UCL Centre for Languages & International Education (CLIE)

UPC courses are intensive undergraduate foundation courses which have been developed specifically for ambitious international students of high academic potential who have completed their secondary education in their home country, and who do not yet qualify for direct entry to undergraduate study in the leading UK universities.

Suitable UPC candidates will typically be international secondary school students not following school qualifications which allow them to enter UCL degree programmes directly after their school graduation i.e. students who have followed a 12-year school system.

There are 2 UPC courses at UCL:

University Preparatory Certificate for Science and Engineering (UPCSE)

University Preparatory Certificate for the Humanities (UPCH)

All UPC students will be assisted to adapt to studying and succeeding in the British higher education system and living in the UK.

The UPCH course helps students gain entry to the best undergraduate degree programmes in the Arts (including Architecture), the Humanities and Social Sciences (including Economics and Law).

The UPCSE course helps students gain entry to the best undergraduate degree programmes in Mathematical and Natural Sciences, Life Sciences, Engineering, Medicine and Architecture.

The courses help students to develop their linguistic and academic skills in a university environment, (laboratory skills will also be covered on the UPCSE course).

One academic year: the course is taught over 10 months, with teaching being divided into three terms.

There is an orientation course in September before formal teaching begins. This is an important (and compulsory) part of the course and includes a number of events that will help you settle in to studying at university.

See Course Dates.

You can expect around 24 hours of teaching a week.

You will be expected to do a similar amount of study on your own every week.

See sample UPCH timetable

See sample UPCSE timetable

University Preparatory Certificate for the Humanities (UPCH): £13,995
UPCH with Architecture BSc Pathway: £14,995

University Preparatory Certificate for Science and Engineering (UPCSE): £14,995
UPCSE with Architecture BSc Pathway: £15,995

Please note that these tuition fees do not include living costs such as accommodation, local travel and personal expenses. For information on living cosots please see FAQ ‘How much are living costs likely to be during my foundation year?'.

See course fees.

Suitable UPC candidates will typically be international secondary school students not following school qualifications which allow them to enter UCL degree programmes directly after their school graduation i.e. typically students who have followed a 12-year school system.

We have a maximum of 14 students to a class.

All students study four modules:

• Two compulsory modules
• Two subject modules which are selected by the student. The subject modules are selected according to the requirements of the undergraduate programme the student aims for.

UPCH
On the UPCH, you will learn through lectures, small tutorial groups seminars and workshops.

UPCH students will study two compulsory modules - Academic English and Culture and Society - along with two subject modules selected from European Art and Literature, Economics, Geography, Mathematics, Modern European History and Politics and The Classical World. For help in choosing your subject modules please see our guide Selecting Your Subject Modules.

UPCSE
On the UPCSE, you will learn through lectures, small tutorial groups and laboratory work.

All UPCSE students study four subjects: two compulsory modules - Academic English and Science and Society - along with two science subject modules selected from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. Your choice of core science subjects will depend upon the subject you wish to study as an undergraduate. For help in choosing your subject modules please see our guide Selecting Your Subject Modules.

Term 1: September – December
The focus of this term will be on getting used to learning in a university environment. Independent study and analytical skills will be developed as well as time management and decision making. UPC courses are intensive from the start and your performance in this term will form the basis of the UPC academic reference required for your UCAS application to UCL and other university degree programmes. Individual guidance will be provided on selecting your 5 UCAS choices.

There will be a mid-term visit for all UPC students to a place on interest in the UK, for example to Stratford Upon Avon. Students will also visit London resources such as the British Museum in order to give them insight into their subject areas.

Term 2: January – March
Classes, lectures, seminars, personal tutorials and laboratory time (UPCSE) continue. Students are timetabled for an average of 23 hours each week. Research and critical thinking skills are developed and assessments of writing and presentation skills take place. Offers are received via UCAS and decisions on accepting these offers are made in consultation with our Education Advisor in individual one-to one sessions.

Term 3: April - June
Exam preparation and final assignments are submitted. Revision time is given as part of the timetable during this term. Final exams are taken towards the end of the term.

A highlight of this term is a visit to an outdoor activity centre located in the countryside out of London. All UPC students are encouraged to take part in a physically demanding, team building and leadership development week.

See the UPC Photo Gallery for images of former UPC student in action on campus and on UPC field trips!

Final UPC course results are released by early August each year.

University Preparatory Certificate pathways overview flowchart

(click here to enlarge the above image)

 UCL UPC courses begin in September only each year.

