Life Sciences (with a foundation year) BSc (Hons)

Open doors in the Life Sciences and discover your passion. Develop the core skills to tackle some of the world’s most pressing scientific challenges.

Select your start date

This course is available in Clearing.

Key information

Why choose this course at Sussex?

  • Consolidate and develop scientific skills valued by diverse sectors and progress on your Higher Education path.
  • Build laboratory skills and practical experience with teaching driven by the latest demands of the working world and ground-breaking research.
  • Learn study methods, knowledge and gain the grounding necessary to excel in various Life Science subjects.

If you don’t meet the entry requirements for direct entry into Year 1 of our Life Sciences courses, or do not have the appropriate combination of subjects, then this course is for you.

You’ll learn from scientists tackling some of the world’s most important challenges – such as conservation, cancer and dementia.

The Foundation Year is an intensive one-year programme that allows progression onto a large selection of degree courses at Sussex. You’ll gain the knowledge, confidence and study skills necessary to engage and excel. In addition to science theory lectures and seminars, you’ll develop laboratory skills and key transferable skills.

You’ll have the opportunity to explore exciting subjects in Life Sciences before you choose your degree. You’ll gain knowledge and experience of the content of different courses.

To prepare you for whichever course you pick, you learn both practical and academic skills in:

  • biology
  • chemistry.

This gives you the perfect grounding for your studies.

Our courses adapt to the latest demands of the working world and are informed by our Employer Advisory Panel of key organisations which hire our graduates. Our employability strand develops research skills, professional competencies, and includes dedicated sessions with our Careers and Entrepreneurship Team to help you bolster your CV, train for interviews, map out career trajectories, and more.

The favourite thing to me about my course is how diverse it is. There are so many subjects you can cover and so many different people you can meet.”Rudie Kauhanen
Life Sciences (with a foundation year) BSc
  • Video transcript

    Rudie: The favourite thing to me about my course is how diverse it is. There are so many subjects you can cover and so many different people you can meet.

    And I feel like regardless of which degree I end up picking, it's really going to set me up for the future working in an interdisciplinary way.

Campus tours

Join a campus tour this summer and get a feel for life at Sussex. With award-winning campus food, a National Park setting and buzzing Brighton on our doorstep, our location and facilities are hard to beat.

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On campus - in person

You’ll study for this degree on our campus, joining our academics and fellow students. With in-person contact time, digitally supported educational resources, library collections and independent study, this course is designed to give you an inclusive education. Your learning experience may also include work placements, field trips, studying abroad and internationalisation experiences.

Find out about our beautiful campus

Virtual tour

Want to learn more about life at Sussex?

Our 360° virtual tour has been designed to introduce you to life in our diverse, supportive and inclusive community. Join our students for an immersive experience as they reveal why Sussex offers a space to follow your passions, find your voice, and discover people and places that will inspire you.

Begin your tour

ResearchPlus

As a founding partner of ResearchPlus, a collaboration of research-focused universities, we engage with government, industry and civil society to support economic growth, prosperity and wellbeing across the whole of the UK.

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Core modules

Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.

Autumn teaching
Spring teaching

Options

Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.

While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.

Spring teaching

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2026/27. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

We’ll do our best to provide as much optional choice as we can, but timetabling constraints mean it may not be possible to take some module combinations. The structure of a small number of courses means that the order of modules or the streams you choose may determine whether modules are core or optional. This means that your core modules or options may differ from what’s shown here.

  • Video transcript

    [Music starts – light pop – no vocals]

    On screen text

    Want to help shape a better world through science?

    Want to tackle real world problems?

    And create world-changing impact?

    It all starts at the University of Sussex.

    Our research focussed courses span the whole of Life Sciences:

    Chemistry

    Biochemistry

    Neuroscience

    Biology

    Zoology

    Ecology and Conservation

    Biomedical Science

    Genetics

    Using the latest in cutting-edge advances.

    Guided by world-leading experts.

    Gain hands-on experience, in both our teaching labs and out in the field.

    Influence important policies on things such as the pesticides that kill our wildlife, and policies that protect endangered species.

    Work towards unlocking the secrets of the brain and ending the despair of cancer and Alzheimer’s.

    Join a community of leading scientists and like-minded students striving to make the world a better place for all.

    And follow in the footsteps of our 3 Nobel-prize winning alumni.

    We’re here today, to train the scientists of tomorrow.

    And you could be one of them.

    Find out more about the School of Life Sciences at sussex.ac.uk

    [Music ends]

Entry requirements

Is a Foundation Year for you?

You will need to demonstrate your potential to do well on a demanding degree, including the potential to succeed in your chosen discipline.

The following sets out some of the most common academic qualifications. However, each application is reviewed on its individual strengths and merits.

Find your place in Clearing

This course will be available in Clearing. Explore your options at Sussex – right here, right now.

Fees

Note that your fees, once they’re set, may be subject to an increase on an annual basis. Find details on our Tuition fees page.

Home students

£9,790 per year

Channel Islands and Isle of Man students

£9,790 per year

On 19 March 2026 the UK Parliament set out that the tuition fee cap for 2026 entry will be £9,790. As the University of Sussex keeps fees for Home students and Channel Islands and Isle of Man students in line with UK Government-approved levels, fees will be £9,790 in 2026. In line with our terms and conditions, the University charges fees at the maximum levels set by the UK Government.

International students

£23,500 per year

If you’re an international student, note that fees for the foundation year are at the standard lower rate but fees for courses you can choose to continue your studies are at the standard higher rate. This means your fees will rise from lower to higher level after the foundation year.

Living costs

We know the rising cost of living is on everyone’s mind, and affects us all in different ways. Our guide to living costs has been designed to help you plan and budget for life as a Sussex student.

Learn more about typical living costs

Scholarships

Our goal is to ensure that every student who wants to study with us is able to regardless of financial barriers, so that we continue to attract talented and unique people.

Please note: Foundation Year courses are not eligible for USA federal Direct Loan funds. Find out more about American Student Loans and Federal Student Aid

Contact us

Ask a student

Chat to Sussex students online via the UniBuddy chat platform.

Enquiries

Contact us with any questions about your course:

+44 (0)1273 876787
Ask us a question

Find out more about the School of Life Sciences

Legal information

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities described in this prospectus. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to government or regulatory requirements, or unanticipated staff changes, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.

Find out about our terms and conditions, including the student code of conduct and your cancellation rights

Find out about our complaints and appeals process

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