Biological Sciences Foundation (1+3) BSc (Hons)

University of Liverpool

Key Course Facts

Student Satisfaction	75%
Salary after 15 months	£24000
Unemployment Rate	2% unemployed Proportion of students of this particular course unemployed and not studying 15 months after their course ended. Source: Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) by UK Department for Education Dec 20, 2022
Student Dropout Rate	2% Proportion of students of Biological Sciences Foundation (1+3) BSc (Hons) who are not continuing into their following year of study or have not been awarded a qualification in either of the two comparison years. Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023
Duration	4 years - Full-time
Campus	On campus - Main Site
Degree	Bachelor of Science (Honours), BSc (Hons)
Subject	Biological Sciences

Admission advice for international students

Student Reviews

Below you can see course specific reviews of 145 graduates of Biological Sciences Foundation (1+3) BSc (Hons) and other courses in Biosciences at University of Liverpool for each of the survey questions in comparison to the average for all UK degree courses in Biosciences.

Overall student satisfaction

75 /100

145 total respondents

Primarily based on data from undergraduate degree students.

	Biological Sciences Foundation (1+3) BSc (Hons) and other Biosciences courses of University of Liverpool	Average review score among all Biological Sciences courses in the UK
Explanations	97	94
Interesting courses	81	81
Intellectually stimulating	90	88
Challenged to do my best	90	85
Depth of concepts	87	83
Builds on previous learnings	89	86
Joined ideas from different topics	85	83
Balance directed/independent study	77	79
Applicability of course content	84	82
Clear criteria in markings	72	75
Fair assessment	77	80
Tests reflected your learning	68	78
Timely feedback	73	74
Helpful feedback	65	65
Approachability of teachers	90	84
Support from teachers	90	85
Organisation of courses	87	78
Communication of changes	73	78
IT facilities	89	86
Library	90	90
Course specific resources	87	87
Student feedback opportunities	91	84
Student feedback valued	82	76
Student's feedback acted upon	59	59
Work of student union	81	74
Mental wellbeing services	71	73
Overall satisfaction	75	80

Source: National Student Survey NSS 2023. The Overall student satisfaction data point is from 2022 (latest available year). The Office for Students made the unfortunate decision to discontinue collecting overall student satisfaction data points per course.
All Biosciences courses of University of Liverpool

The NSS is commissioned by the Office for Students

Salary

Salary of Graduates in Biosciences

Important: Salary data below is not course specific, but contains data of all students of Biosciences at the university. Due to data collection methodology, salary data is mainly based on data related to undergraduate students.

	15 months after graduation	3 years after graduation	5 years after graduation
Median salary	£24000	£23000	£27500
25-75 percentile range	£21000 - £28000	£16000 - £26500	£21500 - £34500

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All Biosciences courses of University of Liverpool

Salary of all UK Graduates of Biosciences

	15 months after graduation	3 years after graduation	5 years after graduation
Median salary	£24966	£22375	£26273
25-75 percentile range	£20975 - £27992	£16894 - £27526	£20699 - £33736

Source: Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) by UK Department for Education Dec 20, 2022
All Biosciences courses in the UK

Course Description

Intended for adult learners or undergraduates who wish to take up Biology but do not have the appropriate subject background, Biological Sciences offers a foundation year at nearby Carmel College. This is not a programme in itself but acts as a springboard onto other Life Science degrees. This deferred choice programme means that you have the flexibility and freedom to switch to your chosen degree after completing the foundation year (Year Zero).

The aim of this programme is to make you an expert in one particular field with the ability to cross discipline boundaries, a highly attractive prospect to employers.

Year Zero comprises introductory modules taught at Carmel College. Years One, Two and Three will continue at Liverpool following the chosen area of interest through to BSc (Hons) or MBiolSci (Hons) completion.

Programme options are:

Biochemistry (C700)
Biological and Medical Sciences (C130)
Biological Sciences (C100)
Genetics (C400)
Human Physiology (B120)
Microbiology (C500)
Pharmacology (B210)
Tropical Disease Biology (C111)
Zoology (C300).

Jobs & Career Perspectives

15 months after graduation, graduates of this course were asked about what they do and, if they are working, about their current job and their perspectives.

What graduates are doing after 15 months

	All University of Liverpool graduates of undergraduate studies in Biosciences	All UK graduates of undergraduate studies in Biosciences
Total respondents	140	2010
Unemployed	2%	4%
Studying	19%	17%
Working	57%	60%
Both studying and working	14%	11%
No information	5%	5%

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All Biosciences courses of University of Liverpool

Current jobs

Job in line with future plans

Utilise skills from studies

Work is meaningful

	Agree or strongly agree	Disagree
Job in line with future plans	65%	35%
Utilise skills from studies	40%	60%
Work is meaningful	82%	18%

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All courses of University of Liverpool

Required skill level of job after 15 months

% Skilled jobs

	% Skilled jobs
Highly-skilled jobs	72%
Non highly-skilled jobs	24%
Skill level unknown or unclassified	4%

