Why study this course?
Studying business prepares you for a future career in the fast-changing business world, including management, consultancy, marketing, and financial services.
Our January start programmes allow you to progress into the first year of your undergraduate degree in September. They are one semester of intensive study and are ideal for students looking for a stepping stone to a bachelor's degree.
Our foundation programme introduces you to university teaching and research, to prepare you for an undergraduate degree in economics, financial economics or management in the University's Business School.
The Business School has outstanding rankings and teaching:
- 2nd in the UK for Business and Management (Guardian University Guide 2026)
- 2nd in the UK for Economics (Guardian University Guide 2026)
- Small classes to support academic success
The course is designed for international students who are academically able but are taking a high school qualification that is not recognised for entry for an undergraduate degree.
You will be introduced to business concepts and theories. The course covers academic subject material relating to business and social sciences. In addition to the core modules, you can select from optional modules in economics, international relations, statistics, philosophy, and English literature, allowing you to gain a wider breadth of knowledge – the core of a Scottish degree.
You don’t need to have studied these subjects before, but strong grades in mathematics or related subjects that demonstrate strong numeracy skills will make your application more competitive.
By the end of the programme, you will have a strong foundation on which to base your undergraduate degree studies. You will have a clear understanding of the key ideas and philosophies that underpin many of the subjects you will be going on to study. You will also get familiar with the University system and experience different types of assessment.
Modules
In this one-semester programme, all students will study the same three compulsory modules.
Course information may change. Module information and course content, teaching and assessment may change each year and after you have accepted your offer to study at the University of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø. We display the most up-to-date information possible, but this could be from a previous academic year. For the latest module information, see the module catalogue.
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- Foundation Academic Thought in Arts and Science: enhances understanding of the key philosophical and analytical principles underpinning academic study.
- Communicating in Academic Contexts 2: helps you further develop and practise productive and receptive academic oral communication skills that you will need to draw on in your degree programme.
- Research and Writing for Business 2: builds on the key academic subject knowledge, skills and strategies required for business-related degrees, with a focus on learner independence.
In addition, you will take four introductory academic modules from the following list, which covers subject areas that are available to study at undergraduate level: 
- Foundation Art History
- Foundation Economics
- Foundation English Literature
- Foundation International Relations
- Foundation Management
- Foundation Mathematics
- Foundation Medieval History
- Foundation Philosophy
- Foundation Psychology 2
- Foundation Statistics
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Your classes take place Monday to Friday between 9am and 6pm. In a typical week you will spend around 16 hours a week on your focused learning activities. This will be a mixture of lectures, seminars and tutorials. To ensure our students are getting tailored support, we schedule seminar classes with groups of no more than 16 students.  
You will also be expected to complete around 25 hours of independent study each week to achieve your academic goals.
Assessment
Each module will have a range of assessments with regular feedback from our teaching team. These assessments may include: 
- essays
- exams in-person or online
- multiple choice tests
- presentations
- group projects
- research reports
- leading and participating in seminars 
You will have regular coursework assignments in both semesters. Some of these will contribute towards your final grade.
You will also have one set of exams at the end of the semester. 
What it will lead to
You can progress to a degree in one of these areas:
°Õ³ó±ð Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to help students build their employability skills
Why ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø?
When you join Scotland's first university, you will join a long heritage of excellence.
- 2nd in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2026 and The Times and Sunday Times University Rankings 2026)
- 1st for Student Experience in the UK (National Student Survey 2024) 
- 113th in the world (QS world rankings 2025)
Support
Our academic teaching team are all University of St Andrews staff and have experience in teaching students all over the world. As a student, you can benefit from advisors in:
- academic support
- student services
- health and wellbeing
“The foundation programme gives you a lot of opportunities – you will learn everything from the people around you and the staff that are helping you. You can help yourself too, because you’ll be growing as a person by coming here. - ”
- Kazakhstan
Ask a student
If you are interested in learning what it's like to be a student at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø you can speak to one of our student ambassadors. They'll let you know about their top tips, best study spots, favourite traditions and more.
Entry requirements
Academic requirements
Our typical entry requirements can be found at academic requirements for an International Year Zero - Intensive Study programme.
We can only accept students who have graduated high school within the last three years. Students should apply before final results to obtain a conditional offer, which will be based on past performance, predicted grades and your personal statement.
Personal statement top tip
Make sure you show the Admissions team why you want to study business, management, economics and finance. What are your future career goals, and have you taken any extracurricular experiences to find out more about the world of business? Try to demonstrate your passion for your subject and why you would like to join our academic family at the University of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø.
English language requirements
All International Foundation applicants must submit a UKVI Secure English Language Test (SELT) as evidence of their English language ability before they can be made an unconditional offer.
See a list of approved English language tests and scores for this programme.
How to apply
When you are ready to apply, please click the apply link at the top of this page. Our Admissions team will need the following documents to make a decision on your application: 
- Your most recent high school transcript
- A personal statement
You will also need to provide the following documents, but you can do this later:
- An academic reference from your high school
- Your UKVI Secure English Language Test result
Fees and funding
£20,775
This fee includes:
- access to all University facilities
- a transfer from Edinburgh or Glasgow Airport, or Leuchars train station, when you first arrive
- the use of course books, handouts and other course materials
See more information on how to pay your International Foundation fees.
Scholarships and funding
Kinnessburn Scholarship
Students who successfully complete their International Foundation programme (IFP) at the University, with the required merit grade, and who move on to a degree at the University of St Andrews, will be eligible to apply for the Kinnessburn Scholarship.
This scholarship is awarded to two students annually in July. It provides a partial fee waiver for each year of study on an undergraduate programme at the University of St Andrews, and an Ambassador's role to support future IFP students.
Undergraduate scholarships
During their first semester, students on the International Foundation programme will receive a conditional offer for a degree programme at the University of St Andrews. With this offer, students can apply to any of the undergraduate scholarships for which they are eligible.
Contact us
Still have questions? Please get in touch with our dedicated team at ifp@st-andrews.ac.uk.
Start your journey
Legal notices
Admission to the University of St Andrews is governed by our Admissions policy
Information about all programmes from previous years of entry can be found in the .
Curriculum development
As a research intensive institution, the University ensures that its teaching references the research interests of its staff, which may change from time to time. As a result, programmes are regularly reviewed with the aim of enhancing students' learning experience. Our approach to course revision is described online.
Tuition fees
The University will clarify compulsory fees and charges it requires any student to pay at the time of offer. The offer will also clarify conditions for any variation of fees. The University’s approach to fee setting is described online.
Page last updated: 3 April 2026