Intro

The foundation year is an integrated pathway to our architecture, interior architecture and product design degrees. This course gives you the opportunity to learn in a creative and inclusive studio environment and develop the confidence, design skills and portfolio of work needed to study at degree level.

We will introduce you to the fundamental design principles and transferable skills of architecture and design. You’ll explore the design process through creative projects and technical workshops, and develop core skills in drawing, making, digital practice, presentation and communication, and critical thinking and writing. These core skills will inform a final design project in your chosen subject.

You will have hands-on academic and technical support, work in excellent facilities, and when you leave the course you’ll be equipped to get the most out of whichever design degree you choose.

Foundation students study together for their first year, but you will choose one of the three degrees listed here when you apply via UCAS.

Key facts

Location Brighton: Moulsecoomb

UCAS codes

  • Tap ‘apply now with UCAS’ to apply for your chosen course
    • Architecture BA(Hons) with integrated foundation year – K15F
    • Interior Architecture BA(Hons) with integrated foundation year – W2F5
    • Interior Design BA(Hons) with integrated foundation year – W253 (available from 2026 entry)
    • Product Design BSc(Hons) with integrated foundation year – W24Y

Full-time 4 or 5 years – one year foundation course plus three- or four-year honours degree depending on subject chosen

What are my next steps?

Clearing 2025: Apply now

Places are still available on this course to start in 2025.

If you have your results you can apply online for a place through Clearing.

Apply online now

You can also book a Clearing call back.

Our hotline opens .

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

Before making a decision on which course and pathway to apply for we strongly encourage you to have an informal chat with our admissions team. You can call or message them from the Stay in touch tab.

UCAS tariff
72 UCAS tariff points. Level 3 Key Skills and General Studies will count towards the tariff.

A-levels
DDD.

BTEC
MMP/DM.

International Baccalaureate
24 points.

Other qualifications
We will consider applicants who have completed an Access course or other type of level 3 qualification on an individual basis; relevant experience may also be taken into account.

English language requirements
IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept.

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

View our English language courses

For pre-sessional English preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Contextual admissions

At Brighton, we understand that not everyone has the same opportunities, and some may face extra challenges to meet grade requirements. If you meet our contextual admissions criteria, we’ll make you an offer of at least two grades or 16 UCAS tariff points lower than the standard for your course. Find out about contextual admissions at Brighton.

With a contextual offer, you may also qualify for extra financial support through our Brighton Boost cost of living package. Find out about the Brighton Boost.

Graphic with the text 'Potential + possibility'

Course content

Course structure

Throughout the year you will work on design projects and creative workshops which build in complexity and skill, enabling you to develop the confidence and expertise to explore design ideas.

Term 1 will concentrate on analogue skills, introducing you to observational and hand-drawing skills as well as physical/3D modelling techniques, enabling you to understand different scales.

Term 2 will expand on the skills you have learned and combine them with digital practice. You’ll be introduced to digital drawing, modelling and fabrication and representation and communication techniques. Projects will develop your knowledge of the design process and technical ability.  

Term 3 focuses on a final project within your chosen discipline and course. You’ll produce a portfolio where you’ll document your development and your final design project. The project will be specific to your discipline and draw together all the skills learnt over the year, preparing you for your degree in Architecture, Interior Architecture or Product Design. It will include physical hand drawings, photography, models, digital work and discipline-specific outputs.

The portfolio and project are assessed and you must pass in order to progress onto your chosen degree course.

Students building a model

Follow the Architecture and design integrated foundation course on Instagram.

Learning environment

You will have a dedicated design studio space in which you will receive teaching and undertake learning activities, as well as having your own individual space to work. Working alongside your peers, you’ll explore projects through discussion, drawing and modelling, writing and critical thinking, informing a broad understanding of design as a discipline. 

Your design studio will be in the heart of the school, allowing you to observe, interact and collaborate with the studio culture across the three subjects and with students on all years of their course. There is a lead tutor for the integrated foundation and you’ll be learning with lecturers across all three design subjects throughout the year. The design studio is complemented by digital and workshop spaces supported by a team of creative technical staff.

Follow the Architecture and design integrated foundation on Instagram to find out more about life on the course.

Realising_your_potential

Facilities

The school has a fantastic and wide range of creative facilities and work spaces for you to explore your ideas and practice, including:

  • your own design studio space and workstation
  • 3D wood, metal, plastics and plaster workshop
  • 3D printer, laser cutting machine, large scale printing, reprographics  
  • Fab Lab and materials library
  • computer pool room with creative software
  • dark room and photographic studios.
Architecture workshop 360

Check out the 360 videos of our workshops and photography studio.

