Admissions statement

Application process

Courses covered

CertHE Foundation in Arts and Social Sciences

The admissions team

The admissions team for this programme consists of a professional selection team, working in close cooperation with the programme directors:

  • Amy Laurent
  • Jess Farr-Cox
  • Nazia Hussein
  • April Gallwey
  • Melisa Williams

Applying for the programme

Note: You need directly to the University; not through UCAS.

Applications for September 2026 entry will open on 1st December 2025 and close at 23:59 GMT on 16th March 2026.

Contact us

If you have academic questions about the programme or the application process, please email the programme director Amy Laurent: amy.laurent@bristol.ac.uk.

For procedural or administrative questions, please email fass-info@bristol.ac.uk.

Admissions process

Assessment methods, interviews and written work

All applications forms are considered independently by members of the selection team and we will invite some applicants to an interview to be held online. 

We will ask some applicants to produce a short piece of written work on a specified topic in advance of the interview.  We will ensure that applicants receive information about this written work at least three weeks before it is due. This written work may well be discussed at the interview. 

There are no formal entry requirements for this course.

Each application will be judged on its own merits and we are actively looking to recruit students from a wide range of ages and educational, ethnic and social backgrounds. We are looking for applicants who are highly motivated to study on the Foundation programme and who have the potential to succeed in university study beyond it.

Priority

Where a high number of applications are received, priority may be given to:

  • Applicants without prior experience of higher education and/or who do not already hold a qualification at QCA level 3 (e.g. A-levels or an Access to HE Diploma)
  • Applicants who have strong reasons for wishing to progress to a degree programme in the Faculty of Arts at Bristol
  • Applicants from groups that are currently underrepresented in higher education. This may include:
    • Applicants from low-performing schools
    • Mature applicants (over the age of 21)
    • Applicants from areas where there is a low level of participation in higher education
    • Applicants from minority ethnic groups
    • Disabled applicants

Personal statement criteria

Applicants will be asked to provide a personal statement. This is your chance to tell us about:

  • What are you experiences of study in the past (positive or negative) and why to you want to return to study?
  • Why do want to study this particular course and what would you like to achieve by the end of it?
  • What subject area are you most interested in and how has this developed?
  • Would you like to go on to study for a degree?
  • What hobbies, interests and experiences do you have that will help you complete your studies?

Assessment of personal statement

  • Personal statements are assessed qualitatively on the following criteria:
  • Interest in and commitment to the programme
  • Evidence of academic potential
  • Appropriateness of this programme to the interests and aspirations declared in the statement
  • Non-academic achievement/experience, extra-curricular activities, positions of responsibility
  • Written English, expression, construction, argument
  • Responses to opportunities and challenges the applicant has faced