Foundation years may be offered to students as part of their degree or separately in Singapore. Are you unsure which universities offer foundation years? Here is a list of universities that offer foundation years in Singapore.
What is a foundation year?
A foundation year is essentially an additional year at the beginning of a university course. This would be a preparatory course for students who are not yet ready to start the degree. A foundation year in university would help students to catch up with the fundamentals required of their degree.
This article will be broken into two sections, one for local universities and one for private universities in Singapore.
List of Universities that Offer Foundation Year in Singapore: Local Universities
Local universities do not usually offer a foundation year to their students. However, certain universities courses are already packed with foundation courses in year 1 of studies to prepare them for their preceding years in the university.
One example would be National Technology University Engineering courses. Engineering courses at NTU are typically 4-year courses, however, eligible students are allowed to skip their first year. In simple terms, if you are admitted to a 4-year engineering course at NTU, you will have to clear more credits by the end of your course of study. Additionally, your first year of study would most likely be foundational. On the other hand, if you are one of the eligible students to skip a year, it would mean you have lesser credits to fulfill and foundational courses are not available or a requirement for you.
List of Universities that Offer Foundation Year in Singapore: Private Universities
1 – Singapore Institute of Management
Singapore Institute of Management, also known as SIM in Singapore, is one of the private universities that offer students a foundation year. This program is called the International Foundation Programme, IFP. This program is developed by the University of London (UOL) and designed to prepare students for their undergraduate studies.
For local students, this foundation program is directed to those who do not wish to take the A-Levels or Polytechnic diploma prior to university admission. In other words, students can enroll in IFP after their GCE ‘O’ Level or its equivalent qualifications.
Visit SIM’s IFP website here.
2 – Monash University Singapore
The Monash University Singapore offers its students a Foundation Year as a pre-university program. It helps students to prepare themselves for not only their course of study at Monash but also for the university. Their program will help to develop students’ academic and English skills to the level expected of Monash university students. The university offers four different foundation programs namely, Standard, Extended, Intensive, and 2B.
Find out more about their different foundation year programs here.
3 – PSB Academy
The PSB Academy in Singapore is a private educational institution that offers Certificates, Diplomas, and Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs. The school has 6 different faculties, namely the School of Foundation Studies, School of Business and Management, School of Engineering and Technology, School of Life and Physical Science, School of Postgraduate Studies, and Digital Academy.
In their School of Foundation Studies, they offer many different foundation courses for students to take up. After the completion of their foundation studies, they will be awarded a certificate. The duration of the foundation studies may vary depending on the course. To find out more information about their foundation courses, you can visit their website.
For more information about their Foundation Certificate in Business, visit here. For Foundation Certificate in Engineering and Technology, visit here. They also offer Foundation Diploma in Life Sciences, read more about it here.
4 – Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS)
MDIS was founded in 1956 and has been providing students with lifelong learning in Singapore. They offer a variety of degree programs and also offer preparatory courses for GCE O and A levels.
They offer foundation courses for Biomedical Sciences, Mass Communication, Fashion Design and Marketing, Travel Tourism and Hospitality Management, Business, Engineering, Technology, and Psychology. The duration of foundation studies is dependent on the course. For more information about their foundation courses, visit their website here. Students will be awarded a Foundation Diploma when they complete their foundation studies.
5 – James Cook University
James Cook University offers a foundation program for students who are unable to meet their rigorous entry requirements for a Bachelor’s degree. Their foundation courses aim to provide students with an alternative pathway to tertiary education for students. Their foundation programs focus on entry to undergraduate degrees in Business, Business and Environmental Science, Psychology, and Information Technology. Read more about their foundation program here.
