Entry year
Start date
September 2023
Duration
1 year
Application deadline
25th June 2023
Campus
Northampton Square
UCAS Code
G320

Overview

Who is it for?

You are a UK student who excels in and enjoys mathematics, especially modelling and probability. You love asking “What if?”.

The skills you gain on the Actuarial Science Foundation  course will kickstart your actuarial career. You can also enter careers in risk management, investment management or financial analysis.

Objectives

The Foundation Year in Actuarial Science aims to provide students with a knowledge of Mathematics, Probability and Statistics, Accounting and Finance, Economics, IT and Computing sufficient to enable them to undertake an undergraduate degree in the area of Actuarial Science. These modules have been carefully designed to include material that they will come across should they successfully proceed onto the BSc Actuarial Science undergraduate degree programme.

In addition to providing students with the essential mathematical and scientific background necessary to progress onto the undergraduate Actuarial Science degree programme, there is an integrated study and communication skills component. This, together with considerable tutorial support, aims to encourage the development of the students' awareness of the learning process, and to foster their intellectual development, so that they achieve a sense of their competence as learners.

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Structure

What will I learn?

The Foundation course has been designed to familiarise you with material that you will study in more depth in later years of the Actuarial Science degree programme.

The teaching style on the foundation course is different to that which you will encounter on the rest of the degree. The foundation course will have lower numbers of students than on the main degree programme and there is more continual assessment. This will help you to make the adjustment from the teaching style at most schools and colleges to the university style, which usually requires more self-study.

Unlike the other years of your degree, there is no exam period due to the use of continual assessment which takes the form of in-class tests and take home courseworks, which can be both individual and group based.

Assessment methods

Some assessment is by coursework which you take home and complete with the aid of your notes. For year 0, there will be continual assessment using class tests but no large formal exams.

Percentage of the course assessed by coursework

The approximate percentage of the course assessment, based on 2017/18 entry is as follows:

Year 0

0% written, 17% practical, 83% coursework.

Overall workload

Most contact hours take the form of lectures. A number of tutorials, exercise classes and surgery hours are scheduled during the year. Approximate study time based on 2018/19 entry is as follows:

Year 0

28% scheduled learning, 72% independent learning, 0% placement.

Term dates

Academic year

For a full breakdown of the current and forthcoming academic year view our term dates page.

Timetables

Course timetables are normally available from July and can be accessed from our timetabling pages. These pages also provide timetables for the current academic year, though this information should be viewed as indicative and details may vary from year to year.

View academic timetables

Please note that all academic timetables are subject to change.

Application

How to apply

All applications should be made through UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. Applications are made via Apply, UCAS's online application system.

UCAS Institution code: C60 (Bayes Business School and City, University of London)
UCAS Course code: G320

You can find more information at UCAS and in the UCAS Handbook.

Bayes Business School works in partnership with INTO City and Kaplan International College London to offer foundation courses for international students.

More information about applying to Bayes

Terms and conditions

Students applying to study at Bayes Business School are subject to City, University of London's terms and conditions.

Entry requirements

The Foundation Programme is for home fee paying students only. If you think you may still be eligible based on your circumstances, for example you have EU Settlement/Pre-Settlement Status, Indefinite Leave to Remain or Refugee Status, please email bayesug@city.ac.uk. If you are an international student please refer to INTO City for information about the International Foundation Programme.

For international students who do not meet the entry requirements for year 1 entry we recommend our affiliated foundation course providers INTO City, University of London and KIC London.

A-Level: B (Maths) BB

If you are studying General Studies or Critical Thinking these subjects will not be included in any offer condition.

For A-Level applicants we also require a minimum of GCSE English Language grade 4 (C).

IB: 30 points overall with 5 in Higher Level Maths (either Maths Analysis & Approaches or Maths Applications & Interpretation) and English at either Higher Level 4 or Standard Level 5.

Contextual admissions

We apply a contextual admissions process for UK undergraduate applicants who have been in care, attend a low performing school, live in an area where few students go to university, or are the first generation of their family to enter Higher Education.

Those who are eligible may receive a conditional offer with reduced entry requirements, typically up to two grades lower for A-levels and one grade for the International Baccalaureate Diploma.

English language requirements

English language requirements

If your first language is not English, we will require evidence of English language proficiency. Minimum requirements are:

  • GCSE: Grade C or 4
  • IGCSE: Grade C
  • O-Level: Grade C
  • TOEFL (Test centre or iBT Special Home Edition): 92 overall (24 Writing, 23 Reading, 22 Speaking, 21 Listening)
  • A-Level: Grade C
  • Language Cert International ESOL: Language Cert B2 Communicator High Pass
  • IELTS (Academic, UKVI or IELTS Indicator): 6.5 overall with no less than 6.0 in any sub test
  • Pearson Academic Online / Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic: 59 overall with minimum of 59 in each sub test
  • International Baccalaureate: Grade 5 at Standard level or Grade 4 at Higher level
  • Cambridge English Advanced (also known as Certificate in Advanced English): Grade C (180 overall) at CEFR Level C1 with minimum 170 in each sub test
  • Cambridge English Proficiency (also known as Certificate of Proficiency in English): Pass qualification (all grades accepted)
  • Cambridge English First (also known as Certificate of First in English): Grade A (180-190) at CEFR Level C1
  • Vitnemal: English grade 5
  • French Baccalaureat: 14/20 in English
  • Malaysian GCE O Level (SPM-1119 syllabus only): grade A

Study abroad

This is an option on the BSc Actuarial Science course, to which you can progress upon successful completion of the Foundation year.

Partner institutions include:

Placements

This is an option on the BSc Actuarial Science course, to which you can progress upon completion of the Foundation year.

Fees

UK £7,200 Tuition fees are subject to annual change

UK students

The tuition fee for UK students for this year is £7,200 for the 2023/24 academic year.

The tuition fees indicated are for the 2023/24 academic year only. Fees for each subsequent year of study are subject to an annual increase to take account of City's increased costs of delivering educational services. This increase will be 5% for each subsequent year of study. You should expect your fee to increase by this amount and budget accordingly.

Career pathways

The majority of graduates of the BSc Actuarial Science degree, to which you can progress upon successful completion of the Foundation year, become actuarial trainees and study for the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries' examinations. Others embark on careers in:

  • Investment banking and investment management
  • accountancy
  • commercial banking
  • insurance
  • financial analysis
  • management
  • computing and teaching.

Recent employers have included EY, Travellers Insurance and Towers Watson. Some students progress to postgraduate study, often on Bayes Business School's MSc Actuarial Management.

See what our BSc (Hons) Actuarial Science graduates are doing six months after completion of the course.

Alumni stories

Hear from our alumni. Discover the real experiences of learning at Bayes and how Bayes helped to boost our graduates' careers.

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