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All Biology (Non-Specific) courses of University of Liverpool

Jobs of graduates of this course (15 months after graduation)

Example below based on all graduates of Biological Sciences Foundation (1+3) BSc (Hons) at University of Liverpool

20%	Teaching Professionals
16%	Managers, directors and senior officials
9%	Protective service occupations
5%	Finance Professionals
5%	Natural and social science professionals
5%	Business and public service associate professionals
4%	Administrative occupations
4%	Therapy professionals
4%	Caring personal services
2%	Welfare and housing associate professionals

Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023

Grading & Study Time

Assessment Methods

Study Time Distribution

Assessment Methods
	Coursework	Percentage of assessment by practical exams	Written exams

Study Time Distribution
	Scheduled learning and teaching	Guided independent study	Placements
year 1	25%	75%	0%
year 2	36%	64%	0%
year 3	28%	72%	0%
year 4	27%	73%	0%

Entry Requirements / Admissions

Source: UCAS Dec 4, 2023

UCAS Tariff of Accepted Students for Biosciences

Average UCAS Tariff Score 148

Tariff score	% of students accepted for courses in Biosciences
<48	0
48-63	1
64-79	0
80-95	0
96-111	3
112-127	11
128-143	27
144-159	26
160-175	18
176-191	6
192-207	5
208-223	2
224-239	0
>240	0

Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023
All Biosciences courses of University of Liverpool

Qualification requirements

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

Contextual Information The University of Liverpool is committed to supporting talented applicants from all backgrounds to succeed. When you apply, we consider a range of factors - such as where you live - to assess if you’re eligible for further consideration as part of the admissions process. This includes further consideration for additional assessments such as interviews and during the results period. To find out how we use contextual data, please see https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/applying/contextual-data/

Source: UCAS Dec 4, 2023

Requirements for international students / English requirements

IELTS academic test score (similar tests may be accepted as well)

- 6.5
- All Degrees

Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Biological Sciences Foundation (1+3), BSc (Hons), if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

Costs

Average student cost of living in the UK

Rent	£518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home)	£50
Supermarket shopping	£81
Clothing	£35
Eating out	£33
Alcohol	£27
Takeaways / food deliveries	£30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food)	£24
Holidays and weekend trips	£78
Transport within city	£17
Self-care / sports	£20
Stationary / books	£13
Mobile phone / internet	£13
Cable TV / streaming	£7
Insurance	£51
Other	£95

Average student cost of living	£1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

Source: Own research based on surveys and university data

How to apply

Application deadline:

January 1, 2025

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Possible Entry Points:

Foundation

University Rankings

Positions of University of Liverpool in top UK and global rankings.

See all 32 university rankings of University of Liverpool

About University of Liverpool

The University of Liverpool is a government funded university found in the city of Liverpool, England. It is one of the universities that founded the Russell Group, the N8 Group which is a partnership of the eight most research-intensive universities in Northern England. The majority of the university’s activities take place in a single urban campus just a five minute’s walk from Liverpool City Centre.

List of 627 Bachelor and Master Courses from University of Liverpool - Course Catalogue

Student composition of University of Liverpool

Total number of students enrolled at University of Liverpool by level Academic year 2021/22 - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022
undergraduates:: 21705
postgraduates:: 4615
Total:: 26320

Number of students enrolled in courses of subject “Biological Sciences”: Academic year - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022

Source: Academic year 2021/22 - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022

Similar courses

Program	University	Student satisfaction	Unemployed	Dropout	Tuition (UK)	Tuition (International)	UCAS Tariff	City
Medical Biosciences with Management BSc (Hons)	Imperial College of Science	-	-	-	£9250	£37900	-	London	On campus Full-time
Biological Sciences with Foundation Year BSc (Hons)	The University of Sheffield	-	-	-	£9250	£29110	-	Sheffield	On campus Full-time
Biology with Foundation Year BSc (Hons)	University of Derby	-	-	-	£9250	£14900	-	Derby	On campus Full-time
Biological Sciences with Spanish for Science BSc (Hons)	Imperial College of Science	-	-	-	£9250	£41650	-	London	On campus Full-time
Biology BSc (Hons)	Aberystwyth University	-	-	-	£9000	£18830	-	Aberystwyth	On campus Full-time
Biological Sciences with Management BSc (Hons)	The University of Edinburgh	78%	0%	1%	£9250	£34800	198	Edinburgh	On campus Full-time
Biological Sciences (Evolutionary Biology) BSc (Hons)	The University of Edinburgh	-	-	-	£9250	£34800	-	Edinburgh	On campus Full-time
Life Sciences BSc (Hons)	Brunel University	67%	11%	0%	£9250	£21470 £23615	136	Uxbridge	On campus Full-time
Biological Sciences (Zoology) BSc (Hons)	Oxford Brookes University	79%	0%	10%	£9250	£16900	116	Oxford	On campus Full-time
Biology (with integrated year in industry) BSc (Hons)	Aberystwyth University	-	-	-	£9000	£18830	-	Aberystwyth	On campus Full-time