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English (with Foundation Year)

  • Bachelor of Arts (with Honours)
  • 4 Years
  • Full-Time
  • 20 September 2027
  • Undergraduate
University Park Campus
More about University of Nottingham

Course options

2026-20272027-2028
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Course summary

Your Foundation Year will help prepare you for the BA English. You’ll build from a starting point in applied linguistics, drama, and literature from medieval times to the present day, exploring what it is to be human through the historical, cultural and social contexts of a text.

There are options to develop your creative writing in either fiction or poetry.

You do not require an English A level if you join the BA through the Arts and Humanities Foundation Year route.

First, through a range of engaging modules spanning the arts and humanities, you will undertake a preparatory Foundation Year. Our curriculum is carefully designed, with each of the six modules giving you the best start to your progression degree. You will develop key skills such as communication, critical thinking, teamwork, and digital capability. You'll be able to tailor your assessment topics to explore aspects of your progression degree with elements of interdisciplinarity and real-world applicability.

Your dedicated Foundation Year tutors will support you with building these skills, and the confidence for undergraduate study.

Our foundation programme is a preparatory year designed for talented UK students with an interest in arts and humanities subjects, but whose personal circumstances make achieving our usual entry requirements difficult.

During the foundation year you will be a full member of the university, with all the opportunities this offers, including the same accommodation options as direct entry students.

As you work through your year, you may develop different ideas about your progression degree. That’s OK. Your tutors will guide you through your choices, which includes joint honours courses offered within the Faculty of Arts. For now, apply for the named pathway which most interests you.

Why choose this course?

Course highlights

Proven results

  • We’re ranked 8th in the UK for English (Complete University Guide 2026) and 2nd in the UK for creative writing in (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026).

  • The average starting salary for English undergraduates within 15 months of graduation was £27,023 (HESA Graduate Outcomes 2022/23).

Modules

Course Modules

For detailed information about the modules you will study, please visit the course page.

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/studywithus/ugstudy/courses/UG/English-with-Foundation-Year-BA-Hons.html

Assessment method

For detailed information about the course assessment methods please visit the course page: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/studywithus/ugstudy/courses/UG/English-with-Foundation-Year-BA-Hons.html

This course has restrictions on who can apply.

Ways to study this course

Campuses

  • University Park Campus

Study options

  • Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) • Full-Time • 4 Years

Start dates

  • 20 September 2027

Apply by
13 January 2027

This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.

Application codes

Course code:
Q30F
Institution code:
N84
Campus name:
University Park Campus
Points of Entry:
Foundation

University of Nottingham has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?

How to apply

This course has restrictions on who can apply.

This course is not accepting applications from students requiring a Student visa. For more information, please contact the course provider.

Apply by
13 January 2027

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
Q30F
Institution code:
N84
Campus name:
University Park Campus

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Foundation

Entry requirements

Typical qualification requirements

A level
BCC

UCAS Tariff
Not accepted

Scottish Higher
BBBCC

Plus two Advanced Higher Subjects with grades BC

Access to HE Diploma
Distinction: 15 Merit: 18 Pass: 12

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE English grade 4 (alpha grade C)

Scottish Advanced Higher
BC

Plus BBBCC at Higher Level

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

and A Level grade C.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Offer: 24

or 544 in 3 Higher Level Certificates.

WJEC Level 3 Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales
B

Grade B plus two A levels grades CC or Grade C plus two A levels grades BC

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

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
H2H2H2H3H3

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

and A Level grades BC.

The Faculty of Arts degrees with a foundation year are part of our contextual admissions policy, reflecting a lower offer, with eligibility assessed on personal circumstances. To qualify for our Foundation Year contextual offer:

  • you must have the required grades
  • you must have Home/UK fee status
  • your current or most recent school must be in the UK and cannot be an independent school
  • you must meet at least one of the personal background criteria

Personal background criteria

  1. You live in an area where people are less likely to go to university – check your postcode
  2. You were in receipt of free school meals (FSM) on any census day in the six years before the census day of your final KS4 year (that is, the year you were aged 15-16 years old)
  3. You are the first generation in your family to enter higher education
  4. You will be over 21 years old when you begin your course
  5. You have spent more than three months in local authority care (for this criterion you do not need to have attended a state school)
  6. You have refugee status from the Home Office
  7. You need to study in the East Midlands (for example, for family, cultural or financial reasons)
  8. You provide long term care of a sick or disabled family member

Where relevant you should include reference to 6, 7 and 8 in your personal statement, or provide this information via artssupport@nottingham.ac.uk when you submit your UCAS application.

Additional entry requirements

Restricted Eligibility
We do not consider students who already have a degree, EU or international applicants for this programme.

Contextual admissions

Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.

We consider applicants solely on the basis of their merits, abilities and potential – we use exam grades to prioritise applicants but look at a range of factors and aim to give everyone an equal opportunity to show their achievements.

We understand that background and personal circumstances can have an impact on academic performance at school or college. Applicants who are eligible under our contextual admissions policies may be considered for a reduced contextual offer.

Learn more on the University of Nottingham website

Historical entry grades data

This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).

It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.

Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Not enough data available

We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Per year tuition fees

LocationFeeYear
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland & Channel Islands£5760*

* This is a provisional fee and subject to change.

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

View undergraduate tuition fees for UK and international students: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/fees/tuitionfees/202627/undergraduate.aspx

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