January intake

• Digital Learning gives students access to a variety of high quality, on-demand digital resources that students have access to, including Microsoft Sway, OneNote and PowerPoint.
• Asynchronous Lectures are learning resources such as lecture videos that are made available for students to engage with prior to the associated taught session(s). 
• Online or in-person lectures involve the live broadcast of a lecturer providing a framework for learning of module content with the aid of PowerPoint presentations, whiteboards and other visual aids. Many lectures will have some interactive aspects and may involve activities for the students to undertake. There are usually opportunities to ask questions.
• Tutorials and seminars are small group sessions with a member of staff. There is usually much more participation by students than in lectures. There is often opportunity for students to suggest the topics to be discussed, to ask questions and even to lead part of the session. Tutorials and seminars usually support the material delivered in the lectures, often allowing students and/or staff to introduce supplementary material. 
• Workshops are small group sessions based around an activity. These may be individual or group activities. A member of staff facilitates the session, but the learning comes through the undertaking of the activity. Some 6 workshops will complement the material delivered in the lectures rather than build on it directly. Students are expected to play a full part in - and occasionally to lead - these activities. 
• Seminars and online discussions provide opportunities for students to ask questions about, and suggest answers to, questions arising from their learning and present their own ideas using an appropriate medium of communication. 
• Laboratory classes provide opportunity for students to perform experiments and other practical work under supervision. 
• Team-based learning and problem-based learning are group work classes that are facilitated by a tutor. Students complete a series of tasks to actively learn about a subject. 
• Directed learning activities are set by tutors and completed by students independently, or as part of a group. 
• Independent study includes revision, wider reading around the subject, preparation and writing of assignments, preparatory reading, preparation for seminars and tutorials, and developing skills to complement the material delivered in class. Reading lists are provided to help students direct their reading. 
• Apart from these formal activities, students are also provided with regular opportunities to talk through areas of difficulty and any other special learning needs they may have with their Academic Mentor. 

The January start Foundation Year costs £7,000 in January 2025. Following successful progression on to undergraduate programmes, course fees for UK students are set by the UK government. Tuition fees for September 2024 entry are £9,250. See our fees and funding page for more information.  

We currently offer January Foundation Year routes into degrees across *Science, Humanities, Social Sciences and Business. Students wishing to study a health related subject can only apply for a September intake. 

*We are currently unable to offer a January intake for the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery with Foundation Year degree. 

Please see our January entry Foundation Year A-Z for the full list of courses that offer a January start Foundation Year. 

All of the degrees run by the Schools listed below can be accessed via a January Foundation Year route.  

Faculty of Natural Sciences:

• School of Computer Science and Mathematics 
• School of Life Sciences 
• School of Geography, Geology and the Environment 
• School of Chemical and Physical Sciences 
• School of Psychology 

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences: 

• Keele Business School 
• School of Humanities 
• School of Law 
• School of Social, Political and Global Studies 

The January and September programmes are very similar, and both cohorts study a total of 120 credits. Modules will be determined by your degree choice, although modules delivered from January may differ from the modules delivered in September. Both cohorts will take a combination of subject-specific modules and study-skills modules which will provide you with a solid grounding in your subject area. 

If you commence your course in January, for the purpose of calculating your maintenance loan entitlement, January will be used by the Student Loans Company (SLC) as the start month for each year of your maintenance loan. You will receive each year's maintenance loan, paid into your bank account, in three equal instalments, paid in the following months:

Year 1 (Foundation Year and first semester of Level 4) - January, April and September

Year 2 (Remainder of Level 4 and first semester of Level 5) - January, April and September 

Year 3 (Remainder of Level 5 and first semester of Level 6) - January, April and September

Year 4 (Remainder of Level 6) - January, February and April

Your maintenance loan entitlement will be calculated based upon the number of teaching weeks in each of the above years. Since Year 4 (Remainder of Level 6) will finish in May, there will be fewer teaching weeks than in years 1 to 3, so your maintenance loan entitlement will be lower to reflect the shorter period of teaching. However, this will still be paid in three equal instalments, in the months noted above.

UK students who are waiting for qualifications/results should apply through UCAS at www.ucas.com  

You will find the UCAS code for the Foundation Course you are interested in on the relevant main undergraduate course page, under the "Foundation Year" section.  

If you are a UK student, already have your qualifications, are not expecting any further results and only wish to apply to Keele, please contact the Admissions Office directly on admissions@keele.ac.uk 

Applying for University accommodation is usually not necessary as the majority of this programme is delivered online, enabling you to study from wherever suits you best.

• If you are starting your Foundation Year in January, and do wish to apply for accommodation on campus, there will be limited rooms on campus available.
• Please note that you may be placed in a household of students who arrived at the start of Semester 1.
• If we are unable to offer you a room on campus, we will support you in finding a room off campus with one of our accredited landlords. 
• You can find out more about living off campus at www.keele.ac.uk/discover/accommodation/otheraccommodation/livingoffcampus