Social Sciences and Humanities (International Foundation) September 2021 entry

The International Foundation programme for Social Sciences and Humanities is designed to equip students with the intellectual and linguistic skills appropriate to the demands of an undergraduate degree programme.

Based on their future degree intention, students will typically choose academic subjects such as Psychology, History, International Relations, Literature and Philosophy. If you are more interested in the scientific study of Psychology, you may also wish to read the Science (International Year One Foundation) page.

Teaching and learning experiences introduce students to their future degrees and possible future careers.

The programme has a high success rate with an average of more than 88% of students completing the programme successfully over the past four years. Graduates have gone on to study for single and joint Honours degrees at St Andrews and other top UK universities.

Applications for September 2021 entry are now closed

Course information for September 2022 entry will be available on this page by the end of September 2021.

Course type

International Foundation programme

This is the University’s own pre-degree programme which prepares international students for undergraduate study in the UK and at the University of St Andrews in particular.

Course duration

Nine months, full time

Course dates

Start date: 6 September 2021
End date: 13 May 2022

The schedule for this programme differs slightly from the standard University semester dates. All weeks from the programme start date to end date are teaching, in-class revision or assessment weeks, other than the following:

independent learning week: 18 to 22 October 2021
winter vacation and inter-semester weeks: 21 December 2021 to 14 January 2022
February vacation: 21 February to 25 February 2022.

This course is for:

International students who are academically able, but whose high school qualification is not recognised for application to an undergraduate degree at St Andrews. Foundation students typically use English as an additional language.

Who can apply

Do I need to have studied this subject before?

No, but candidates should have strong grades in any subject relevant to their intended degree subject.

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

Typical IFP academic requirements (2021-2022) (PDF) are listed alphabetically by country. If your qualification is not shown here, please email ifp@st-andrews.ac.uk about the grades needed from your high school system.

You can demonstrate that you have met the academic requirements with a high school transcript from your final year at school. Any high school qualification you use as evidence of your academic ability should be from the last year you attended high school and dated within the previous three years.

You should apply before your final results are available, as the University can make you a conditional offer based on your past exam performance and predicted grades.

English language requirement

All foundation applicants must submit a Secure English Test (SELT) as evidence of their English language ability, unless they have a UK passport.

See a list of approved English language tests and required scores for International Foundation programmes.

You do not need to have your result when you apply, as this can be a condition of an offer made by the University.

Application requirements

The University requires you to provide the following documents as part of your application:

your most recent high school transcript
a personal statement outlining why you wish to study Social Sciences and Humanities at St Andrews and reflecting on your life and learning experiences to explain why you feel you would be successful on this programme
an academic reference from your high school on their letterhead or from a school email
your official English language test result.

Application deadline

The deadline for applications is Sunday 1 August 2021. You only need to provide your high school transcript and personal statement when you first apply so that the University can consider your application. Your academic reference and your English language evidence can be provided later.

How to apply

Reputation

The University of St Andrews as a whole was voted top in the UK for student academic experience in The National Student Survey 2020 as 92.7% of St Andrews final-year students gave the University top marks for the quality of the learning and teaching experience.

The University has secured a TEF Gold award for the quality of teaching and the undergraduate experience.

Video transcript

- If you're thinking of applying to St Andrews, you definitely should.

It's so rewarding. There are so many things you can do here.

Although it's a small town, the opportunities are completely endless.

>>FIONA: St Andrew's location is stunning. A small seaside town on the east coast of Scotland.

>>PROFESSOR JUDITH WOLFE: Close enough to places like Edinburgh, and frankly to all of Europe. We are connected while also being our own place.

>>HENRY: For me, the best thing about St Andrews is the fact that it's such a small town, but yet it's got so many different opportunities within it.

>>THOMAS: Whether it's the societies or the sports clubs that you can get involved with. It's so much more than just academia.

>>DR JAMES RAE: St Andrews is a fantastic place to study because you get a university that has a strong research focus, but it's also a university that really values its teaching. We do that through having small class sizes, and through, I think, a really, a kind of strong community feel.

>>AABIYAH: The lecturers are really, really helpful. There's not this kind of hierarchy or anything. Everyone's really, really friendly and everyone's really trying to help out.

>>PROFESSOR KISHAN DHOLAKIA: Why does a person go to University? They want to expand their mind. They want to push the boundaries of what they know from a personal level and an academic level. It's not just education, it's research. Because they want to go to a place that is pushing the frontiers of human knowledge.

>>DR DHARINI BALASUBRAMANIAM: We look for people who are willing to question what they are taught and willing to explore their subject in depth.

- We want people who are curious, who are motivated, who want to understand the world around them, and then apply that to make ideally the world a better place.

