Available in Clearing BSc (Hons)

Psychology including Foundation Year

This Foundation year will help you to build your confidence and lay the foundations for you to successfully complete a full degree in Psychology.

How to apply Register for open day Chat to us
Hear from student, Anodiwe, about what it’s like to study Psychology at USW.
Hear from student, Anodiwe, about what it’s like to study Psychology at USW.

UCAS Code

C80F

Start Date

September 2027

Location

Pontypridd

Campus Code

A

UCAS Points

48

UCAS Code

C80F

Start Date

September 2026

Location

Pontypridd

Campus Code

A

UCAS Points

48

Fees

Home students: £9,790*
International students: £17,200*

How to apply Register for open day

Course Overview

Build the academic confidence and core skills needed for university-level study, while developing a strong foundation for future study and a career in psychology. 

The Foundation Year in Psychology forms part of an integrated four-year degree programme and is designed for students who do not currently meet the admissions criteria for direct entry onto the BSc (Hons) Psychology course.

Why study this course?

Gain key skills

Develop a range of skills and qualities that will enrich your learning in year one of the degree and beyond.

Taught by experts

Students are taught by academics with relevant industry experience who are supportive and dedicated to helping them succeed.

Placement Opportunities

Students who progress to the BSc (Hons) Psychology degree will have the opportunity to undertake various placements, giving them a competitive advantage upon graduating.

Outstanding Psychology Facilities

Our students have access to a purpose-built Psychology laboratory, behaviour analysis clinic, bookable study rooms and a social learning space.

What you'll study

Across the foundation year, you’ll build academic confidence, explore core psychological ideas and develop essential research skills, preparing you to progress successfully into undergraduate study. 

For details of the modules you will study after successful completion of the Foundation Year, please see the main course page.

Develop academic, personal and professional skills for university study. You’ll reflect on your progress, build confidence, and create an evidence-based portfolio to support your future learning.

Develop core research skills, including data collection, analysis and presenting findings, to help you understand and carry out research in applied contexts.

Explore how childhood has changed over time, examining key thinkers, ideas and policies. You’ll develop research and presentation skills while investigating how societies have understood and shaped children’s lives.

The Impact Challenge is a Foundation Year project module where students work in teams to tackle real-world issues, developing solutions through research, curiosity, teamwork, and responsible problem-solving. 

We regularly review our courses to keep pace with changing skills and employer needs. If a review leads to significant changes, we’ll contact you to explain what’s changing for the coming year.

Teaching and Assessment

Teaching helps you understand how learning works at university, while building academic confidence, critical thinking and self-reflection.

You will learn through active, real-world learning experiences that encourage curiosity, collaboration and independent thinking. You’ll work independently and with others through discussions, practical activities and guided reflection, supported by digital tools. Regular feedback helps you recognise progress and plan next steps, supporting wellbeing, resilience and a strong sense of belonging as you prepare for a higher level of study. 

You’ll be assessed in different ways, including short tasks, coursework, presentations, and group work. Early assessments are designed to support your learning and help you understand what is expected at university. Most assessments are coursework-based and help you develop key skills such as research, academic writing, teamwork, and communication. You’ll also reflect on your progress and use university systems and digital tools. 

Once you progress onto the Psychology degree, you will have specific opportunities to apply and understand psychological theory to the workplace, with additional focus for these opportunities in the Professional Practice and Employability module. You can also opt to volunteer for longer than the required hours in your allocated placement setting, or volunteer to support a range of activities across different settings.

We want to help you enhance your skillset to open as may doors as possible for your future career. You can also find a range of options for this through our Psychology Plus scheme, including volunteering, internships and short courses.

The Psychology facilities at USW are invaluable in helping us understand human behaviour. Our purpose-built Psychology lab is filled with industry standard equipment that you will use throughout your studies, as well as interview and observation rooms that allow you, as a researcher, to observe human behaviour in a natural manner through a one-way screen. Some of the equipment that you will use includes eye-tracking equipment, Electroencephalography (EEG) machines, and BIOPAC systems. As part of our dedicated Psychology space, you will also be able to book a space for quiet study and access the dedicated social learning space with computers and Psychology textbooks.

Course Leader

Emma Wheeler

Emma Wheeler is the Course Leader for the Foundation Year.  Emma has many years of teaching experience, working with students who have been out of education for some time. Classroom environments on the Foundation Year are sensitive, encouraging and responsive to a wide range of needs from our students and help you go on to the degree course with confidence.

For details of the Course Leader on the degree course please visit the course page.

Email Emma Chat with Emma

Career Prospects

A Psychology degree can take you into a range of interesting careers when you graduate. We will provide you with exciting opportunities to enhance your skills that look great on your CV and give you a cutting edge when looking for a job.

Your future career

Whether you are interested in traditional Psychology careers, working in the social and welfare profession, or analysing human behaviours, you will have plenty of opportunities to enhance your future career prospects and equip yourself to make an impression on a future employer. You could also progress onto a Psychology research degree such as a PhD or Masters by Research.

Potential career paths include:

Mental Health
Social Work
Teaching
Research
Prison Service

A female psychology students stands confidently in front of the camera whilst smiling

"USW offers incredible support, both academically and beyond, making it the ideal place to pursue your passion."

