BSc (Hons) Accounting and Management with Foundation Bachelor's degree at the University of Reading
BSc (Hons) Accounting and Management with Foundation at University of Reading. The foundation year means you don't need prior qualifications in these subjects, you build them as you go.
About this course
BSc (Hons) Accounting and Management with Foundation is a Bachelor's degree (BSc (Hons)) at the University of Reading. It runs 4 years, studied full-time.
For Management studies graduates from this provider, 90% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 65% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £30,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Accounting & Finance, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Limited evidence Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 90% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 78% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Foundation Year 5 modules
- Learning for Change: Academic Skills and Sustainable DevelopmentCompulsory
Module details
Engage with global challenges through the lens of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Drawing on insights from business, law, social sciences and the humanities, you'll explore complex societal issues and learn how academic knowledge connects with real world problems. This module also supports the development of academic resilience, critical thinking, and the graduate attributes that will empower your future studies.
- The World of BusinessCompulsory
Module details
Explore how organisations operate and how decisions are made in real business environments. Working through an applied, interactive scenario, you'll develop core knowledge of mathematical, statistical, and business concepts. By the end of the module, you'll have a strong foundation to help you succeed throughout your academic and professional journey.
- Transforming Organisations through People: Making Work WorkCompulsory
Module details
Discover what shapes successful organisations. This module helps you develop awareness of workplace behaviours, team dynamics, and professional skills. You'll apply principles of project management and examine the organisational structures and human factors that drive effective performance.
- Conquer the World of DataOptional
Module details
Build confidence in using mathematics, statistics, and data, essential tools in every business environments. You'll be introduced to a range of analytical techniques and learn how to work responsibly and effectively with data. These skills will help you interpret financial and numerical information accurately and make informed decisions. This module offers extended contact hours to develop your confidence with data literacy.
- Conquer the World of Data for FinanceOptional
Module details
This module deepens your understanding of data analysis within financial contexts. You will learn mathematical and statistical methods used across the business world, alongside techniques for assessing data reliability. By developing strong analytical skills, you'll be well prepared for the demands of your undergraduate finance studies. This module offers extended contact hours to develop your confidence with data literacy.
Year 1 7 modules
- Business Insight and PerformanceCompulsory
Module details
Explore the techniques, principles and underlying concepts relating to the analysis of management accounting information - including the examination of costs, revenues and profits. You'll gain experience of the approaches used in today's businesses and understand how they fit together to provide an overview of a business' performance.
- Fundamentals of Business and SustainabilityCompulsory
Module details
Explore the fundamentals of sustainability, ethics, and international business strategy, with a focus on their relevance to the professional accountant's role. You'll study key business concepts, theories, and models within the context of sustainability and ethical frameworks.
- Accounting FundamentalsCompulsory
Module details
Develop a sound understanding of the techniques of double-entry bookkeeping, and learn how to apply its principles in recording accounting transactions, adjusting financial records, and preparing non-complex financial statements.
- Law and BusinessCompulsory
Module details
Gain an understanding of the principles of English law that are relevant in a commercial context, and particularly those relevant to accountancy qualifications. The content of this module aligns with the requirements for professional accreditation.
- Business in Practice: Data AnalyticsCompulsory
Module details
Study key concepts in data analytics and explore visualisation techniques for summarising data. Topics will include: types of data, types of distributions (with an emphasis on the normal distribution), using parametric and non-parametric tests to analyse statistical differences, and regression models. You'll also gain experience in using GUI-based tools for analysing data.
- Developing Professional ExcellenceCompulsory
Module details
Develop the key skills and competencies to thrive in your studies and your career, including communication, business writing and time management skills. You'll also explore careers theories and gain practical skills that can help you with internships, placements or applications for graduate positions.
- Introductory Economics for Business and FinanceOptional
Module details
Develop an understanding of micro- and macroeconomics, enabling you to see how businesses are affected by developments in specific markets as well as by changes at the level of the entire economy.
Year 2 8 modules
- Business FinanceCompulsory
Module details
Discover the purpose of the financial management function within a business. Explore the theory and practice of financing decisions. Develop your knowledge, understanding and skills of financial management, assessing the working capital needs of a business and the ways in which the elements of working capital may be managed.
- Financial AccountingCompulsory
Module details
Study the various International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), along with the related accounting concepts you'll need to understand in order to prepare single entity and consolidated financial statements.
- Further Management AccountingCompulsory
Module details
Gain insight into financial information techniques, principles, and concepts for organisational decision-making, planning, and control. Understand theories, technical language, and practices within the business context, including contemporary management accounting developments.