>>PROFESSOR CLARE PEDDIE: The University degree at St Andrews reflects the Scottish degree system. Students coming into first and second year can take subjects outside their intended degree specialisation and then specialise in their degree subjects in third, and fourth, and possibly fifth year.

- It just offers an opportunity to explore new subjects and it's kind of changed my way of thinking.

>>MARKUS: It really helped me to just explore different things and try out everything.

- St Andrews has a really big feel.

-You really get to know everyone. You see a lot of people that you know and you recognise.

>>RACHEL: Hall life plays such a big part in St Andrews. Living in halls has such a wonderful atmosphere.

>>SHUTONG: It is a really tight community.

- You get a lot of different students, you get to meet a lot of different people which you normally wouldn't meet.

- We come from very different educational backgrounds, so, therefore, we're all gonna have a different point of view. So, you know, you're not gonna have people that agree with you all the time or they're gonna pick up on things that you don't necessarily pick up on.

>>DR STEPHEN TYRE: With a St Andrews degree you can almost do anything because the skills that you learn here are attractive to employers.

>>PROFESSOR FRANK LORENZ MULLER: Our students go into all kinds of professional careers, whether that's the law, whether that's financial services, whether that's civil service or government. Many of them also go into further study.

- Our students tend to be in great demand from employers. We have companies that see character in graduates.

- The skills that students get here allow our students to be successful at getting jobs, and they seem to be equipped very well for a wide range of jobs.

- If you're thinking of applying, do it. Absolutely do it. It's been one of the best decisions that I've made.

>>SARA: St Andrews really isn't a place to be afraid of, but going to college is scary, because you don't know what you're gonna have when you get there, but it's really great here because it's so easy to feel like you have everything.

Course information

The aim of the International Foundation programme for Social Sciences and Humanities is to prepare you for the demands of an undergraduate degree programme. The combination and integration of academic study skills and academic lecture courses is designed to give you a broad base of academic subject knowledge from various disciplines as well as the intellectual skills to critically analyse concepts to a high level.

You will study a range of subjects, providing you with a useful basis for further exploration of all academic disciplines within the Social Sciences and Humanities. This experience will allow you to understand some of the underlying political, philosophical and economic ideas which underpin many of the subjects you can study at St Andrews.

Students develop the skills to read and interpret academic texts, as well as to develop the language and techniques to structure arguments so that they become more skilled at writing assignments and speaking and presenting in seminars.

Working on projects to develop research skills, along with the course's integrated approach to language and academic subjects, will allow you to develop a more analytical approach to your studies.

By the end of the programme students will:

demonstrate an overall appreciation of the body of philosophies related to the study of social sciences
demonstrate knowledge that is embedded in the main theories, concepts and principles of the philosophies related to the study of social sciences and apply that knowledge in practical contexts
using a variety of written or spoken texts, undertake critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis of ideas, concepts, information and issues that are within the common understandings of social sciences
communicate complex information in a range of written or spoken formats within a social sciences context.

All students will study the same five compulsory modules in the first semester:

Communicating in Academic Contexts 1: helps you develop and practise productive and receptive academic spoken communication skills to use within the Foundation programme and in your undergraduate programme.
Research and Writing for Social Sciences and Humanities 1: helps you develop the key skills you will need to succeed in the main types of assessment in your undergraduate degree programme.
Foundation Academic Thought in Arts and Science: enhances understanding of the key philosophical and analytical principles underpinning academic study.
Foundation Psychology 1: gives a brief overview of different approaches to psychology and covers the many different ways in which mind and behaviour can be studied.
Foundation Modern History: focuses on three main periods of European history: the Reformation, the Enlightenment and the French Revolution to the Congress of Vienna.

All students will study the same two compulsory modules in the second semester:

Communicating in Academic Contexts 2: helps you further develop and practise productive and receptive academic oral communication skills that you will need to draw on in your degree programme.
Research and Writing for Social Sciences and Humanities 2: builds on your academic skills by allowing you to undertake reading and research into topics specifically related to your undergraduate degree subject.

In addition, you will take four introductory academic modules from the following list, which covers subject areas that are available to study at undergraduate level:

Foundation Art History
Foundation Economics
Foundation English Literature
Foundation International Relations
Foundation Management
Foundation Mathematics
Foundation Medieval History
Foundation Philosophy
Foundation Psychology 2
Foundation Statistics

The modules listed here are indicative, and there is no guarantee they will run for 2021 entry. Take a look at the most up-to-date modules in the module catalogue.