Emily Campbell, Psychology student

Learn more

Salary expectations

An Psychology degree can open opportunities across the sector. Psychology careers offer strong earning potential:

Median wage
UK: £30.2k per annum
Wales: £29.8k per annum

Total jobs in 2025
UK: 273,583
Wales: 12,937

Source: Lightcast Labour Market Data 2026

Industry partners

Our external partnerships are leveraged throughout your studies, giving you the opportunity to work with real world clients and make contacts that can be helpful with your career. You will be able to showcase your skills to our partners at multiple points throughout your degree and will be encouraged to interact with partners directly. 

Entry Requirements

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

How to applyContextual admissions policyAsk us a question

48 UCAS points or above

Typical qualification requirements:

A Level:
DD to exclude General Studies.

BTEC:
BTEC Extended Diploma Pass Pass Pass.

Access to HE:
Pass Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 48 UCAS Tariff points.

T Level:
P (D or E).

Additional Requirements:

The University normally requires a minimum 3 GCSEs including Mathematics and English at Grade C/Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent but consideration is given to individual circumstances.

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.

International studentsPre-Sessional English

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 4 overall and a minimum of 4 in each component or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Fees and Funding

UK Full-Time Fee £ 9,790

per year

Fees and funding Scholarships and bursaries Cost of living support

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

Foundation Year Tuition Fee

Where applicable, the Tuition Fee for international students is as listed in the fees section above.

Further Information

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of stationery, printing, or equipment during your foundation year.  For costs after you progress to year 1 of your degree programme, please see the list below.

Enhanced DBS *
Students will be expected to pay for a DBS or certificate of good behaviour from their home country. The DBS fee includes £49.50 for the enhanced DBS certificate, the Post Office Administration fee and the online administration fee

Cost: £64.74

DBS Updating service *
Subscription required for each year of the course for a yearly fee of £16. Please note the service has to be joined within 30 days of receipt of your enhanced DBS certificate

Cost: £16

Travel to Placement*
Cost is dependant on location.

International Full-Time Fee £ 17,200

per year

Fees and funding Scholarships and bursaries Cost of living support

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

Foundation Year Tuition Fee

Where applicable, the Tuition Fee for international students is as listed in the fees section above.

Further Information

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of stationery, printing, or equipment during your foundation year.  For costs after you progress to year 1 of your degree programme, please see the list below.

Enhanced DBS *
Students will be expected to pay for a DBS or certificate of good behaviour from their home country. The DBS fee includes £49.50 for the enhanced DBS certificate, the Post Office Administration fee and the online administration fee

Cost: £64.74

DBS Updating service *
Subscription required for each year of the course for a yearly fee of £16. Please note the service has to be joined within 30 days of receipt of your enhanced DBS certificate

Cost: £16

Travel to Placement*
Cost is dependant on location.

What sets us apart?

Find out more

#1

Top university in Wales and 24th out of 123 universities in the UK.

Guardian University Guide 2027

Three USW students walking outside of Cardiff Campus - Atrium

10 subjects ranked in the Guardian University Guide 2027 Top 10, including two at #1.

Three students studying in a pod in the library at Cardiff campus

Top in Wales for new business startups for the 6th consecutive year, and 7th in the UK (HEBCIS)

How to apply

All applications for full-time undergraduate courses or foundation degrees should be made via UCAS. Take the next step: Apply through UCAS

You can apply to us directly for all part-time undergraduate courses, if you’re seeking advanced entry or you’re an international student. To apply directly, please choose the application form below for your preferred start date and mode of study (full-time or part-time).

  • Psychology including Foundation Year

    • Full-time, 4 years

    • September

    • Pontypridd

    Apply direct

  • Psychology including Foundation Year

    • Full-time, 4 years

    • September

    • Pontypridd

    Apply direct

If you already have a relevant qualification or experience related to the course you're applying for, you may be eligible to start at a later stage of the course. For example, students from partner colleges can ‘top up’ their qualifications to a degree by joining us in Year Two or Year Three of a course. This process is known as ‘advanced entry’, you can apply directly to the University for 'advanced entry' using the application forms provided above.

Applicants accepted through advanced entry may study a different combination of modules to those advertised, as they will be joining a course already in progress. You will be contacted and advised about these modules once your application has been processed and an offer made.

International applicants can apply to us directly. If the University has an in-country team in your region, your application will be assigned to them for assistance.

Student Stories

After leaving school without quite enough to get straight onto a full university degree, this course gave me the chance to build my skills up to a degree level and pursue another area that I am passionate about, which is psychology and human behaviour.

Griff Foundation year student

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Student Stories

"I visited multiple universities before choosing USW. Their open day was interactive, and the staff genuinely cared about students. The head of the sports psychology department even remembered my name, which made a huge impression."

Odette Hornby Psychology student

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Student Stories

"USW taught me the value of seeking support, which was a major shift for me. I learned to reach out when needed, whether for academic or personal help. My advice to other care leavers considering higher education? Don’t let your background hold you back."

Antigone Cooper Psychology graduate

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Student Stories

My favourite aspect of studying Psychology was the sheer diversity. I loved learning about the various areas and examining the interesting ways in which they connected and sometimes opposed each other.

Jack Erasmus Psychology Graduate

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Student Stories

"I loved my psychology degree and thought it was really well taught. I realised early on during my psychology course that I wanted to pursue a PhD, so I asked the faculty if they had any research assistant roles."

Robin Psychology student

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