Foundation Degrees & Higher National Diplomas
University Level Courses
Course Overview
Did you know your students can study for degrees and other Higher Education courses at East Sussex College?
We offer a growing range of Higher Education courses from Higher National Diplomas/Certificates to full top-up degrees.
You can study for two years with us on a Foundation Degree or Higher National Diploma/Certificate and then study for a further year to obtain a full degree (known as a “top-up degree”).
We are delighted that East Sussex college has entered a partnership with the University of East Anglia which is consitently ranked in world's top 200 universities by Times Higher Education and in top 30 in the UK. The University of East Anglia (UEA) plans to accredit all of our degree level courses by September 2024.
If you would more like more detail about the individual courses on offer, please click here and then click on University Course Guide at the bottom of the page.
Higher National Certificates (HNCs) and Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) are work-related higher education qualifications. Higher National Certificate is Level 4 and Higher National Diplomas are Level 5.
HNCs and HNDs focus on "learning by doing" and give skills that you can use in a particular job. They are highly valued by employers and can also count towards membership of professional bodies and other employer organisations.
HNCs take one year to complete full-time and HNDs take two years full-time.
Foundation degrees are higher education qualifications, mainly taught in Further Education colleges like ours. They mix academic and work related learning and offer a clear route to university or into employment.
Equivalent to two years of a traditional honours degree. A Foundation Degree is a qualification in itself and many students gain employment or decide to study for one more year by doing a “Top-Up” honours course.
A top-up degree is the equivalent of a final year in a BA (Hons) or BSc (Hons) degree, perfect for students who have already spent two years completing a Higher National Diploma (HND), a two year Foundation degree, or any equivalent qualificatiion.
The UK government has announced that it will introduce the Graduate Route from the summer of 2021. From this time, students holding a valid Tier 4 or Student visa, who have completed a degree at undergraduate level or above at a UK Higher Education Provider, will be able to remain in the UK and work, or look for work, for 2 years after they complete their studies.
Whilst the exact start date for the scheme is not yet known, it is clear that students with a Tier 4 or Student visa, starting or continuing a degree programme from September 2020 will be able to apply once they have successfully completed their programme. Applications can be made during the post study period, which is the period of time added to your visa after your programme end date.”
Please click here for further details.
Entry requirements:
Please note that although students aged 16-18 are classified as adults in respect of their eligibility for this course, they are subject to stricter rules on supervision, details of which can be found here.
The college is closed one day each term for staff training.
If you are a Visa National, we recommend that you contact our International Admissions at international@escg.ac.uk for advice before choosing your course, study duration, and visa type. We also suggest that you visit the following website:
Residential Accommodation
As you may know, students at our Lewes campus have enjoyed our residential accommodation for over 18s, called Caburn House, for many years.
Each student has their own study bedroom and own en-suite bathroom with shared use of kitchens, common and games rooms and laundry facilities.
We are proud to announce that we can now offer fabulous new residential accommodation for over 18s at our Hastings campus.
Please click here for full details.