The new Foundation Year offers talented students from backgrounds of educational disadvantage a new route to undergraduate study.
Lucy Cavendish College has made offers to six students for a place on the University of Cambridge’s first-ever pre-degree foundation year. The new foundation programme, funded by philanthropists Christina and Peter Dawson, will provide a new route to undergraduate education for around 50 talented students.
The Foundation Year is aimed at engaging an entirely new stream of applicants who have been prevented from reaching their full potential by their circumstances. Those who have been in care, those estranged from their families, and those who have missed significant periods of learning because of health issues are among the groups the Foundation Year aims to reach – students whose education has been disrupted and are therefore unlikely to be in a position to apply to study at Cambridge through the standard admissions process. The Foundation Year also aims to reach students who have been unable to access suitable qualifications, those from low-income backgrounds, and those from schools which send few students to university.
Professor Stephen Toope, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, said: “The Cambridge Foundation Year offers a fresh approach to widening participation at Cambridge. It is an innovative programme that aims to reach an entirely new field of Cambridge candidates, and to transform lives. After all the planning that has gone into creating the Cambridge Foundation Year, and the hard work of many people across the University and Colleges, I’m delighted that we have reached this important moment.”
Dr Mark King, Admissions Director at Lucy Cavendish, said: “Lucy Cavendish is delighted to be among the Colleges welcoming the first year of students on this ground-breaking new programme. We have been involved in the Foundation Year since its inception as part of our wider work to transform the face of the Cambridge student body and we are excited about the contribution to our diverse community that these six students will make. I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to the students who have received offers; they have come through a very competitive selection process and have demonstrated great academic potential. We cannot wait to see the impact of the Foundation Year in helping them to achieve this potential.”