UNSW Foundation Studies is proud of its teaching excellence
and classes are specifically tailored to meet the high academic standards required from university. All Foundation Studies teachers are highly skilled and sensitive to the needs of international students.

• All your classes are on UNSW campus and they are
  taught in university-style lectures and tutorials.
• There are about 16-18 students in tutorial classes, so you
   receive individual attention.
• You participate actively in class, and this gives you
   confidence in speaking English and develops your presentation skills.
• There are special consultation times with teachers as well as
   support services if you experience study difficulties.
• We also have on-line services - such as a student intranet containing timetables,
   study tips, sports activities, news, etc.

You can start with us at different times of the year. Three programs are available catering for differing levels of academic experience and English Language proficiency.

The Standard Program

This program is recommended if you have strong English language proficiency (minimum IELTS 5.5 or equivalent) and solid academic results. Duration: April - December October - June the following year See Academic Calendar

The Standard Plus Program

This program is recommended if you have strong English language proficiency (minimum IELTS 5.5 or equivalent) but need or would like a more gradual introduction to your Foundation Year studies. The first 10 weeks of the program provides a full introduction to, and revision of, the major subject areas you will study throughout Foundation Year and ensures that you have the best possible start to your studies. You will have the opportunity to consult your teachers outside class time and receive specialist advice on correcting any areas of difficulty during this introductory period. Duration: January - December July - June the following year See Academic Calendar

The English Plus Program

This program combines a 10-week Pre-Foundation Year English course with the UNSW Foundation Year (Standard or Standard Plus) and is recommended if you have moderate English language proficiency (minimum IELTS 5.0 or equivalent) and solid academic results. Duration: 10 weeks pre-Foundation Year Program Starts from 2 Jan 2007 - See Academic Calendar

The Transition Program

This one-semester program is for students with very strong English language proficiency (IELTS 6.0 or equivalent) who have completed a matriculation program in their own country (e.g. A-levels), but have not quite met the entry levels for undergraduate entry, or who need to gain assumed knowledge in certain subjects. Duration: 1 October - 8 February 2008 See Academic Calendar

See the 2008 - 2009 calendar for precise dates.

There are five streams of study which are designed to complement your choice of UNSW Bachelor degree. For instance if you wish to study Engineering as your degree choice, you would be placed into the Physical Science Stream. Alternatively, if you wanted to study Media and Communications at university, you would be placed into the Design/Fine Arts Media & Building stream.

These UNSW Bachelor degrees below:		Can be entered from UNSW Foundation Year stream (click on arrow to see subject description):
Aviation, Renewable Energy & Photovoltaics, Engineering (Chemical, Civil, Computer & Software, Electrical, Environmental, Mechanical, Mining, Petroleum & Telecommunications), Computer Science, Vision Science, Nano-technology, Medicine, Science		Physical Science
Health & Exercise Science, Medicine, Biological & Biomedical Sciences, Vision Science, Environmental Sciences & Management, Biotechnology, Psychology, Food Science & Technology, Medical Science, Science		Life Science
Accounting, Finance, Economics, Actuarial Studies, Information Systems, Tourism & Hospitality, Arts, Social Science, some combined Law degrees, International Business, Banking & Finance		Commerce/Business
Media & Communications, Digital Media, Graphic Design, Design, Art Theory & History, Fine Arts, Architecture, Interior or Landscape Architecture, Industrial Design, Social Science, Urban Development & Design, Construction Management & Property		Design/Fine Arts Media & Building
Criminology, Arts, Social Science, Australian Studies, International Studies, Languages, Media & Communications, Education, Social Work, Music, Humanities, Arts/Law		Arts, Social Science & International Studies

Upon acceptance into the appropriate stream of study, international students will be given a provisional offer to one of their nominated bachelor programs. (Australian students are required to apply through the Universities Admissions Centre.) The offer is conditional on completing the Foundation Year and achieving the required grades.

Please see further details on undergraduate entry requirements and the Assessment system.

From left to right: Mr Phillip Gibbs, Commerce Head of Department, UNSW Foundation Year, Ms Ms Heidi Tjahjadi, Ms Katim Tsui, Mr Udhara De Silva, Professor Anthony Dooley, Professor of Pure Mathematics and President of the Academic Board, UNSW, Doctor Eileen Kennedy, Biology UNSW Foundation Year, Mr Kam Pak Hin (Edwin), Mr Ng Chi Hin Wilson, Ms He Quing Romy, Ms Loh Chia Hui, Mr Graham Were, Science Head of Department, UNSW Foundation Year, Mr Jon Ireland, Academic Director, UNSW Foundation Year

Tomoko Sugiura
Foundation Year Student 1991 from Japan
Honours Degree in Psychology from UNSW 1996
PhD from UNSW 2004: Title of thesis "Adjustment Patterns of International Students and Expatriate Managers"
Nominated for the Best Thesis Award at
International Academy of Intercultural Research
Partner at International Skills Consulting
Tutor and Guest Lecturer in International and Cross-cultural Communication at UTS.

Read her story

Cheryl Elvina Halim
UNSW Foundation Year Student 1996-1997 from Indonesia
UNSW University Medallist in Chemical Engineering 2000

Read her story

Son Bao Pham (Sean)
UNSW Foundation Year Graduate
UNSW University Medal for Computer Science in 2001.
PhD candidate in Information Retrieval and Natural Language Processing at UNSW

Read his story

Chaleeda Borompichaichartkul
UNSW Foundation Year Graduate 1994 from Thailand
BSc Food Science and Technology, Honour Class 2 UNSW
PhD. Food Engineering UNSW
Lecturer - Department of Food Technology
Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University
Bangkok Thailand

Read her story

Kwong Kar Yee (Cindy)
UNSW Foundation Year Student 1999 - 2000 from Hong Kong
Studying final year Bachelor of Commerce - Accounting & Finance Major, Accounting Honours Stream - at UNSW
Winner of the CPA Australia Prize for Year 1 Accounting
Winner of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Prize for Year 1 Accounting (Both prizes are awarded for the best performance/aggregate
in Year 1 Accounting subjects.)
Cindy's career aim is to find employment in a Public Accounting Firm.

Read her story

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