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Biosciences with a Foundation Year

Entry requirements


Students are accepted from a wide range of educational backgrounds and each application will be considered individually. If you have already obtained A-levels (or equivalent) in subjects inappropriate for direct admission to one of our bioscience degree courses (grades ABB or above), a good standard of GCSE or equivalent in science and mathematics will also be required. If you have been out of education for some time, we would normally recommend that you take an Access to HE Diploma course to be considered for Year 1 entry onto one of our courses; we cannot consider applicants studying on an Access course for entry onto the Foundation Year. Please contact us for further advice before submitting an application. Students who have taken sciences at A-level but do not achieve ABB or above will only be accepted onto the Foundation Year if there is evidence that they have underperformed due to exceptional circumstances beyond their control. Please contact us to discuss this before you apply. We believe that practical skills in the sciences are integral to a candidate's understanding and appreciation of these subjects. Therefore we encourage all applicants to undertake any practical skills assessment if it is available in their qualification. Typical Contextual Offer: Applicants who are eligible for a contextual offer may receive an offer one grade below the standard requirements.

AS level results are not considered as part of the standard admissions process at The University of Manchester.

Applicants with an Access to HE Diploma will not be accepted on to the Foundation Year.

Students are accepted from a wide range of educational backgrounds and each application will be considered individually. Please contact us for advice before submitting an application.

The University recognises the benefits of the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and the opportunities it provides for applicants to develop independent study and research skills. Although the Extended Project will not be included in the conditions of your offer, we strongly encourage you to provide information about the EPQ in your personal statement and at interview. A number of our academic Schools may also choose to take your performance in the EPQ into account should places be available in August for applicants who narrowly miss the entry grades for their chosen course.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

Applicants must demonstrate a broad general education including acceptable levels of Literacy and Numeracy, equivalent to at least Grade 4 or C in GCSE/IGCSE English Language and Mathematics. GCSE/IGCSE English Literature will not be accepted in lieu of GCSE/IGCSE English Language. Please note that if you hold English as a Second Language IGCSE qualification, we may also require you to offer one of our acceptable equivalent English Language qualifications or achieve a higher grade in your IGCSE than the one stated above. Please contact [email protected] for clarification.

Students are accepted from a wide range of educational backgrounds and each application will be considered individually. Please contact us for advice before submitting an application.

We consider all the Cambridge Level 3 Technicals (except the Cambridge Level 3 Technical Certificate) with grade D or above for entry when it is taken with two A-levels (minimum AB required) if the subjects are inappropriate for direct admission to one of our biological sciences degree courses.

We consider all the Cambridge Level 3 Technicals (except the Cambridge Level 3 Technical Certificate) with grade D or above for entry when it is taken with two A-levels (minimum AB required) if the subjects are inappropriate for direct admission to one of our biological sciences degree courses.

We consider all the Cambridge Level 3 Technicals (except the Cambridge Level 3 Technical Certificate) with grade D or above for entry when it is taken with two A-levels (minimum AB required) if the subjects are inappropriate for direct admission to one of our biological sciences degree courses.

We consider all the Cambridge Level 3 Technicals (except the Cambridge Level 3 Technical Certificate) with grade D or above for entry when it is taken with two A-levels (minimum AB required) if the subjects are inappropriate for direct admission to one of our biological sciences degree courses.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DD

We consider the National Diploma with grades DD for entry when it is taken with two A-levels with a minimum of grades AB. Combinations of BTEC and A-levels suitable for Biosciences year one entry will not be considered for entry into the Foundation Year. For details of year one entry requirements, please refer to the webpage of the degree programme you are interested in.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)

D

We consider the National Extended Certificate with grade D for entry when it is taken with two A-levels with a minimum of grades AB. Combinations of BTEC and A-levels suitable for Biosciences year one entry will not be considered for entry into the Foundation Year. For details of year one entry requirements, please refer to the webpage of the degree programme you are interested in.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDD

