Department/colleagues involved

Warwick Foundation Studies

What we did …

In 1983 the University of Warwick launched one of the longest-running international pathway programmes in the world. Through partnership with local Further Education Colleges, the course provided a bridge between students’ ‘home’ education systems and their future degree programmes – at Warwick or other leading UK institutions.

In 2016, after unforeseen circumstances meant that delivery off-site was no longer possible, the university agreed to relocate the course onto campus and establish a home for the programme within Warwick Foundation Studies, a brand-new department within the Faculty of Social Sciences. In the two years since this decision the department has stewarded over 400 students through its doors and facilitated access to more degree programmes at Warwick than ever before. Warwick Foundation Studies is fast establishing itself as the home of one of the highest-quality pathway programmes in the world with a steadfast commitment to high-quality academic, English Language and skills-based tuition, preparing students for their future successes.

A huge amount of time and energy from colleagues at all levels was required to establish a whole new department on campus in just five months and to ensure the success of the project. More importantly, however, was the need for pragmatism and flexibility within almost every part of the institution – showing just how flexible and responsible Warwick can be.

Our aim was to …

The urgent decision to move the programme onto campus was made mid-way through the recruitment cycle and at a point where some 400 offer-holders were preparing to join the course. Our primary aim was therefore to quickly establish the necessary academic, administrative and governance mechanisms to allow the programme to be delivered successfully in 2016/17.

A secondary aim was to take a step back and re-assess the course and its place within the University. Its establishment on-campus provided an opportunity to think objectively about the pre-university market, Warwick’s offer in that competitive space and how we could develop a course that would continue to stand the test of time. This latter exercise focussed attention on re-doubling our commitment to high-quality and innovative teaching for highly-capable students from around the world.

The outcome has been …

The Warwick International Foundation Programme (IFP) has now commenced its third year of operation within Warwick Foundation Studies. Over the course of the last two academic years the department has re-doubled its efforts towards delivering the highest-quality academic pathway programme in the world. Outside of the Warwick IFP, the department has begun to develop other activity in the pre-university space, from bespoke summer courses for international schools to the provision of functional skills top-up classes for students enrolled on degree apprenticeship courses. The Warwick IFP and the department within which it sits continues to be key contributor - both academic and financial – to the University.

The benefit/impact has been …

The future of the Warwick IFP has been secured and it has allowed a re-doubling of efforts to better connect it to the university as a whole. We have seen greater collaboration with other academic departments and a higher rate of progression from the Warwick IFP into a more diverse range of degree programmes. By living and learning on campus as part of the Warwick student community, IFP students feel more connected to the institution at which they hope to continue their studies. Other institutions continue to see the programme as one of the most robust and academically-focussed courses of its kind in the UK – giving our students the opportunity to choose their own degree destination from some of the world’s leading universities.

This supports the Education Strategy by …

Through its drive towards delivering an innovative and highly academic pathway programme, the Warwick IFP contributes to the University’s mission to ‘ensure that a Warwick Education is internationally renowned, transformational, and distinctive’.

The response of students / staff has been …

Students now feel part of the Warwick student community and are more excited to continue their studies at Warwick after the Warwick IFP. Both staff and students now form part of the fabric of the institution in a way they have never before, allowing deeper and more meaningful collaboration and an opportunity to align the mission of the department with that of the university.

Our next steps will be …

The department will continue to gradually grow enrolments on the Warwick IFP and explore and deliver new activity aligned to our mission ‘to provide world-leading educational programmes that prepare students for future success’. Focus will remain on delivering one of the most academically challenging but rewarding programmes in the world, preparing more students for a broader range of Warwick degree programmes.

To find out more, you can contact …

Tom Such, Operations Director (Foundation Studies):

Thomas dot Such at warwick dot ac dot uk