Biosciences with a Foundation Year

Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.

• Biosciences

Students are accepted from a wide range of educational backgrounds and each application will be considered individually.

If you have already obtained A-levels (or equivalent) in subjects inappropriate for direct admission to one of our bioscience degree courses (grades ABB or above), a good standard of GCSE or equivalent in science and mathematics will also be required.

If you have been out of education for some time, we would normally recommend that you take an Access to HE Diploma course to be considered for Year 1 entry onto one of our courses; we cannot consider applicants studying on an Access course for entry onto the Foundation Year. Please contact us for further advice before submitting an application.

Students who have taken sciences at A-level but not achieved AAB may still be considered if they receive a widening participation contextual flag . Other cases will only be accepted onto the Foundation Year if there is evidence that they have underperformed due to exceptional circumstances beyond their control. Please contact us to discuss this before you apply.

We believe that practical skills in the sciences are integral to a candidate's understanding and appreciation of these subjects. Therefore we encourage all applicants to undertake any practical skills assessment if it is available in their qualification.

Please check for specific GCSE/IGCSE subject entry requirements below

AAB - BBB including specific subjects.

Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken. Where applicants are applying for science and related degrees, this is likely to be made explicit in the offer you will receive.

Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to offer three full A Levels. If you’re taking more than three A Levels, these won’t be included in your offer. We will only make offers consisting of three A Levels.

Please check for specific GCSE/IGCSE subject entry requirements below

Contextual offers are available for applicants who:

• live in the UK and will be under the age of 21 on 1 September of the year they will start their course; and
• live in an area of disadvantage or with low progression into higher education; and
• have attended a UK school or college for their GCSEs or A-levels (or equivalent qualifications) that has performed below the national average over multiple years.

See our contextual admissions page for full details and to check your eligibility.

ABB - BBC including specific subjects.

Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken. Where applicants are applying for science and related degrees, this is likely to be made explicit in the offer you will receive.

Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to offer three full A Levels. If you’re taking more than three A Levels, these won’t be included in your offer. We will only make offers consisting of three A Levels.

Please check for specific GCSE/IGCSE subject entry requirements below

UK refugee/care-experienced offers are available for applicants who:

• have been looked after in care for more than three months; or
• have been granted refugee status by the UK government or have been issued a UK visa under one of the Ukrainian schemes (Homes for Ukraine, Ukraine Family Scheme or Ukraine Extension Scheme).

See our contextual admissions page for full details and to check your eligibility.

Students are accepted from a wide range of educational backgrounds and each application will be considered individually. Please contact us for advice before submitting an application.

Applicants must demonstrate a broad general education including acceptable levels of Literacy and Numeracy, equivalent to at least Grade 4 or C in GCSE/IGCSE English Language and Mathematics. GCSE/IGCSE English Literature will not be accepted in lieu of GCSE/IGCSE English Language.

Please note that if you hold English as a Second Language IGCSE qualification, we may also require you to offer one of our acceptable equivalent English Language qualifications or achieve a higher grade in your IGCSE than the one stated above. Please contact ug.biosciences@manchester.ac.uk for clarification.

All applicants to the University (from the UK and Overseas) are required to show evidence of English Language proficiency. The minimum English Language requirement for this course is either:

GCSE/IGCSE English Language grade 4/C, or;

IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6.5 in any component, or;

An acceptable equivalent qualification.

Please note that if you hold English as a second language IGCSE qualification, we may also require you to offer one of  our acceptable equivalent English Language qualifications  or achieve a higher grade in your IGCSE than the one stated above. Please contact the academic School for clarification.

If you need to improve your English language skills to meet the entry requirements for your academic course, the University Centre for Academic English (UCAE) summer pre-sessional courses can help. Check if your academic course offers the option of taking a pre-sessional course on the UCAE page .

The UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requires that every student requiring a visa to study in the UK must show evidence of a minimum level of English Language (common European Framework (CEFR B2 level) to be granted a Student Route visa (previously known as a Tier 4 visa) to study at undergraduate or postgraduate level.

In addition, our academic Schools/Departments may require applicants to demonstrate English proficiency above the B2 level. Further information about our English Language policy, including a list of some of the English Language qualifications we accept, can be found  here .

Fees for entry in 2026 have not yet been set. For entry in 2025 the tuition fees were £9,535 per annum for home students, and are expected to increase slightly for 2026 entry.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

Mature students are some of our most well-equipped learners, bringing skills and attributes gained from work, family and other life experiences.  Students come from a whole array of backgrounds, study every kind of course, undertake full-time and part-time learning and are motivated by career intentions as well as personal interest.  There is no such thing as a typical mature student at Manchester.

The application process is the same as for other prospective undergraduates.  If you require further clarification about the acceptability of the qualifications you hold please contact the academic School(s) you plan to apply to.  Further information for mature students can be found here ( http://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/mature-students/ )

Applications for deferred entry are considered equally to other applications up to the point of confirmation. Deferred entry is granted at the discretion of admissions staff, and is normally granted for one year only and two years at the maximum. Some English Language test results, such as IELTS or TOEFL, are only valid for two years from the test date. Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.

Your studyon the Foundation Year is credit rated, consisting of a total of 120 academic credits. 110 credits are delivered by Xaverian College. You study a common core of units in biology, chemistry and mathematics, as well as a number of modular options, allowing you to choose some optional units. 10 credits of the course will be delivered at The University of Manchester.

Lectures in biology cover a wide range of areas including Molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, genetics, microbiology and immunology, ecology and physiology. Lectures in chemistry cover study of atomic structure and bonding, rates of reaction, organic and inorganic and chemistry as applicable to biological scientists. Regular laboratory work reinforces the subject material and helps you to develop practical skills.

The units in mathematics enable you to manipulate and analyse experimental data accurately and to use statistical and mathematical techniques in a biological context. Study skills support and help with core content is provided through weekly tutorials.

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.