No. We welcome applications from students of any age.

UPC courses are intensive undergraduate foundation courses developed specifically for ambitious international students of high academic potential who have completed their secondary education in their home country, and who do not yet qualify for direct entry to undergraduate study in the leading UK universities.

UCL International Student web pages include information on the acceptability of individual country qualification for Undergraduate Study at UCL. You can search for information about your country’s qualification or see the table at the FAQ below: What qualifications will I need before applying for a UPC Course?

The course is not suitable for you if you are an international student who has completed your secondary education in the UK (i.e. have had the opportunity to study A levels). See FAQ Can I apply for the course if I have taken A-levels or the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma?

You will need to have either completed or be about to complete your high school education. By the time you start a UPC course, it is important that you have obtained your high school graduation certificate or diploma and have achieved excellent grades. A guide to the minimum national high school qualifications UPC applicants should be expecting to attain is shown here:

If your country is not shown, please view UCL's International student pages to see how qualifications are considered for Undergraduate Degree entry, by country.

Yes. We will consider the grades you have achieved to date and look at any predicted grades. We may contact your referee to check any predicted grades. By the time you start a UPC course, it is important that you have obtained your high school graduation certificate or diploma and have achieved excellent grades. See also the above FAQ: What qualifications will I need before applying for a UPC Course?

All suitable UPC applicants will take entrance tests as part of their admission to UPC courses. Entrance tests are taken for the following reasons:

1. UPC Courses are intensive and the academic standard and expectations of students is high. Your performance in the entrance tests will help the UPC Admissions Tutor to see if you are suitable for the course.
2. UPC Courses are popular and entry is competitive. We will select the best UPC applicants by considering a range of factors including, the application form, teacher’s reference, school grades and transcripts and your performance on the entrance tests.

UPC entrance tests will be taken by suitable applicants after submitting an application for a UPC Course.

UPC sample entrance tests are available for applicants to try before they apply for the course. We strongly recommend applicants do this to get an idea of the style and level of the questions that will be asked. Most tests are multiple choice questions and take no longer than 1 hour.

We prefer that entrance tests are taken at your school and the test is supervised (in test conditions) by a teacher. If this is not possible, alternative arrangements will be made.

Please note that all applicants taking the entrance tests will sign a declaration stating the tests were sat in the required conditions.

Successful UPC applicants enrolling as UPC students will be re-tested when they begin a UPC course in September. If the result of this re-test clearly shows that a student has not originally complied with the test instructions above and the student is at a level too low for successful attendance of the UPC course, the student may be asked to leave the course without any refund of course fees.

1. Complete fully an UPC application form (available to download from the left-hand menu of this web page)
2. You may return the form by email, or post to the UPC Administrator named on the form. Included in the form should be copies of your high school transcript, an academic reference on the reference form provided and a passport photograph. There is a charge of £100 to apply for a UPC Course. Copies of English language test certificates (such as IELTS or TOEFL) should also be submitted. Not submitting an English Language qualification may delay suitable candidates from moving on to the next step of the application procedure.
3. Suitable candidates will be contacted about taking UPC entrance tests.
4. Competed tests should be returned to the UPC Administrator.
5. Successful candidates will be contacted and a final admission interview will be organised. Students are usually interviewed by telephone by the UPC Admissions Tutor and will receive information on their performance on the tests, an offer of a place on a UPC Course and essential advice on progression to UCL Undergraduate degree programmes following the UPC Course.
6. An offer of a place on the course will be sent by post / email to the correspondence address on the application form. A deposit towards the tuition fees for the course is required to accept the offer of a place on a UPC Course. The offer will include information on UCL student accommodation options.
7. On receipt of a deposit we will send an official acceptance letter to you in order for you to be able to apply for a UK Student Visa.

We recommend that all UPC applicants are familiar with the UPC sample entrance tests before applying for the course. The tests are an indication of the level and style of questions suitable applicants will answer on their entrance tests.

Places on the course are limited and entry is competitive. You are advised to apply for the course as early as possible. Applications are received throughout the year.

Applicants wishing to select UCL Student Accommodation should apply for the course no later than April each year. The deadline for UPC offer-holders to apply for UCL accommodation is May 31st. 

UPCSE minimum requirements:

UPCH minimum requirements:

UPCHmel minimum requirements:

UPC courses will benefit students with a range of English language levels. Our minimum English Language requirements for UPC courses are likely to be exceeded by some applicants who may have a very high level of English.

