Established in 2023, UCL’s integrated Engineering Foundation Year is one of the most significant Faculty-led access initiatives at the University, with entry requirements defined with respect for the lived experiences of applicants from underserved communities that are underrepresented in UCL’s student body.
It invites those with experience of forced migration, time in care or estrangement, amongst some other specific life factors correlated with low access, continuation and/or attainment at UCL, to apply. The course asks that they have any of a range of Level 3 vocational and/or academic qualifications, or in some cases equivalent work experience.
From enrolment, students are connected with holistic academic, personal and financial support, some UCL-wide (such as UCL’s Careers Extra) and several foundation year-specific – for example, special bursaries, a dedicated student support and wellbeing advisor, considerable access to their personal tutor, and a unique student success programme. This wraparound support scheme is designed to enable students to meet the central objective of the foundation year: to progress with confidence to the Engineering or Computer Science degree they chose on application.
The Engineering Talent Awards
The Engineering Talent Awards “aim to raise the profile of engineering and technology across the UK and highlight diversity in engineering on a national platform”.
Within this scheme, the Inclusion Programme of the Year Award is one of a handful of awards issued to organisations. Its description states:
“Inclusion is widely recognised as the mindset needed to increase attraction and retention within engineering. Accessing some communities is easier than others and understanding the hidden identities of who you attract is difficult.
“This category recognises organisations that are inclusive and support and welcome people from all backgrounds, whilst ensuring everyone is heard, listened to and respected.”
Its criteria are:
Evidence of how the organisation’s efforts tie back to business key performance indicators.
Evidence of action plans to ensure diversity efforts are focused on a wide array of strands as possible and is truly intersectional.
Speaking to the Engineering Foundation Year course lead
Engineering Foundation Year course lead
“We’re really pleased to be shortlisted: it reflects a significant amount of work from a very committed staff team across both academic and professional services roles. A lot of what makes the course effective comes down to that day-to-day effort, so it’s important to see that recognised.”
It’s also meaningful for the students. Many of them have taken less traditional routes into engineering, and recognition like this helps reinforce that they belong here and that their pathway is valued.
What makes the foundation year different?
“What sets the Engineering Foundation Year apart is that it isn’t just an admissions intervention. Contextual offers are important, but on their own they don’t address the structural barriers many students face. The EFY is designed as a full programme around those realities, combining flexible admissions with a tailored curriculum and ‘wraparound’ support. This includes enhanced personal tutoring, targeted bursaries, dedicated wellbeing provision, and a structured student success programme alongside the curriculum.
“Taken together, these elements are designed to support students with a range of overlapping challenges, rather than assuming a single intervention will be enough.”
What makes it work?
“The programme works because it is designed holistically. Curriculum, teaching practice and support structures are aligned around progression to degree-level study. We’ve focused on building confidence alongside capability, with a strong emphasis on belonging, academic skills, and professional identity.
“Crucially, the model is sustained by close collaboration between academic staff, professional services, and external partners, ensuring that students are supported consistently across different aspects of their experience.
“Students get to know staff quickly and see the programme as a shared effort rather than a set of separate functions. Personal tutoring, teaching, and support are closely connected, and students are comfortable approaching a wide range of staff for help, not just when something goes wrong, but as part of their day-to-day experience.
“That sense of accessibility and trust is important. It means support is picked up early, often informally, and students don’t feel like they have to navigate systems or wait for the “right” moment to ask for help.”
Broadening perspectives in engineering
“The course brings in students from a much wider range of pathways and experiences than you would typically see (on an engineering degree at a high-tariff university). That has a real impact on how students approach problem-solving and design work.
“This isn’t ‘just’ about representation; it genuinely strengthens engineering outcomes. We talk directly, on the course, about the difference between trying to solve a complex problem with a team who have very similar backgrounds and approaches vs a team with a wide and diverse range of experience. The kinds of challenges engineers are working on now require a broader range of perspectives, and widening participation is a key part of that.”
If they pass the foundation year, students progress automatically to Year 1 of their chosen degree at UCL Engineering, in the same way that Year 1 students progress to Year 2, to Year 3 and so on. This is what makes the foundation year 'integrated', rather than a standalone course.
This also means it is seen as a normal year of study in terms of Student Finance, rather than a separate course or gift year.
For students applying for 2027 entry:
- BEng/MEng Biochemical Engineering
- BEng/MEng Biomedical Engineering
- BEng/MEng Civil Engineering
- BEng/MEng Chemical Engineering
- BSc/MEng Computer Science
- BEng/MEng Electronic and Electrical Engineering
- BEng/MEng Mechanical Engineering (including with Business Finance)
- BSc Science and Engineering for Social Change
- MEng Robotics and Artificial Intelligence
Not yet. The main access initiative across the university is its contextual offer scheme, Access UCL.
However, there is an international foundation year scheme for international students called the Undergraduate Preparatory Certificate. This is not a widening participation initiative, but there are some bursaries for these students, including in engineering (like the Telles Scholarship).
Academic:
- James Ford
- Ashley Clayton
- Sam Fishlock
- Charlotte Maughan Jones
- Fawaz Saket
Academic contributors:
- Fiona Truscott
- John Mitchell (founder)
Professional services:
- Fran Bowen-Watts
- Costas Constantinou
- Kate Wilson (student recruitment and marketing only).
James and the UCL Engineering Foundation Year team would like to congratulate the other shortlisted programmes:
60th Anniversary Bursaries, Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE)
Be Yourself at Equans UK & Ireland, Equans
The Sutton Trust – Pathways to Engineering, The Sutton Trust
“It’s encouraging to be included amongst such a strong shortlist. Recognition like this helps to highlight the importance of this work and gives it visibility beyond individual institutions,” James says.
Learn more about the Engineering Foundation Year
Engineering Foundation Year
Embrace this opportunity to become a future engineer, on a programme designed for those who don’t meet standard entry requirements for UCL’s undergraduate engineering degrees.