We consider the National Extended Diploma with grades DDD for entry when it is taken with one A-level with grade A. Combinations of BTEC and A-levels suitable for Biosciences year one entry will not be considered for entry into the Foundation Year. For details of year one entry requirements, please refer to the webpage of the degree programme you are interested in.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

D

We consider the National Foundation Diploma with grade D for entry when it is taken with two A-levels with a minimum of grades AB. Combinations of BTEC and A-levels suitable for Biosciences year one entry will not be considered for entry into the Foundation Year. For details of year one entry requirements, please refer to the webpage of the degree programme you are interested in.

Scottish Advanced Highers/Highers are normally required in one of the following combinations, if the subjects are inappropriate for direct admission to one of our Biological Sciences degree courses: - Three Advanced Highers with grades AAA-BBB or - Two Advanced Highers with grades AA-BB plus two additional Highers with grades AA-BB or - Five Highers with grades AAAAA-AABBB English Language and Mathematics not taken at Higher/Advanced Higher must have been achieved at SCQF level 5 (minimum National 5 grade C/Intermediate 2 grade C/Standard Grade Credit level grade 3). If you require further clarification about the acceptability of this qualification please contact [email protected]

Scottish Advanced Highers/Highers are normally required in one of the following combinations, if the subjects are inappropriate for direct admission to one of our Biological Sciences degree courses: - Three Advanced Highers with grades AAA-BBB or - Two Advanced Highers with grades AA-BB plus two additional Highers with grades AA-BB or - Five Highers with grades AAAAA-AABBB English Language and Mathematics not taken at Higher/Advanced Higher must have been achieved at SCQF level 5 (minimum National 5 grade C/Intermediate 2 grade C/Standard Grade Credit level grade 3). If you require further clarification about the acceptability of this qualification please contact [email protected]

We consider the following T levels for the Foundation Year: - Level 3 T Level Technical Qualification in Science (Delivered By NCFE) - Level 3 T Level Technical Qualification in Healthcare Science (Delivered By NCFE) - Level 3 T Level Technical Qualification in Health (Delivered By NCFE) For the Foundation Year, we require Distinction overall in one of these T levels with a minimum of grade A in the core component and Distinction in the occupational specialism.

The University welcomes and recognises the value of the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma/Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate and would consider this at grade B or above when taken with two A-levels, if the A-Level subjects are inappropriate for direct admission to the first year of one of our bioscience degree courses (minimum AB required). For further details, please contact [email protected].

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About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Other options

5 years | Full-time | 2024

Subject

Biological sciences

Our BSc Biosciences with a Foundation Year course enables all of our bioscience undergraduate courses to be studied with a foundation year if you do not have a science background or the appropriate entry qualifications.

Taught by Xaverian College close to the University campus, the foundation year provides the necessary academic background in biology, chemistry and mathematics to prepare you for study on any one of our biosciences courses .

There is also a complementary programme of tutorials, seminars and laboratory practicals at the main University campus.Successful completion of the foundation year allows you direct entry onto any of our three- or four-year degree courses.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University of Manchester

Department:

Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

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What students say


How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Biological sciences

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

75%
UK students
25%
International students
23%
Male students
77%
Female students
90%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
B

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Biosciences (non-specific)

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£20,000
med
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

11%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
11%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
9%
Natural and social science professionals

These stats refer to the prospects of graduates from general courses in biosciences. About a quarter go into further study and for those who go into work, bioscience, teaching and finance jobs are the most common types of employment. But you can go into most careers with this kind of degree — the majority of jobs for graduates don’t ask for a particular degree subject - and you will acquire a wide range of skills valued by many employers. If you want to find out more specifically about the prospects for your chosen subject, it might be a good idea to go on open days and talk to tutors about what previous graduates from your chosen subject went on to do.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Biosciences (non-specific)

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£22k

£22k

£28k

£28k

£34k

£34k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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