The UCL University Preparatory Certificate for the Humanities:
with a Modern European Language, is designed for students who use English as a first language and wish to study a European Language as part of their foundation or bridging year.

Applicants will typically offer an upper intermediate level in French, Spanish, Italian or German. Those wishing to study French or Spanish as part of the course will be able to do so from beginners level.

University Preparatory Certificate for the Humanities (UPCH): £13,995
UPCH with Architecture BSc Pathway: £14,995

University Preparatory Certificate for Science and Engineering (UPCSE):£14,995
UPCSE with Architecture BSc Pathway: £15,995

Please note that these tuition fees do not include living costs such as accommodation, local travel and personal expenses. For further information on living costs please see FAQ ‘How much are living costs likely to be during my foundation year?' below.

A total of around £245 per week is considered to be a reasonable average for living costs including student accommodation, local travel and personal expenses.

There are no entrance scholarships available from UCL for UPC study. All our students have their own sponsors or scholarships and meet full fees. See UCL International Student Country Information pages for more information on scholarship organisations in your country. 

Yes. All students pay the same rate for UPC courses.

Fees for September 2013 entry:

University Preparatory Certificate for the Humanities (UPCH): £13,995

UPCH with Architecture BSc Pathway: £14,995

University Preparatory Certificate for Science and Engineering (UPCSE):£14,995

UPCSE with Architecture BSc Pathway: £15.995

Yes, there are two UPC Progression Scholarships. One scholarship will be offered each year to two UPC students (one UPCH student and one UPCSE student) considered by UPC academic staff to have the best academic performance.

Students awarded the scholarships must plan to progresses to a UCL undergraduate degree programme after stating UCL as a ‘firmly accepted’ choice on their UCAS form. The award will be worth £5,000 towards each year of the student's UCL undergraduate tuition fees.

An academic standard equivalent to at least an upper second class honours (2:1) must be maintained by the student in order to qualify for the award each year of the undergraduate degree programme.

UCL UPC courses are not intended for students who have taken A-levels or IB exams and need to resit or gain higher marks at this level in order to be considered for degree programmes at UCL. If you are studying for, or have completed, A-Levels or the International Baccalaureate Diploma you will normally be considered for direct entry to undergraduate study at UCL and other top UK institutions. Therefore you should not apply for a UPC course. Click here to view the UCL undergraduate admission pages and entrance requirements for A-levels and IB Diploma students. Please note that students taking (or who have completed) another foundation year in the UK will also not be considered for UPC courses. In exceptional cases, if you have already met the UCL A-level or IB Diploma requirement and still wish to take a foundation course, then we may consider you. 

No. If you have not met an existing UCL or IB offer we cannot consider you for UPC courses. We advise you to re-sit the exam and do you best to attain the required grades.

Yes. If you have met the UCL A-level grades or IB points requirements but have not studied options which may be compulsory (eg History for the UCL History BA or a Modern Language for the UCL European Social and Political Studies BA) then we may consider you. But remember, you may have to pass our entrance tests in similar subjects, so you must have a good level of these subjects before you apply.

Yes, you can apply. If you have not had the opportunity to take A-levels or other examinations which allow direct entry on to a UCL undergraduate degree programme you will be considered on the same basis as international students. 

No. If you have a reasonable opportunity to finish your A2 levels at your school or college we would not accept your application.

In most cases, no. Your qualifications will entitle you to apply to UCL directly. If your school qualification does not entitle you to enter directly onto a UCL undergraduate degree programme you may apply to UPC. However, you will be considered alongside all other applicants which means that you will only be selected for a UPC course if you have really excellent grades.

UPC Courses are designed to prepare students for any Undergraduate degree programme offered at UCL. The exception to this will be the Fine Art BA.

UPC applicants will need to state the Undergraduate degree title or area they plan to aim for during a UPC Course, on the UPC application form. Advice on applying for popular degree programmes at UCL (those with some additional admissions requirements) can be found below in the FAQ section: Applying for undergraduate degrees in Architecture, Law or Medicine.

We recommend that you select a degree subject you are interested in, have motivation for and that you have researched in detail. Choosing a subject you are good at previously is also a good idea (should you have been able to study this subject previously). Information on entry to UCL Undergraduate degrees and entry requirements should be viewed by all UPC applicants.

Guidance on selecting your UPC subject modules is provided on web pages for UPCH and UPCSE.

