Students begin degrees after new foundation year

Among those who have now completed the Foundation Year, Cameron Welsh, 20, from the Scottish Borders, will begin reading History and Politics at Homerton College. A chronic illness, diagnosed when he was 14, meant he missed four-and-a-half years of high school and was therefore limited in the qualifications he could achieve while studying at home.

“It definitely changed the way that I approached education,” he said. “I had to be self-reliant and I suppose that was good preparation for the foundation year, in a way. I wanted to be a journalist, and my plan was to try to go to university and get a degree. I never considered Cambridge as an option, but when I heard about the foundation year it seemed to suit someone who had experienced what I had, and it was just too good an opportunity not to go for.

“In particular I’ve loved the supervisions on the foundation year; I’ve enjoyed being challenged and challenging others’ ideas. It’s an experience I wouldn’t get anywhere else in the same way, and my critical analysis and argument forming skills have really developed. Starting my Cambridge degree hasn’t really sunk in yet, but I can’t wait. I’m looking forward to the work and meeting more new people.”

Kerrie Portman, 24, from London, is autistic and a care-leaver. She was homeless when she applied for a place on the Cambridge Foundation Year, after first completing an Access to HE Diploma. Following completion of the foundation year, she will be reading Human, Social, and Political Science (HSPS) at Girton College.

She said: “The Cambridge Foundation Year has been one of the best experiences of my life. The course has been so dynamic and engaging. 

“My education was disjointed, so the support network at my college and at the University has been wonderful. It’s given me the confidence to speak in supervisions and lectures and really vocalise my ideas. There can be negative stereotyping around autism and care-leavers, so I feel like I’m helping through my participation.   

“I would encourage people to apply for the foundation year, especially anyone worried that it might not be for them, or that they might be treated differently because of their background or experiences. People have a fixed idea of what a typical Cambridge student is like, and really there’s no such thing.”

Mature student Khalid Hussain, 37, from Derby, worked in various professional roles and also volunteered as a youth worker before he returned to education to study for an Access to HE Diploma. He has also now completed the Cambridge Foundation Year, and is staying at Cambridge to study for a degree in HSPS at Wolfson College.

“I hope that other people will see me doing this,” he said. “I want to inspire people of all ages – older people as well as younger people. I want them to see someone from the same place as them, the same kind of area, and know it’s not too late. There are brilliant minds in our communities, and initiatives like the Cambridge Foundation Year are a chance to use those minds. Cambridge needs to keep opening these kinds of doors to help people who have had very difficult experiences, or went to schools that didn’t have the best facilities.

“Cambridge does take some getting used to, but there is a space here for any community – and people thinking of applying need to know that. My college and the foundation year team have been amazing. There are also lots of societies, which means you find all types of people, and make friends.

“I’ve also learned a lot about myself – it’s hard work, and a fast-paced learning environment but the rewards are amazing. I’m a more-rounded individual now, I have a better understanding of how academic environments work, and how that fits in with professional environments.”

Cambridge Foundation Year students receive full one-year scholarships – after a cornerstone gift from philanthropists Christina and Peter Dawson funded the launch of the programme – and study at Cambridge colleges.

Christina Dawson said: “Peter and I were inspired by the University's aim to address educational disadvantage in wider society and saw the Foundation Year as our opportunity to be part of that change. I was delighted to meet the students and their teaching staff recently. Their enthusiasm was contagious and highly encouraging.”

As with all courses at Cambridge, there is a rigorous admissions process designed to help admit students who will thrive on the Cambridge Foundation Year and be able to progress to a degree at Cambridge – including interviews and assessment. 

Typical offers for the Cambridge Foundation Year – which is open to those ordinarily resident in the UK who meet specific eligibility criteria – require 120 UCAS Tariff Points, which is equivalent to BBB at A-Level. The usual Cambridge offer is at least A*AA. 

Professor Bhaskar Vira, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education at the University of Cambridge, said: “The Cambridge Foundation Year was launched to give those with potential the opportunity to show what exceptional students they can be, after already achieving significantly despite the educational disadvantages they have faced.

“It sits alongside a range of developing University widening participation initiatives – including the use of the August Reconsideration Pool, the STEM SMART programme, and the launch of the new Cambridge Maths School – to reach talented students who might not have thought Cambridge was for them, and transform lives. I congratulate our first foundation year students’ achievements in completing the course and wish them well in their future studies.”

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