Teaching

Teaching format

Classes take place from Monday to Friday between 9am and 6pm. You will spend approximately 16 hours per week on focused learning activities. During this time, you will experience a mixture of live and recorded lectures, live online or face to face seminars or tutorials. Seminar classes are typically scheduled in groups of no more than 16 students.

As well as your timetabled classes, you will be expected to complete approximately 20 to 25 hours of independent study each week. As a fully matriculated student, you have access to the University’s libraries and study areas, but you will also work with the University's online learning tools (Moodle and Microsoft Teams).

Students are expected to do the following to prepare for classes and consolidate their learning:

read and take notes from paper and online textbooks, articles, and other online sources as required
undertake additional research and self-study through the University library and online
complete a range of homework tasks, individually and in groups
engage with feedback on both formative and summative assessments.

The University’s student services team can help students who have additional needs resulting from disabilities, long-term medical conditions or learning disabilities. More information can be found on the students with disabilities web page.

Assessment

The programme includes a variety of types of assessment to give you experience of different ways of being examined. These may include:

essays
end-of-module examinations
multiple choice tests
interviews
presentations

You will have regular coursework assignments throughout both semesters, and some of these will contribute towards your final grade.

You will also have two sets of examinations, one set at the end of each semester. You will receive feedback on practice tasks and tests to help you prepare for the assessments.

Meet us in your country

Staff of the University of St Andrews are always pleased to meet prospective students in person. We visit many schools, colleges and higher education fairs to talk about the University and provide support and information for those thinking about applying.

Meet us in your country

Join us for one of our information events where you can find out about different levels of study and specific courses we run.

Online information events

Fees

Tuition fees

The tuition fee for 2021 entry is £21,120, this fee includes:

access to all University facilities
a transfer from Edinburgh or Glasgow airport, or Leuchars train station, when you first arrive
the use of course books, handouts and other course materials

Accommodation fees

The International Education Institute recommends that you request an en suite single room with either a self-catered or catered package as this ensures you have a place close to your classes and with other foundation students.

University accommodation is guaranteed for foundation students.

See fees and further information on the IFP accommodation web page.

Funding and scholarships

Kinnessburn Scholarship

Students who successfully complete the International Foundation programme with a distinction grade and move onto a degree at the University of St Andrews are eligible to apply for the Kinnessburn Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to one student annually in June and provides a partial fee waiver for each year of study on an undergraduate programme at the University.

IFP September scholarship

If you are coming to study an International Foundation or International Pathway to Medicine programme in September 2021, and you receive your offer by the time the scholarship applications are reviewed, you can be eligible to apply for this scholarship.

Successful candidates receive £2,000 towards the cost of tuition fees.

The deadline for applications is Tuesday 30 March 2021. Find out more about the IFP September scholarship.

“I think the classes and activities of the International Foundation programme for Social Sciences and Humanities provide a well-designed bridge to university study and life. With an emphasis on academic English skills, the language courses equipped me with confidence in essay writing and class discussion. I built up my basic knowledge in social sciences and humanities through the introductory courses of the first semester. In the second semester, I explored my interest in specialised subjects.”

Dayuan (China)

Your future

Studying your degree at the University of St Andrews

There are many degree and post-study options available to successful foundation students.

In order to progress onto a degree at the University of St Andrews, students must achieve a final overall grade of 11.0 or above on the University’s 20-point scale. Other specific progression requirements are provided in the course handbook at the start of the programme.

Students have the potential to progress onto a single or joint Honours degree programme. Previous foundation students have stayed at St Andrews to study subjects such as:

Studying your degree at another university

Previous foundation students have also used their foundation qualification to study degrees at other universities, in subjects such as:

Marketing
Media Studies
Sociology.

Students who pass the foundation programme but do not wish to stay in St Andrews can receive advice and assistance with applications to other institutions in the UK.

Join a webinar

The International Education Institute offers webinars to prospective International Foundation students who would like more information about St Andrews, university life and the application process at the University.

See upcoming webinars

Contact

International Foundation programmes

International Education Institute
University of St Andrews
Kinnessburn
Kennedy Gardens
St Andrews
KY16 9DJ

Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2255
Email: ifp@st-andrews.ac.uk

International Education Institute

Policies

Admission to the University of St Andrews is governed by our admissions policy.

Information about all programmes from previous years of entry can be found in the archive.

Curriculum development

As a research intensive institution, the University ensures that its teaching references the research interests of its staff, which may change from time to time. As a result, programmes are regularly reviewed with the aim of enhancing students' learning experience. Our approach to course revision is described online.

Tuition fees

The University will clarify compulsory fees and charges it requires any student to pay at the time of offer. The offer will also clarify conditions for any variation of fees. The University’s approach to fee setting is described online.