Plus Programme, delivered by the University’s student success team, provides a support network for students from backgrounds that are under-represented at university. You’ll have opportunities to connect with other students from across a range of subjects at Leeds, share your voice with the University, and access exclusive opportunities and funding to enhance your student experience.

If you have any worries or concerns, in addition to the support you may be able to access by your teaching school, our dedicated Student Support and Wellbeing team can signpost you to services across the University, give advice on topics such as student finance as well as ensuring any necessary support is in place for medical conditions and disabilities.

Skills@Library supports taught students to develop academic skills, within the curriculum and through online resources, workshops, one-to-one consultations and drop in sessions. Find out more on our Libraries website.

University Financial Assistance Fund

You may be eligible to receive financial support to help with study or living costs at Leeds if you are experiencing financial hardship. Find out more about the University Financial Assistance Fund.

Undergraduate funding

You may be eligible to apply for Government student loans and funding from the University. Find out about the different types of funding available if you are a UK student. 

We recognise that your journey to higher education and experiences as a mature student can differ from those of younger students.

We aim to make the University of Leeds a place where mature students can better feel like they belong, are valued, and are able to thrive academically and socially, with equal access to opportunities to achieve their goals. 

The Mature Student Advisory Board (MSAB) recognises the diversity of our mature undergraduates and creates an environment where your voices and experiences can inform and direct the development of what's done across the University.

The board is made up of mature undergraduate students representing different subjects and experiences at the University.

The Mature Student Advisory Board allows you to voice concerns or suggestions that make a real difference to the mature student experience at Leeds.

Leeds University Union (LUU) brings together our student community and is 100% student-led. Its mission is to make sure you love your time at Leeds.  

The Union building is in the middle of campus. It’s a place where you can make friends, join societies, gain new skills and experiences, and have fun. 

LUU is independent of the University of Leeds and offers free and impartial help and advice if things don’t go quite to plan. 

You can also find part-time work through Joblink, our on-campus student employment service whose core focus is to provide students with quality employment so they can earn as they learn. 

To make your journey through the University as smooth as possible, there are resources and information to help you and support you through every step.

You can explore the range of information and support available on our dedicated website for students. 

Leeds graduates (also known as alumni) benefit from access to lifelong careers advice, resources and job listings. 

This includes: 

• free access to LinkedIn Learning, an online learning platform providing 15,000 self-paced learning courses to aid your career development. 
• help with your job applications, interviews, and finding work experience. 
• opportunities to attend job fairs, alumni networking events and more both online and in person. 
• an exclusive job database with opportunities for our graduates. 

Alumni support

Once you’ve graduated, you’ll become a member of the Leeds alumni community. That’s more than 312,000 Leeds graduates from over 197 countries are forever by your side. 

You’ll be invited to reunion events, be able to network with other alumni in your industry and stay up to date with news and events with our alumni newsletter. 

Our alumni draw on their knowledge, experience and expertise to help the next generation of Leeds graduates to succeed through volunteering, mentoring and donations. 

On-campus resources 

You can continue to use the library free of charge for reference purposes, or take out a membership to borrow books. 

You can also join The Edge sports centre and visit Leeds University Union. 

Alumni bursary for postgraduate study 

We offer Leeds graduates a 10% tuition fee bursary. Whether you’re looking to further your career, boost your employment prospects or change direction, a Masters course at Leeds can help you to achieve your ambitions.