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Accounting and Finance with Foundation Year BSc

Undergraduate

Start date

27 September 2027

Study location

University of Warwick

Qualification

Bachelor of Science (BSc)

Department

Warwick Business School

Duration

Four years full-time, 5 years full-time with Placement Year

Course overview

Accounting and Finance at Warwick is a professionally-orientated qualification, providing the skills, knowledge and confidence to operate effectively in the fast-paced world of multinational companies and global financial markets. Choosing particular module combinations can lead to exemptions from a number of professional accountancy exams.

Accountancy and Finance Undergraduate students sitting together and smiling at a laptop

Ranked 2nd in the UK by the Guardian University Guide 2026, our Accounting and Finance degree equips you with the skills, knowledge and confidence to thrive in the fast‑paced world of multinational companies and global financial markets.

Benefits of studying BSc Accounting and Finance at WBS:

  • Learn from world‑leading academics who bring together cutting‑edge theory and real‑world industry experience
  • Build a strong foundation in core management and financial principles, learning to think critically, and analyse and interpret real-life business issues
  • Gain the expertise needed for a career in accountancy or finance, with pathways to professional accreditations
  • Develop the skills employers want through our PRACTICE framework

To make sure our students are graduate-ready, we created the PRACTICE Framework, which is embedded across our teaching. It is our signature way of bridging the gap between theory and action. Developed with our academics and industry partners, it builds the skills, mindset and adaptability that employers expect today and will rely on tomorrow.

Through PRACTICE you will build key interpersonal strengths - including communication, leadership and teamwork – so you can become more adaptable, confident and resilient.

Learn more about our PRACTICE framework on the WBS website.

Entry requirements

This course is only available to applicants based in the UK who are eligible for Home Fee Status and meet our Widening Participation criteria. You will normally be in Year 13 at the time of applying or have very recently completed your schooling

This course is designed for students who would otherwise not be able to meet our standard admissions criteria. You will be considered for direct entry instead if your predicted grades meet the contextual offer level for our main WBS degrees.

You must meet one of the Widening Participation criteria below:

  1. Be a care experienced applicant who has been a 'looked after child' for at least 3 months.
  2. Be an 'estranged student' under the age of 25 who is studying without the support and approval of both of their parents due to a breakdown in their relationship - this might be their birth, step or adoptive parents, and sometimes wider family members.
  3. Have been granted refugee status or are under 'humanitarian protection' in the UK. You must have studied A Levels or equivalent qualifications in a UK state school or college.
  4. Live in an area which has a high level of deprivation (Index of Multiple Deprivation, 0-20%).
  5. Completed your studies at a school/schools where performance of students was below the national average and eligibility for Free School Meals was higher than average.
  6. Were eligible for Free School Meals at some point during the past six years as verified by UCAS.

Please refer to our Contextual Offers page for further information on these criteria.

If you are experiencing (or have experienced) other disadvantaging circumstances you may express this in an Extenuating Circumstances form, however we are only able to consider applicants who also meet the Widening Participation criteria above. This must be sent within two weeks of application (excluding holidays).

Modules

Our Foundation Year prepares you for degree-level study at WBS, giving you the opportunity to develop your knowledge about business, improve key skills we have found to be important to success during the undergraduate degree, and spend a year getting used to the university environment. The eight core modules have been designed to build on numerical skills learnt at school as well as newer topics such as creativity, accounting, finance, marketing and operations management. You will be able to work on academic practices like research, critical thinking, and university level writing.

Personal development is also important for success at university and you will have lots of opportunities for improving presentation, organisational, communication, time management, and teamwork skills.

You will join first year students on one core module in your second term to experience learning with international students from different backgrounds. This will help you to prepare for progression onto BSc Accounting and Finance the following year.

Note that the module catalogue is subject to change for future years of study, as we evolve our courses in response to the latest developments in academia and industry.

Throughout the rest of your degree, you’ll study CORE modules - designed to give you essential business knowledge and the skills employers are looking for. Each year builds your confidence, skills and independence:

  • Year 1: Structured, supportive learning to help you settle in and master the basics building on what you’ve learned in your Foundation Year
  • Year 2: Start to apply and embed your knowledge to real‑world challenges through case‑based learning
  • Final Year: Step up as an independent learner, sharpening your expertise and preparing for life after graduation

Alongside your CORE modules, you'll explore key areas such as corporate finance, financial markets, management, and financial accounting. As you progress, you can tailor your studies with specialist finance and accounting options, and in your final year broaden your learning with subjects like marketing, entrepreneurship, or data science.

You will complete your work or study placement in your third year and will return to WBS in your fourth year to complete your final year modules. Your placement year will be assessed by WBS during your year away.

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Teaching and learning

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