An excellent overview from The Pie. Pathway – or Foundation - programmes are very widespread and well established (over 20 years in Australia and 15 years in UK) and are run by many universities in UK and Australia, as well as by private providers.
Yet while a few politicians have occasionally worried that pathway colleges are somehow a cause for concern or a cover for unwanted immigration, as has recently been raised in the Netherlands, the global experience of established centres tells a very different story.
These programs are not any kind of ‘back door’ because the exit tariffs set by the university for progression from the pathway to the university are always equivalent to those set for direct entry.
Universities always have oversight of the quality standards and in many countries the regulator also has oversight of provision. For example, Study Group is on the HE Register under OfS here in the UK.
The standard is rigorous and the care of teaching and support staff for their hopeful students is truly impressive.
Indeed, pathway programs give overseas students the chance to fully prepare and take advantage of the opportunity which will come next.
In an environment which specialises in supporting international students, those with ambitions to study engineering, law, business or architecture for example, acclimatise to a local culture and improve their language skills, especially in ways which will be specifically relevant to their course.
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