How the Foundation Year Plays an Integral Part in Widening Access to Education

There is constant debate surrounding the importance of the foundation year, and whether or not it should stay. But in an era where there is a dire need for diversity in industries that are lacking skills and talent, Dr Lucy Atkinson, Director of the Centre for Academic Persistence at Arden University, argues that foundation years have never been more important for students.

In this article, Lucy addresses the benefits of the foundation year for students. In doing so, she explores how it improves access to education for those from more disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as mature students.

Criticisms surrounding the foundation year

Critics argue that foundation courses in England are poor value for money and should not be funded. In 2018, for instance, we saw the University College Union passing a motion at its annual conference, calling foundation year fees a ‘poverty tax’. Many other misconceptions focus on the notion that the alternative pathway into higher education is a waste of money and simply an indication that the person is not actually qualified for the degree.

Interestingly, however, these criticisms coincide with a significant increase in the number of universities and courses offering a foundation year entry route. In fact, in 2021/22, there were 69,325 foundation year entrants at English HE providers. This represents a 718% increase since 2011/12, with a per annum increase of more than 20%.

Since 2011/12, the number of foundation years available has been growing rapidly, and the number of courses has increased more than fivefold between 2011/12 and 2021/22, from 678 to 3,717. Research shows that foundation years play an integral role in student engagement, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. In fact, a few institutions in England and Wales have seen an increase in entry levels for mature students, which is interesting for understanding how to better support mature and disadvantaged individuals in to higher education.

This positive influx of a more diverse cohort of students has brought some criticism forward regarding the intentions university management has towards promoting foundation years. Essentially, it was viewed by some as a cynical attempt by university management to alleviate any potential ramifications of the demographic downturn in the number of 18 year olds in the UK.

Regardless, the purpose of the foundation year is to help students, who may not meet the traditional standard requirements for entry into university, to spend one year developing the academic and soft skills needed to succeed in higher education. And there is ample evidence that it works.

The positives

A year-long longitudinal comparative case study examined three alternative entry routes in two selective higher education institutions in England and Ireland: a well-established foundation year; a newly formed foundation year and the route of contextualised admissions. It found that foundation year students’ sense of belonging significantly increased over the year. Students reported that they felt more confident and that their sense of belonging increased due to the relationships established during the foundation year. Contextualised admission students’ sense of belonging remained the same, with some students stating that they felt ‘different’ and ‘isolated’ at the end of the year.

When it comes to addressing the issue of equal access to education and employment opportunities, universities and companies are increasingly focusing on reaching out to groups that have traditionally been underrepresented or disadvantaged. These groups include individuals from older age brackets, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions, such as autism or ADHD. For older individuals, the focus is on providing opportunities for continuing education and career advancement that may have been missed earlier in life due to personal or economic circumstances.

This may involve offering support to help students ease into the demands of higher education, and may even extend to flexible study schedules, online learning options and tailored career guidance to assist students in their transition back into a learning environment.

Overall, it’s important to recognise that these groups of potential students may have complex and diverse needs that differ from those of students who enter university or college straight after finishing high school, at the age of 18. By providing tailored support and well-constructed foundation years, universities can help ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed and thrive.

Other studies have shown that many foundation year students say they actively chose a foundation year course. The most common reasons for this was that students felt they needed to adapt to university, often after a break from education, wanted to update their academic skills, address their lack of confidence with academic studies and improve their chances of success in their course. Students also report that the foundation year helped prepare them ‘for all the types of assignments’.

Making foundation years work

Some universities are now using the foundation year as a way to diversify their student population and to improve access to degree programmes. However, it still needs to be navigated correctly in order to ensure that students are getting the most of the experience. Essentially, we need the teaching to be inclusive and empathetic of the fact that students are entering at a different level and stage to their peers.

This means ensuring the overall student experience is a positive one. For example, an article released earlier this month shared how a foundation year student did not have the most positive experience – not necessarily due to the course as a whole or the university’s efforts, but more so due to the perception of their peers when integrating with other students. They also mentioned the course could have been better streamlined between academics and topics.  

This brings to light the importance of effectively managing the student experience. At Arden University, for instance, our top three elements for a successful experience are: ensuring academics exercise and express care and compassion when teaching; promoting assessment literacy so students become more comfortable with the demands of university learning; and offering strong support that empowers students and allows them to input into and lead their learning experience. These three steps allow our foundation year students feel heard by their teachers and helps them to engage well throughout the year.

For many universities, the foundation year course is still in its infancy. And while it is a huge step forward in creating more diverse cohorts – something that has been widely commended and needed – it has also brought to light the importance of how foundation years can make or break the student experience. It’s clear that foundation years are important for not only diversifying higher education, but also allowing students to get to grips with the demands of higher education.

As such, there needs to be a recognised effort throughout higher education to acknowledge that the foundation year is important. For instance, at Arden University, we make sure our academics are specifically trained when teaching the foundation year – the demands and style of the lessons will be different and levels of understanding amongst students will also be vary. Similar to how workplaces have a culture that helps employees connect with the company, universities must adopt a culture of learning that allows its academics (and other students) to recognise the importance of inclusivity at all levels. This will require academics to be trained on how to support foundation year students, as well as how to adapt the course to their needs. If foundation years are to attract a more diverse cohort of students, academics must be aware of the alternative teaching methods that may resonate with such students. This may include drawing in on real-life experiences when teaching mature students that can relate to such events, or ensuring a level of flexibility and openness when teaching neurodivergent students, for example.

On top of this, the foundation year course should explicitly help students to develop the necessary academic skills needed for undergraduate study and integrate skills development implicitly into modules that have more subject-specific content. This way, it will help students to prepare for undergraduate study, not only in an obvious way, but also by developing their social skills and providing them with experiences that are hard to teach explicitly – such as soft skills. This includes skills like how to participate in seminar discussions and how teaching and assessments at university differ from what they may have experienced in school or college.

Research has shown that these implicit or ‘soft’ academic skills are crucial for many students to improve their overall educational and personal confidence, and make an important difference in their progression and success in undergraduate study. The foundation course should also help students to develop the necessary IT and organisational skills that are expected for undergraduate study.

One of the main roles of a foundation year is to ensure students are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to perform successfully in their undergraduate programme. Widening access to education is something that has been on many education institution’s list of priorities for a long time and remains to be a paramount objective – especially for higher education, and having a robust foundation year that supports a positive student experience plays a key role in making this happen.

By Dr Lucy Atkinson, Director of the Centre for Academic Persistence at Arden University