- Personal TaxOptional
Module details
Enhance your knowledge of the UK tax system and calculate income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax and inheritance tax for individuals in given scenarios.
- Assurance in ContextOptional
Module details
Discover the nature and purpose of audit and assurance and gain a practical understanding of the work undertaken by assurance providers. You'll examines the stages of the audit process, considering the work done by the assurance provider at each stage. The importance of assurance in achieving good corporate governance, and its wider political, economic and social context will also be considered.
- Trends in FinanceOptional
Module details
Contextualise current issues and debates in finance by placing them in the historical evolution of finance. Understand how finance has evolved over time and where it may develop in the future.
- Climate Change and FinanceOptional
Module details
Gain an overview of the scientific consensus on climate change and its projected social and economic consequences, in order to understand how the financial sector can help to mitigate and manage these impacts.
- Banking LawOptional
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
This course embeds a foundation year to develop quantitative and academic skills before entering the core accounting and management curriculum. A course like this typically progresses from fundamentals in Year 1, financial accounting, introduction to finance, and quantitative methods for business, before moving to Year 2 modules in management accounting, corporate finance, and financial reporting and analysis. In Year 3, you'll usually choose specialist options such as audit and assurance, taxation, corporate finance, financial risk, fintech, or professional-body exemptions, alongside advanced corporate reporting and an independent dissertation or applied project. Throughout, the focus moves from understanding accounting principles and financial concepts to applying them to real business decisions.
Who it's for
You're suited to this course if you're interested in accounting, finance and business management but want a structured entry point without requiring specialist A-levels beforehand. You'll thrive if you're comfortable with quantitative work, enjoy solving problems systematically, and are keen to develop both technical expertise and workplace-ready skills. The foundation year means you can build confidence and foundational knowledge alongside your peers in a similar position. Expect a blend of classroom learning, analytical exercises and practical application, this isn't purely theoretical, but it demands genuine engagement with maths and critical thinking.
Careers & job market
Across Accounting and Finance courses nationally, 87% of graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduating, and 65% of working graduates are in highly skilled roles or further study. National graduate earnings data shows starting salaries of £25,000–£32,500 at 15 months; after three years, £23,375–£33,000; and after five years, £30,175–£42,600. These reflect actual graduate outcomes data and vary by role, location and individual progression.
University & format
This degree is studied at the University of Reading, a university founded in 1892, over 4 years on a full-time basis. Instruction is in English. The course is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and the EFMD Quality Improvement System. The university holds Silver for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023 and is a recognised UK degree-awarding body; degrees are nationally recognised.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 100% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students came in with a broad spread of qualifications and UCAS points. If you're worried about grades, this course has historically taken a wide range, and contextual offers may apply.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code NNF1). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Provider fee page (England 2026/27 cap where not stated).
Check fees at University of Reading →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Accounting & Finance graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £30,000 | £26,000 – £38,000 | 10 |
| 3 years after | £34,000 | £27,500 – £41,500 | 235 |
| 5 years after | £47,500 | £36,000 – £60,500 | 240 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Limited evidence. Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in accounting & finance · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Accounting & Finance nationally
National figures for Accounting & Finance graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Limited evidence. Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Accounting & Finance courses at the same study level.
Compared with 957 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Finance ProfessionalsSOC 2020 242 · 25% of published destinations · ASHE median £47,173
- Administrative occupationsSOC 2020 41 · 20% of published destinations · ASHE median £27,006
- Business and public service associate professionalsSOC 2020 35 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £38,760
- Elementary occupationsSOC 2020 9 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £19,087
- Business and Financial Project Management ProfessionalsDiscover Uni category · 10% of published destinations
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 70; response rate: 50%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Accounting & Finance graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Accounting & Finance graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- The Big Four (Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG)
- Banks & insurers
- Corporate finance teams
- HMRC & public sector
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Accounting & Finance graduates.
Accounting & FinanceLecturerGEDU Global EducationAccounting Engineer - Pre-Sales & Post SalesStacksAccounting Advisory Manager | Lead Client Projects HybridCFGIAccounting, Insight and Advisory ManagerRSM UKAccounting & FinanceLecturerGEDU ServicesAccounting Associate Apprentice Business Services (September 2026)Best ApprenticeshipsIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
90% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £30,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 8.3 out of 10: NSS 80.9% · in work or study 90% · continued 78%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
The University of Reading
Business and management across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around University of Reading
1,062 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Accounting & Finance right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to University of Reading from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is £23,000 / year for this course (from the provider’s fee page). You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check University of Reading’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with University of Reading and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at University of Reading
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Common questions
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