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Certificate of Higher Education - CertHE
Foundation Year in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
University of Cambridge
Entry requirements
Here's what you will need to get a place on the Foundation Year in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences course at University of Cambridge.
We're still busy gathering entry requirements for Foundation Year in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at University of Cambridge. Look out for more info soon.
Most popular A-levels studied
See who's studying at University of Cambridge. These students are taking Foundation Year in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences or another course from the same subject area.
| Subject | Grade |
|---|---|
| Government and Politics | A* |
| History | A* |
| English Literature | A* |
| Sociology | A* |
| Economics | A* |
Course summary
What this course is about
UCAS code: FYC1
Here's what University of Cambridge says about its Foundation Year in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences course.
A free and fully-funded one-year residential course designed to offer a stepping stone to Cambridge for those who have experienced educational disadvantage. If you want to study courses in the Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences, are ordinarily resident in the UK, and circumstances have prevented you from realising your academic potential, this is an opportunity not to miss.
On the Foundation Year, you can expect a challenging academic curriculum in the arts, humanities and social sciences. This offers the best possible preparation for the rigours of a Cambridge degree course by broadening and deepening your knowledge and understanding as well as introducing you to the ways students learn at Cambridge. Foundation Year students will also benefit from being part of the University, including being part of a College community and having full access to all the University’s societies and facilities to pursue your interests.
Finally, you will gain a nationally recognised Certificate of Higher Education on finishing the course and have the option to continue to a number of suitable undergraduate degree courses at Cambridge.
Source: University of Cambridge
Course details
Qualification
Certificate of Higher Education - CertHE
Department
Location
Open application | Cambridge
Duration
1 Years
Study mode
Full-time
Subjects
• Liberal arts
• Humanities
• Social sciences
Start date
September 2026
Application deadline
14 January 2026
University of Cambridge student reviews
Showing 142 reviews
1st year student
1 year ago
Found it quite shocking that you have to pay a huge fee to join the Student Union. rnI also had trouble voting in the last election, and have received no reply to an email I sent trying to get help to fix this.
1st year student
1 year ago
Plenty of cafes in the day, and lots of libraries to work in, especially on sites like Sidgwick. rnSome good clubbing, but it really depends on when you go. One Saturday, the club was absolutely dead, but if you want a good night out, I would recommend Wednesday Revs.
1st year student
1 year ago
I am in one of the cheapest rooms available for first years at my college. This means I spend about u00a35,500 a year on rent, or u00a3184 a week. We are fortunate that rent is only charged during term-time (29-30 weeks) and I know there are some bursaries available. rnRent includes all water and el...
1st year student
1 year ago
Welfare support is very good at my college. I was ill this term and was able to manoeuvre this with the help of my tutor and the nurse. The only problem I have faced has been with trying to get access to lecture recordings - this is not the case with all courses, but the English faculty are pretty a...
1st year student
1 year ago
I am at Selwyn College, and we have been put as first-years in the same accommodation block, which is a lovely idea. We were also organised to be next door to someone from our subject - a great touch! My accommodation is perfectly functional - we have a bed, desk, wardrobe, en-suite and shared kitch...
1st year student
1 year ago
I love the layout of our course. It has just enough freedom (ie I can choose my essay title each week, and will later be able to choose which texts I revisit and revise and which I never want to see again) while being structured and guided under four papers, each of a different time period. The supp...
National Student Survey (NSS) scores at University of Cambridge
The NSS is an annual survey where final-year students are asked to rate different aspects of their course and university experience.
Here you can see ratings from University of Cambridge students who took the Foundation Year in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences course - or another course in the same subject area.
Select an option to see a detailed breakdown
Teaching on my course
93%
high
Teaching on my course
93%
high
How often does your course challenge you to achieve your best work?
89%
med
How good are teaching staff at explaining things?
96%
med
How often do teaching staff make the subject engaging?
88%
med
How often is the course intellectually stimulating?
99%
high
Learning opportunities
82%
med
Learning opportunities
82%
med
To what extent have you had the chance to bring together information and ideas from different topics?
92%
high
How well does your course introduce subjects and skills in a way that builds on what you have already learned?
84%
med
How well has your course developed your knowledge and skills that you think you will need for your future?
77%
low
To what extent have you had the chance to explore ideas and concepts in depth?
88%
med
To what extent does your course have the right balance of directed and independent study?
67%
low
Assessment and feedback
70%
low
Assessment and feedback
70%
low
How well have assessments allowed you to demonstrate what you have learned?
71%
low
How fair has the marking and assessment been on your course?
70%
low
How often does feedback help you to improve your work?
84%
med
How often have you received assessment feedback on time?
84%
med
How clear were the marking criteria used to assess your work?
42%
low
Academic support
90%
med
Academic support
90%
med
How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to?
91%
med
How well have teaching staff supported your learning?
90%
med
Organisation and management
60%
low
Organisation and management
60%
low
How well were any changes to teaching on your course communicated?
65%
low
How well organised is your course?
55%
low
Learning resources
89%
med
Learning resources
89%
med
How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?
81%
low
How well have the library resources (e.g., books, online services and learning spaces) supported your learning?
95%
high
How easy is it to access subject specific resources (e.g., equipment, facilities, software) when you need them?
91%
med
Student voice
66%
low
Student voice
66%
low
How clear is it that students' feedback on the course is acted on?
35%
low
To what extent do you get the right opportunities to give feedback on your course?
84%
med
To what extent are students' opinions about the course valued by staff?
77%
low
How well does the students' union (association or guild) represent students' academic interests?
46%
low
Other NSS questions
Other NSS questions
During your studies, how free did you feel to express your ideas, opinions, and beliefs?
80%
low
How well communicated was information about your university/college's mental wellbeing support services?
79%
med
Student information
See who's studying at University of Cambridge. These students are taking Foundation Year in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences or another course from the same subject area.
Graduate prospects
What graduates do next
Facts and figures about University of Cambridge graduates who took Foundation Year in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences - or another course in the same subject area.
Graduate statistics
83%
In a job where degree was essential or beneficial
87%
Say it fits with future plans
48%
Are utilising studies
Top job areas
29%
Business, Research and Administrative Professionals
16%
Finance Professionals
10%
Business and public service associate professionals
5%
Natural and social science professionals
Graduate statistics percentages are determined 15 months after a student graduates
Earnings after graduation
Earnings from University of Cambridge graduates who took Foundation Year in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences - or another course in the same subject area.
Earnings
£29.6k
First year after graduation
£37.2k
Third year after graduation
£47.4k
Fifth year after graduation
Shown here are the median earnings of graduates at one, three and five years after they completed a course related to Foundation Year in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree
Discussions
Discussions
Students are talking about University of Cambridge on The Student Room.
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