Actuarial Science with a Foundation Year
UCAS Code: N325
Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
including Mathematics at grade B. Use of Maths A-level is not accepted as a required subject.
The University will not necessarily make conditional offers to all Access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis. If we make you an offer, you will need to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
overall or 13 points from three Higher Level subjects, including HL Maths or HL Maths: Analysis and Approaches at 4 or SL Maths or SL Maths: Analysis and Approaches at 6
The University will consider applicants holding BTEC National Diploma and Extended National Diploma Qualifications (QCF; NQF; OCR) on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us for further advice on your individual circumstances.
Applications are individually considered by the Admissions Officer
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
Actuaries evaluate and manage risks touching many aspects of our modern world, from determining our insurance premiums to advising on employees financial bonuses. Kent is one of the longest-established providers of Actuarial Science degrees in the UK.
Our Foundation Year programme provides an opportunity for you to develop your mathematics skills and start learning some university-level material, fully preparing you for university study before you progress onto the Actuarial Science degree.
Our specialist programme combines the in-house expertise of our professionally qualified actuaries and internationally-renowned mathematicians and statisticians to ensure you are fully prepared for your future career.
You will be encouraged to fulfil your potential whilst studying in our friendly and dynamic school based in the multi-award-winning Sibson Building.
This programme has been designed for those who have achieved grades or are predicted grades significantly lower than our standard entry requirements, including overseas applicants from regions where A Level Mathematics or equivalent is not taught.
**Your studies**
To help bridge the gap between school and university, you’ll cover material from the A Level Mathematics and Further Mathematics syllabuses, along with advanced topics taken from university-level studies preparing you for university. Alongside mathematics, you can choose optional modules covering topics from computing to history.
Upon passing the Foundation Year, you can progress onto the BSc Actuarial Science (UCAS: N323), with or without a Year in Industry.
In Stage 1 you’ll continue to receive support through small group tutorials, where you can practice the new mathematics you’ll be learning, ask questions and work with other students to find solutions. You’ll study a mixture of pure and applied mathematics, statistics and economics, providing you with a solid foundation for your later studies.
In Stages 2 and 3 you study modules that align with the professional exemptions from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA), preparing you for your career as a qualified actuary.
During your studies, you will learn how to use PROPHET, an actuarial software widely used by the profession, along with other key computer software packages.
**Accreditation**
This degree programme is fully accredited by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) and offers the full suite of Core Principles professional exemptions under the IFoA’s updated Curriculum 2019 exemption structure.
**Superb student experience**
The School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science (SMSAS) at Kent has a thriving student culture, with students from all degree programmes and all degree stages participating in student activities and taking on active roles in the School. As a SMSAS student you benefit from free membership of the Kent Maths Society and Invicta Actuarial Society. You can become a Student Rep and share the views of your fellow students to bring about changes. You could be employed as a Student Ambassador, earning money while you study by inspiring the next generation of mathematicians. Or join one of the society committees and organise socials and events for SMSAS students.
You will be encouraged to make the most of your time at university and will have access to support and guidance throughout your studies.
The Uni
University of Kent
School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Finance
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Statistics
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Finance
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Over 2,000 students graduated with a degree in finance in 2015, and a sign of the strength of the finance industry, numbers are on the up. Over half of finance graduates go into the finance industry, with accountancy and financial advice roles particularly popular. It's also quite common for finance graduates to go into jobs which require you to take more training and gain professional qualifications — finance graduates who take further study are more likely to be studying accountancy than finance. About a third of graduates start their careers in London - but Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham are other popular locations for finance graduates to work.
Statistics
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
The business and research sectors worry that the UK hasn't got enough people with good statistics skills, and as stats are at the heart of so much of the economy, and we only have a few hundred graduates a year in the discipline, this type of degree can be very useful and versatile. The finance industry is very popular with this group, and they're far more likely to be working in London than most other graduates. And who can blame them — statistics graduates starting work in London were earning an average of nearly £29k just six months after leaving university. There is also demand from the Scottish finance sector in Edinburgh and Glasgow - particularly in banking and insurance. But a good statistician can find work almost anywhere that data can be analysed - which, in an online world, is almost anywhere - and many industries struggle to find enough statisticians to fulfil demand, so stay flexible and you can find a variety of options.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Actuarial science
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£24k
£28k
£32k
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.
Applied statistics
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£23k
£26k
£34k
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.
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You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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