Many foundation year students ‘not getting degree they were promised’

A think tank is calling on the Office for Students to withdraw student finance from foundation year courses delivering poor outcomes.

Foundation years had ‘grown explosively’ over the past decade, a report found (Chris Ison/PA) (PA Wire)

Many foundation year courses are “not doing justice to students” who are failing to get the degree they were promised, a think tank has suggested.

Foundation years – which are one-year courses designed to prepare students for degree-level study – have “grown explosively” over the past decade, a report by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) think tank has found.

More than 69,000 UK-domiciled students entered foundation years at higher education institutions in England in 2021/22, compared to nearly 8,500 in 2011/12, Government figures suggest.

Universities shouldn’t be running these courses unless they can be confident they can properly support every single student

Josh Freeman, Hepi

Students who pass their foundation year do not usually receive a standalone qualification, but instead progress to degree courses.

But the Hepi report suggested that 74% of students continued in higher education after completing their foundation year.

This was lower than the 91% of full-time undergraduates who continued in higher education after their first year, according to the think tank.

There are reports that institutions may be using foundation years to “inflate their tariff scores artificially” which is “clearly of concern”, the paper said.

But it added there was “no clear evidence” that students were being encouraged to take foundation years.

The think tank is calling on the Office for Students (OfS) to withdraw student finance from foundation year courses which deliver poor outcomes for students.

Universities should not run foundation courses “unless they can be confident they can properly support every single student”, the author of the report said.

In July, the Prime Minister announced that the maximum fee that universities could charge for some classroom-based foundation year courses, such as business and social sciences, would be reduced to £5,760.

But the think tank report has called for the Government to abandon the fee reduction – which is due to come into effect in 2025/26 – as it warned that many of the affected courses may no longer be financially viable and the policy could “make the quality of some courses worse”.

These courses are fantastic opportunities for learners and enable them to develop their skills before entering a full degree programme

Universities UK spokesperson

“Ironically, the only classroom-based category not necessarily loss-making will be business courses – the courses named by the Department for Education (DfE) as being the target of the clampdown,” the report said.

Last month, Universities UK (UUK) said it would review international student admissions processes following the allegations of “bad practice” by agents recruiting overseas students for UK universities.

It came after a Sunday Times investigation included claims by recruitment agents who allegedly said foundation year courses with lower grade requirements provided overseas students with easier access to degree courses at UK universities.

The Hepi report has estimated that around 14% of students on integrated foundation years were international students in 2020/21.

Among the overseas students on integrated foundation years, some 71% continued in higher education, compared to three-quarters (75%) of domestic students, according to the paper.

The Office for Students should make a serious attempt to distinguish excellent foundation year courses from those which fail to meet quality standards

Josh Freeman, Hepi

These findings relate only to integrated foundation years – which are part of a full-time undergraduate degree programme.

Josh Freeman, policy manager at Hepi and author of the report, said: “In the blink of an eye, and without proper scrutiny, foundation year courses have become extraordinarily popular.

“Many of these courses are excellent, giving opportunities to students with incredible potential but need more support to succeed in higher education.

“But many others are not doing justice to students, who, despite giving significant money, time and energy, are not getting the degree they were promised.”

He added: “The Government also bears some responsibility. Its policy of slashing fees for business and humanities courses is simplistic and might make quality worse.

“Other courses, including Stem (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) courses, are at serious risk of being financially unviable because universities are limited in what they can charge.

To ensure the sector's ongoing sustainability it is important that higher education is appropriately funded. The decision to reduce the funding for certain foundation year courses will only make this worse

Universities UK spokesperson

“It’s time for everyone to wake up. Universities shouldn’t be running these courses unless they can be confident they can properly support every single student.

“And the Office for Students should make a serious attempt to distinguish excellent foundation year courses from those which fail to meet quality standards.”

A spokesperson for UUK said: “Foundation years play an incredibly important role in supporting access to higher education for those who would otherwise be unable to attend. Many students who enrol on these courses are mature students or students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“These courses are fantastic opportunities for learners and enable them to develop their skills before entering a full degree programme.  However, it is right that the Office for Students acts as a backstop in any case where the quality of a programme does not meet regulatory standards.

“To ensure the sector’s ongoing sustainability it is important that higher education is appropriately funded. The decision to reduce the funding for certain foundation year courses will only make this worse.”

A DfE spokesperson said: “Students and taxpayers rightly expect value for money and a good return on the significant financial investment they make in higher education.

“That’s why we are cracking down on poor quality higher education courses and reducing the maximum fee that universities can charge for classroom-based foundation years to £5,760 – so students get a fairer deal.”

John Blake, director for fair access and participation for the OfS, said: “We know that many universities and colleges are already consistently offering high quality courses, including foundation courses.

“Where that may not be the case, it’s important that the OfS – as the independent regulator of higher education in England – can intervene to protect the interests of students and taxpayers.

“We have, for example, indicated that we will be continuing to assess the quality of business and management courses. We look forward to continuing our work on these important issues.”