King's International Foundation Programme
Find out more about our specialist one-year foundation course
The aim of the King’s International Foundation Programme is to prepare you for undergraduate study at UK university — and over 80% of our students progressed to King’s for undergraduate study in 2024.
In the last five years, between 65-90% of students met their progression requirements and progressed to a King’s undergraduate degree. Between 15-20% of students who complete the King's International Foundation Programme progress to study at another UK university.
King's International Foundation Programme students are guaranteed a conditional offer or interview for most programmes within their pathway progression routes. A small number of programmes do not guarantee a conditional offer due to additional entry requirements.
You’ll be made a conditional offer, which means you’ll need to achieve certain grades in order to progress to your chosen undergraduate degree. This will include an overall grade for your International Foundation Programme and, for some programmes, specific subject requirements. Details of the grades you’ll need to achieve will be shared with you when you join King’s Foundations. In the meantime, you can learn more about progression requirements using our A-level Equivalency Table further below.
Meet Jack from our Student Experience team who is our progression specialist.
If you want to study Dentistry, Law, Medicine, Midwifery, Music, Nursing, Pharmacy or Physiotherapy, a conditional offer is not guaranteed. That’s because these degrees require applicants to take additional external tests or to attend an interview.
Midwifery, Nursing, Pharmacy and Physiotherapy at King's will guarantee an interview for applicants on the correct pathway.
Law requires applicants to meet the required threshold in the LNAT.
Both Dentistry and Medicine require applicants to meet the required threshold in the UCAT applicants who meet the required UCAT score will then be invited to attend an interview. There’s a cap, implemented by the UK Government, on the number of international places available for both Dentistry and Medicine. We recommend you read the below factsheet before applying for the International Foundation Programme to progress to Dentistry or Medicine.
Note that the only pathway accepted for Dentistry or Medicine is the Health & Biosciences pathway and that applicants must select the following modules: Biology and Chemistry.
If you have any queries, please email kings-foundations@kcl.ac.uk.
King’s offers over 150 different undergraduate degrees, but you’ll only be eligible to apply for ones that match up with your pathway and module combination choices.
This means you need to have a good idea of the subject area you want to study, and you must choose the Foundation pathway and optional module(s) that will allow you to progress to your chosen degree.
We’ll make sure you know how to apply to a King's undergraduate programme as a King's International Foundation Programme student and support you to make the best decisions on which degree(s) you should apply for.
We do this by:
King's International Foundation Programme students can apply for up to three undergraduate degrees directly with King’s, using the King’s Apply website without writing another personal statement or using UCAS. Students then select a firm and an insurance choice.
However, you will not be able to apply directly for the following:
If you’re interested in these degrees, you’ll need to apply through UCAS. Please note that the UCAS deadline for Dentistry and Medicine applications is 15 October 2024. Additional entry conditions, such as the UCAT, must be completed in advance of joining King's Foundations. For more information please review the below factsheet.
Once you have applied to your chosen undergraduate programmes, you will need to meet the progression requirements stated in your offer. This will be an overall grade in the King's International Foundation Programme (eg an A, or 70% overall) and, where applicable, a grade in a specific module (eg a B+ in Mathematics for Natural Science).
All progression requirements are equivalent to A-Level qualifications, which are listed as standard on King’s undergraduate programme webpages and on UCAS.
To check which degrees you are guaranteed conditional offers for, check the webpage for your chosen module combination and select ‘Degree Eligibility’.
You can use the table below to calculate the entry requirements needed to progress to your chosen undergraduate degree programme. Please be aware that exceptions may apply and you will be given access to the full progression routes for your King’s International Foundation Programme pathway and module combination when you join King’s Foundations:
A-Level Requirements |
International Foundation Overall Progression Requirement |
A*A*A |
A (70%) |
A*AA |
A (70%) |
AAA |
B+ (65%) |
AAB |
B+ (65%) |
ABB |
B (60%) |
BBB |
B (60%) |
A-Level Subject Requirement |
International Foundation Subject Progression Requirement |
A* |
A (70%) |
A |
B+ (65%) |
B |
B (60%) |
For example, if an undergraduate programme at A-Level requires A*AA with an A in Mathematics, you would need to achieve an A (70%) overall in the King's International Foundation Programme and a B+ (65%) in the Mathematics module to progress.
Some King's International Foundation Programme students want to expand their progression options and apply to other universities or for less competitive courses. These applications need to be made through UCAS, and we’ll provide you with guidance and advice on how to do so.
We’ll also help you apply with UCAS if you’re interested in one of the specific degrees that don’t allow direct applications. This is particularly important if you want to study Medicine or Dentistry because the deadline to apply for those courses is in mid-October each year.
Find out more about our specialist one-year foundation course
Take a closer look at our four foundation pathways, updated for 2025
See how we help students prepare to succeed at university