Progress to a degree

The foundation year offers you an integrated pathway to:

On these course pages you’ll be able to see student work and find more info about studying these subjects with us.

Successful completion of the foundation year means that you can progress directly to the degree you have chosen.

You will apply for a specific course through UCAS, but the foundation offers the flexibility and opportunity to change your mind after terms 1 or 2 and to progress to a different degree within the design disciplines if you choose to.

architecture student working in the studio

Summer shows 2024

Every year our brilliant architecture, interior architecture, product design and design engineering students show their work at the University of Brighton Summer Shows. The shows are finished for 2024 but you can still take a virtual wander and explore our students’ creative work. 

More about this subject at Brighton

University unveils extra financial support for students applying through Clearing with Brighton Summer Boost initiative

For the first time, the University of Brighton is extending its Brighton Boost financial support initiative to students applying through Clearing in 2025 – helping to remove barriers and create opportunities for those who may have thought university was beyond their reach.

Celebrating Innovation and Excellence: Prize Winners of the Architecture and Design Summer Show 2025

The School of Architecture and Design came alive recently with creativity, celebration, and community spirit at the annual Architecture and Design Summer Show 2025.

Designing for a better world: How Brighton architecture and design students are building the future

From domestic safety for all to making emergency medicine more accessible, University of Brighton students are responding to everyday problems with bold and inclusive solutions.

Summer shows 2025: Kim Lau, Architecture RIBA Part 2 March

As part of our Summer Shows, we’re celebrating the bold, innovative work of our final-year students.

Read more from our blog

Careers

Preparing for your career

In your career you’ll need a combination of knowledge, technical ability, communication skills and relevant experiences – and you’ll get all of this from your degree.

The foundation course provides subject knowledge and expertise and opportunities to develop your portfolio and to put what you learn into practice. You’ll also develop transferable personal skills in teamwork and project and time management skills that will be valued wherever your career takes you. Working and collaborating with students across all three subjects of the foundation is a big part of your learning experience.

Drawing colourful shapes in a notebook

Supporting your employability

Outside of your course, our Careers and Employability team are here to support you as you discover (and rediscover) your strengths and what matters to you. We are here for you throughout your university journey as you work towards a fulfilling and rewarding career.

  • Find part-time work that you can combine with your studies.
  • Find, or be, a mentor or get involved with our peer-to-peer support scheme.
  • Develop your business ideas through our entrepreneurial support network.
  • Get professional advice and support with career planning, CV writing and interview top tips.
  • Meet potential employers at our careers fairs.
  • Find rewarding volunteering opportunities to help you discover more about what makes you tick and build your CV.

Whatever your career needs, we are here to help. And that’s not just while you are a student – our support carries on after you’ve graduated.

Find out about careers and employability at Brighton.

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Fees and costs

Course fees

UK (full-time) 9,535 GBP

International (full-time) 17,250 GBP

Students applying for this course will be eligible to apply for student funding for the full course – foundation year plus honours degree.

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2025–26.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

What's included

Here you’ll find details of specific resources and services that are included in the tuition fee for our School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering students. To help you to budget for your studies, there is also information on any additional costs that you may have to pay or can choose to pay in addition to your tuition fee.

Find out how tuition fees enable us to support all of our students with important services, facilities and resources across the university - https://www.brighton.ac.uk/whats-included-in-your-fee - and check out our finance pages for info about fees, funding and scholarships along with advice on international and island fee-paying status - https://www.brighton.ac.uk/fees-and-finance.

You can chat with our enquiries team - https://www.brighton.ac.uk/enquiries - if you have a question or need more information.

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees.

  • Travel and accommodation costs are included for all mandatory taught residential field trips, but you’ll need to provide your own food and drink.
  • There will be opportunities to attend additional study trips or optional taught residential field trips throughout the school, but these are not required to pass your course. Normally, a contribution will be required towards expenses such as travel, entrance fees and accommodation. This will vary depending on where and how long the trip is, but you should budget around £1,500.
  • Where optional international field trips are offered, these are not required to pass your course. You should expect to budget £300–£500 for these, to cover flight, accommodation, food and entrance to museums. The total amount spent would be based on location and number of trips taken.
  • If you choose to take an optional paid placement, you’ll be expected to cover your own travel, accommodation, food and drink.
  • Some students require specialist outdoor equipment and/or personal protective equipment (PPE) and should budget up to £150.
  • You will have access to computers and necessary software; however, many students choose to buy their own hardware, software and accessories. The amount spent will depend on your individual choices, but this expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses. Find out what free software is available from the University of Brighton.
  • Course books are available from the university, but you may wish to budget from £15 to £100 per year to buy your own copies and subscribe to design magazines.
  • In most cases coursework submissions are electronic but students may wish to print notes which would involve an extra cost.
  • Costs of up to £50 are included in the fees for students on engineering courses to pay for materials for their final year projects. On rare occasions where material costs exceed £50, they will need to be paid for by the student.

