Information on this page is for Australian residents
Course not available to international students
Duration: 
16 weeks
Location: 
City Campus
Footscray Park
Delivery mode: 
In person
Fees: 
This course is fully government funded, and you will not incur a debt for tuition fees. You will need to pay non-tuition fees, including the annual student services & amenities fee.
Start dates:
16 June 2025
28 July 2025
29 September 2025

View all start dates
Application due dates:
Direct applications are due on 8 June 2025 for our next intake which starts on 16 June 2025.
Apply

Overview

Study the fully-funded Foundations at Victoria University, to reach your goal of studying a higher education undergraduate or diploma course.

In this course, you'll be introduced to a broad range of study skills needed to complete further study.

You'll learn valuable skills such as:

  • how to plan, research, write and present assignments to meet university standards
  • how to evaluate, analyse, and interpret complex data/text in order to form arguments and reach a conclusion
  • better ways to use technology to complete your coursework.

You will also gain a better sense of what course or career you'd like to pursue next, develop confidence in your ability to continue tertiary education and become familiar with VU's support services.

Completing our Foundations 13-week course can help you get your higher-education plans back on track.

Foundations at VU is for domestic students (Australian citizens or permanent residents) who have attempted an Australian Year 12 (or equivalent) and have successfully completed an Australian Year 11 (or equivalent).

During the course, you'll be supported in your learning by talented, experienced and caring staff.

One of our program educators, Brigitte Friedrich, has over 30 years of experience in senior school, foundation programs and higher education in Australia and overseas.

Brigitte is enthusiastic and passionate about creating units of study which:

  • maximise the use of learning technologies
  • connects learning with the real world
  • develops the potential of each individual.

Brigitte makes her class materials relevant, current and engaging. She builds trusting relationships with her students which values and nurtures their social, cultural and emotional needs and cultivates a love of learning.

Each unit is delivered with five hours of in-person learning each week spread across two classes. There will be a 2-hour and a 3-hour face-to-face class each week. This results in 20 hours of in-person learning per week.

Our science units take place at our Footscray Park Campus where you will learn in our modern laboratories with the latest equipment. All other units are delivered at our City Campus.

Need some advice?

Request a call back from one of our experienced VUHQ course advisers to get your questions answered.

Request a call back
Foundations at VU JYAC video - Transcript

Pathways to further study

When you finish this course, you will have the opportunity to start your degree or diploma studies. You just need to pass all four units of study and meet certain conditions.

Explore the pathways that are available as part of this course:

Any units of study completed as part of this course will not be credit bearing for undergraduate or diploma studies.

Course contents

To satisfactorily complete the Foundations at VU course, students will be required to complete four units:

- Two Core units
- Two Specified units

Students will be advised that it may be a requirement to undertake a Mathematics unit in order to satisfy the conditions of entry into some Victoria University undergraduate degrees or higher education diplomas.

Foundation Enabling Outcomes

After completing the foundation program, students will have a knowledge of:
The VU university environment and expectations, requirements, academic conventions including academic integrity, knowledge of academic literacies including some discipline specific knowledge in the areas of humanities, since and maths.

Students will demonstrate a range of skills including:
-
Cognitive skills to understand, analyse, synthesise and critically evaluate information;
-
Information skills to find, retrieve and amylase information for use in academic contexts;
-
Communication practices to foster the exchange of knowledge and ideas within an academic context;
-
Academic literacy skills enabling the written communication of ideas and critical analysis;
- Independent learning including digital literacy skills.

Admission & pathways

Meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee you entry into this course. Some courses receive more applications than the number of places available. In this situation we will also assess your education, work and other relevant experience.

Find out more about how to apply for our courses, and our commitment to admissions transparency.

Have completed 6 months of an Australian Year 12 (or equivalent) program of study and have successfully completed an Australian Year 11 or a comparable educational level.

How to apply

Available start dates:
  • 16 June 2025
  • 28 July 2025
  • 29 September 2025
  • 6 October 2025

Apply direct to VU

Direct applications are due on 8 June 2025 for our next intake which starts on 16 June 2025.

Apply direct to VU

Already a VU student?

If you are already a VU student, apply direct to VU using our Admissions centre to transfer into this course. Remember it’s best to be accepted into your new course before withdrawing from your current one.

After you apply

  • It’s important to check for emails from us (which may go to your spam/junk folder).
  • Complete any requests for information by the given dates, otherwise your application may not be considered

Applications for this course are currently open. Click the apply button below to get started.

Apply

Enquire now

Please fill out the form below, and we'll get back to you shortly.

Information marked with an asterisk "*" is required.

Refer to our privacy policy and data collection notification statement for more information.

Get help

At Victoria University, we aim to display accurate and complete course information online. However, we are unable to guarantee that every course change is currently displayed. You may contact the University directly on +61 3 9919 6100 to confirm the most up-to-date course fees, pathways and credit transfer, recognition of prior learning, admission and enrolment procedures, examinations and services available to our students.