All UPC students will receive individual advice on making UCAS applications for Undergraduate degrees during the first term of the UPC Courses. See: What will I do/ study each term?, as well as Applying for University.

Click here to see a list of UCL undergraduate degrees former UPC students have studied. 

UPC students applying to degree programmes in the UCL faculties of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Life Sciences and Engineering Sciences (via UCAS) will receive a conditional offer should their predicted UPC grade match the standard required.

An offer of a place onto other UCL undergraduate degree course is not guaranteed. Although, most of our successful students will achieve an offer from UCL. These students will be expected to perform very well in the first term of the UPC course (Term 1 runs from September – December) to be considered for admission to degree programmes at UCL as well as other top UK universities.

In 2012 85% of UPC students received an offer from UCL and/or a Russell Group university.

Yes, there are no UK universities which will not consider students holding the UCL UPC qualification. However, each department within each UK university can make its own rules and we cannot guarantee that each department will make an offer to UPC students.

Yes. Each year UCL UPC academic staff support a small number of UCAS applications made to Oxford or Cambridge – usually the top 2%-5% of all UPC students. We will select the students we feel we can support in their applications using their school grades, our entrance tests, our English tests, extra tests in Critical Thinking and interviews of candidates we think are appropriate and who have met all other criteria. You must also have an IELTS of at least 6.5 or equivalent. We will not support any applications to Oxford or Cambridge from students whom we do not think have a realistic chance of success. 

Yes. UPCH students have progressed to Law degrees at UCL, LSE and other universities. Entry to Law in the UK is highly competitive and being made an offer will depend, to a large extent, on success in the LNAT test. UPC students will receive guidance on preparing for this test during the first term of the course.

Yes. We will select about 10 UPC students each year to follow the UPC Architecture pathway. The pathway can be followed by students on the UPCH or UPCSE course. You should choose the UPC course which you feel you will be strongest at and enjoy the most.

The UPC Architecture pathway will be studied in addition to the four modules taken by all students (2 compulsory and 2 subject modules). It provides a unique opportunity to obtain the academic and artist skills and qualifications needed for Architecture degrees at UCL and other top universities. UPC students will study alongside first year UCL Bartlett students and be taught by UCL Bartlett academics!

Click here for more details on the Architecture Bsc pathway.

Guidelines for examples of art work (the ‘portfolio’) required for UPC Architecture BSc pathway admission:

• a minimum of 6 freehand observational drawings e.g. drawings of objects, people, landscapes, etc. (your drawings should be from real life, not from photographs)

Plus examples of your work from 3 or more of the following categories:

• paintings from life
• imaginative visual compositions in any media
• photographs
• collages
• 3-dimensional work in any media

Evidence of architectural drawing skills are NOT needed.

Yes, UPC students planning to apply for undergraduate degrees in architecture will follow the UPC Architecture pathway by studying the Bartlett School of Architecture Media Studies course.

This first year undergraduate course component takes place in the UCL Bartlett School. The aim of the course is to introduce students to a variety of technical skills enabling them to explore and communicate their ideas. The focus is on translating an idea into a physical form (drawing, model, film, text, etc). Essential portfolio development and preparation skills are included in this component.

UPC students will already need to possess a reasonable level of art / design skills and will be asked to submit samples of their existing art work during the UPC application procedure.

Guidelines for examples of art work (the ‘portfolio’) required for UPC Architecture BSc pathway admission -

• a minimum of 6 freehand observational drawings e.g. drawings of objects, people, landscapes etc. (your drawings should be from real life, not from photographs)

Plus examples of your work from 3 or more of the following categories:

• paintings from life
• imaginative visual compositions in any media
• photographs
• collages
• 3-dimensional work in any media

Evidence of architectural drawing skills are NOT needed.

Pdf files are the best way to submit your 'portfolio', by email to the relevant UPC Administrator.

Yes, this is a very popular option for UPCH students. Only candidates with exceptionally strong mathematical skills, a good level of English and who understand this degree programme at UCL will be considered for Economics BSc degrees at UCL.

Yes. UPCSE students have progressed onto the Medicine degree at UCL and have achieved offers for Medicine from other universities. Entry to Medicine in the UK is highly competitive and being made an offer will depend, to a large extent, on success in the BMAT or UKCAT test. UPC students will receive guidance on preparing for these tests during the first term of the course, but there is limited time for preparation, so students should prepare themselves before arrival. Registration for these tests will need to be completed by the student prior to starting the UPCSE course in September.