Architecture, interior architecture, design and product design additional costs

  • Students should budget around £25 for printing and binding dissertations in their final year.
  • In your first year of studies, you will need to buy a drawing and modelling toolkit. Each course will suggest a list of items of which some will be essential, and others optional. You should budget around £100–£250 for these.
  • For most courses you will need to budget between £100 to £300 per year for printing and portfolio costs. Costs will vary depending on type of printer and type and size of paper used. Some students tend to work digitally, spending more on printing and some by hand, spending more on materials so these costs vary widely between students.
  • For most courses you will need to budget between £10 and £100 for material costs per design project. Costs will vary depending on how and what you use to make models. You are encouraged to recycle used materials where possible.
  • You will need to budget between £5–£50 to exhibit work for the end-of-year show. Fundraising by the student society, BIAAS, normally helps towards this cost.

Location and student life

Campus where this course is taught

Moulsecoomb campus

Two miles north of Brighton seafront, Moulsecoomb is our largest campus and student village. Moulsecoomb has been transformed by a recent development of our estate. On campus you’ll find new Students’ Union, events venue and sports and fitness facilities, alongside the library and student centre.

Over 900 students live here in our Moulsecoomb Place halls and the new Mithras halls – Brunswick, Goldstone, Hanover, Preston and Regency.

Moulsecoomb has easy access to buses and trains so you can access all the exciting things happening in our home city.

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Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students. So if you applied for halls by the deadline you are guaranteed a room in our halls of residence.

Brighton: Moulsecoomb

Halls of residence
We have self-catered halls on all our campuses, within minutes of your classes, and other options that are very nearby.

You can apply for any of our halls, but the options closest to your study location are:

  • Mithras Halls are stylish new high-rises in the heart of the student village at our revitalised Moulsecoomb campus with ensuite rooms for more than 800 students.
  • Varley Park is a popular dedicated halls site, offering a mix of rooms and bathroom options at different prices. It is around two miles from Moulsecoomb campus and four miles from the city centre, and is easy to get to by bus.

Want to live independently?
We can help – find out more about private renting.

Relaxing in halls

Modern accommodation at Moulsecoomb

Mithras halls room with a view

Relaxing in halls near the campus

Student Union social space

Student Union social space at Moulsecoomb

Local area

One of Time Out's 50 best cities in the world

“Brighton has… all the important parts of a sprawling cosmopolitan metropolis (connections to London in under an hour, an array of properly excellent restaurants, energetic late-night spots) … with the easy-breezy beachy attitude to life that makes you feel welcome in an instant.”
Time Out’s 50 Best Cities in the World, 2025

About Brighton

The city of Brighton & Hove is a forward-thinking place which leads the way in the arts, technology, sustainability and creativity. You'll find living here plays a key role in your learning experience.

Brighton is a leading centre for creative media technology, recently named the startup capital of the UK.

The city is home to a national 5G testbed and over 1,000 tech businesses. The digital sector is worth over £1bn a year to the local economy – as much as tourism.

All of our full-time undergraduate courses involve work-based learning - this could be through placements, live briefs and guest lectures. Many of these opportunities are provided by local businesses and organisations.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and there are daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton
Brighton Beach sunset

Maps

Moulsecoomb campus map

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Support and wellbeing

Your course team

Your personal academic tutor, course leader and other tutors are all there to help you with your personal and academic progress. You'll also have a student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) who can help with everything from homesickness, managing stress or accommodation issues.

Your academic skills

Our Brighton Student Skills Hub gives you extra support and resources to develop the skills you'll need for university study, whatever your level of experience so far.

Your mental health and wellbeing

As well as being supported to succeed, we want you to feel good too. You'll be part of a community that builds you up, with lots of ways to connect with one another, as well having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more about how we support your wellbeing.

Sport at Brighton

Sport Brighton

Sport Brighton brings together our sport and recreation services. As a Brighton student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition. 

Find out more about Sport Brighton.

Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

Brighton Cricket Academy

Develop your cricketing skills in the UK’s largest indoor cricket facility alongside studying for a degree. Whether you can already play or you’re new to the game offers the opportunity to train with top coaches in our world-class training environment. 

Find out about the Brighton Cricket Academy.

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Take a tour of sport facilities on our Falmer campus

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