The Student Room Group
Campus Green, University of Dundee
University of Dundee

question about foundation years?

So I'm doing the Foundation Year in Life Sciences before doing Biomedical Science, and I was wondering how long exactly this would be? I ask because I was under the impression I would be at university for five years (Foundation Year + 4 years of the course) but it says online that I should finish in 2021, making it four years, and everyone I talk to say it should be four years (but they haven't been to this uni).
Original post by abbie d
So I'm doing the Foundation Year in Life Sciences before doing Biomedical Science, and I was wondering how long exactly this would be? I ask because I was under the impression I would be at university for five years (Foundation Year + 4 years of the course) but it says online that I should finish in 2021, making it four years, and everyone I talk to say it should be four years (but they haven't been to this uni).


In the England (and Wales - not sure about NI) it would be 4 years for a bachelors with foundation. However in Scotland bachelors degrees are normally 4 years, and they are only 3 years with the advanced entry from taking A-levels/IB/Advanced Highers to a high grade level.

It may be that the foundation is only "packaged" with the ordinary/non-honours degree, and you need to switch into honours after achieving a minimum standard - I would suggest you contact the uni to check however, particularly if you're being funded by SFE and not SAAS.

I'm surprised you're having to do a foundation year since normally the equivalent material is covered in the first year of a Scots degree - i.e. year 1 entry to a Scots degree is similar to foundation year entry to a English degree.
Campus Green, University of Dundee
University of Dundee
Reply 2
I think it would be four years unless you do placement year. I'm not too sure about Scotland, though. Contact admissions?

Personally, I'd avoid doing foundation as it uses a year of student finance.
Reply 3
I think the reason I have to do the foundation year is that I did a BTEC instead of A Levels? So it would be five years then?
Reply 4
It's 4 years in total as it gives you entry into the 3 year Life Sciences programme.

Source: https://www.dundee.ac.uk/study/ug/life-sciences-foundation-year/

I'm a student at Dundee uni, so any questions, please ask.

Original post by abbie d
I think the reason I have to do the foundation year is that I did a BTEC instead of A Levels? So it would be five years then?

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