UCAS code: N111
Start dates: September 2025 / September 2026
Full time: 1-year foundation course leading to 3-year undergraduate degree (or 4-year undergraduate degree if it involves a work placement or you take a study abroad year)
Location: Headington
School(s): Oxford Brookes Business School
Overview
Get ready to study an undergraduate business degree. This foundation year gives you the essential skills you’ll need for learning at university. It’s ideal if you want to top up your academic skills, or if you’re returning to education after a break.
You can personalise your learning experience by studying modules like Business Fundamentals, Global Issues, Tourism and Hospitality.
Completing the programme guarantees you a place on one of our degrees, such as Business and Management or International Tourism and Hospitality Management. During your Foundation, you’ll have opportunities to build your skills and knowledge through a variety of assessment types, including essays and reports, and presentations. Also you’ll get to create films, websites and posters, and write blogs.
Why Oxford Brookes University?
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Get ahead
Have your study skills in place before starting your undergraduate studies
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A global community
Study alongside a diverse mix of international students, learning from each other's experiences and broadening your horizons.
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Explore your interests
We try to schedule classes so you have time to make the most of Oxford and join university societies.
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Personalise your study
Everyone is different, so optional modules let you customise your learning and build your experience, so you can study aspects of business you want to pursue.
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Seamlessly progress to a degree
You’re guaranteed a spot on one of our undergraduate business programmes when you pass this course.
Course details
Course structure
Over your 2 semesters, you’ll study a number of compulsory modules. These will give you the confidence for studying at an undergraduate level, while building your academic and research skills. These modules are taught in small groups and include;
- Business Fundamentals
- Economics for Business
- Culture and Communication
- Extended Research Essay
- Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
- University Study Skills.
You’ll also pick optional modules that reflect your learning ambitions. Optional modules include Development Studies, Ideas and Ideologies, Tourism and Hospitality, Global Issues, English Law.
After a year of studying the foundation programme, you’ll have a better insight into what to expect from life as an undergraduate student.
Study modules
You can only start this course in September. Your course is 24 weeks so you will study your first semester between September and December and your second semester between January and May. You must take and pass eight modules to complete the foundation year.
Teaching for this course takes place Face to Face and you can expect around fourteen hours of contact time per week. In addition to this, you should also anticipate a workload of 1,200 hours per year. Teaching usually takes place Monday to Friday, between 9.00am and 6.00pm.
Contact hours involve activities such as lectures, seminars, practicals, assessments, and academic advising sessions. These hours differ by year of study and typically increase significantly during placements or other types of work-based learning.
Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.
Careers
When you pass this course, you’ll be guaranteed a place on one of our undergraduate business programmes. Students regularly go on to study our Business and Management, International Hospitality and Tourism Management, and Events Management degrees.
As well as new knowledge, you’ll have also gained skills in team working, time management, personal reflection, and presentations. All of these are highly valuable to employers across various industries.
Your tutors will encourage you to take part in the voluntary and community activities offered by our careers team. We want you to make the most of your time with us, and see all that Oxford has to offer.
Related courses
Entry requirements
This course is not available to students classed as International for fees purposes.
Wherever possible we make our conditional offers using the UCAS Tariff. The combination of A-level grades listed here would be just one way of achieving the UCAS Tariff points for this course.
Standard offer
UCAS Tariff Points: 48
A Level: DD
IB Points: 24
BTEC: PPP or MP
Further offer details
Equivalent qualifications accepted.
Specific entry requirements
Applicants without the appropriate Maths GCSE grade 4 (or equivalent), who wish to progress to a course that requires Maths GCSE 4 (or equivalent), will need to take the compulsory Maths and Statistics module within the foundation year.
Please also see the University's general entry requirements.
English language requirements
- IELTS 5.5 overall with 5.5 in all skills
Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.
Credit transfer
Many of our courses consider applications for entry part-way through the course for students who have credit from previous learning or relevant professional experience.
Find out more about transferring to Brookes. If you'd like to talk through your options, please contact our Admissions team.
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Tuition fees
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
Tuition fees
Please note, tuition fees for Home students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by government. Oxford Brookes University intends to maintain its fees for new and returning Home students at the maximum permitted level.
For further information please see our 2025-26 tuition fees FAQs.
Tuition fees for International students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students.
The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.
How and when to pay
Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.
- For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
- For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page
Additional costs
Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.
Optional costs
| Additional costs | Amount (£) |
|---|---|
It’s your responsibility to cover print / binding costs where coursework submission is required. Please note that a lot of the coursework is now submitted online. |
From £30 |
| You may choose to purchase books to support your studies. Many books on our reading lists are available via the Library, or can be purchased secondhand. | £20-60 per book |
Accommodation fees in Brookes Letting (most do not include bills) |
£94-265 per week |
Accommodation fees in university halls (bills included, excluding laundry costs) |
£122-180 per week |
Graduation costs include tickets, gowning and photography. Gowns are not compulsory but typically students do hire robes, starting at £41. |
Typically £0-200 |
Students are responsible for their own travel to and from university for classes. BrookesBus travel is subsidised for full-time undergraduate students that are on a course with a fee of £9,250 or more, or living in an Oxford Brookes hall of residence. There is an administration fee for the production of a BrookesKey. |
From £10 |
Funding your studies
Financial support and scholarships
Featured funding opportunities available for this course.
All financial support and scholarships
Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been
published on the website. For more information, please visit our
changes to programmes page.