A closer look at the education sector's preparations for the “foundation year” system: The Higher Education Ministry announced in May its plan to implement a foundation year system as an optional program to qualify high school graduates or those with degree equivalent to a high school diploma for enrollment in various faculties and academic programs at private and national universities. The system is also designed to prepare students for studying abroad at universities that require a foundation year.

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You heard it here first: A senior government source told Enterprise last year that the government is planning to introduce the foundation year system. The initiative is part of a bigger plan to internationalize the nation’s education sector and attract a greater number of both Egyptian and foreign students to enroll in Egyptian universities rather than pursuing their studies abroad.

What is the foundation year system? Students enrolling in British and other international universities are able to take an introductory “foundation year” to prepare them for undertaking an undergraduate degree. Over the course of the year, students study a variety of subjects in their chosen field of study — whether that’s accounting, business, humanities, or arts and design — helping them make the jump to university education. Foundation years are popular with mature students, international students, and students who didn’t achieve the requisite exam results.

How will it work here? This system requires legislative amendments, which are currently being drafted by a committee formed for this purpose, sources at the Higher Education Ministry told Enterprise. The amendments will incorporate the foundation year system into the admission process for Egyptian universities and potentially qualify students for study at foreign universities.

A boost to students' scores: Students who successfully complete foundation courses through university-administered tests will receive bonus points toward their overall scores, according to the source. While the exact number hasn't been finalized yet, it's expected to range between 5-10%. These extra points will allow students to enroll in colleges that they couldn't with their high school scores alone.

Students will have complete freedom regarding whether or not they want to do the foundation year. Foundation years will be optional to students who want to do them and not mandatory.

Higher demand for uni seats: Private and national universities will be granted the right to put together foundation years, which is poised to increase demand for college spots.

The catch: Students who complete the foundation year will not be eligible to apply to public universities, as the system is designed to increase demand for private and national universities, the source said.

It’s only a “year” figuratively: The foundation year will be based on a credit hour system that can be completed in just three months, according to the sources. This will allow students to enroll in their desired college during the same academic year.

Competitive pricing: The price tag for the foundation year will be “competitive” but won’t be low enough to maintain balance among universities that will be allowed to offer this course, a source from the Supreme Council of Universities told us.

When will this system kick off? The legislative amendments for foundation years will likely be submitted to the House in its new session, with the system expected to roll out starting the 2025-2026 academic year.

Four main study programs: The foundation years offered will focus on four programs: medicine, engineering, sciences, and humanities, the source explained to Enterprise.

Regulations will be put in place to match those adopted in international universities, ensuring that the course certificate is acceptable if the student wishes to complete their studies at one of the international universities. There's also potential to market this program to attract more international students to obtain the foundation year instead of traveling abroad, which would reduce the actual cost.

Remember: The government wants to see 200k international students enrolled in Egyptian universities in 2030, a move which will help it reach its goal of attracting USD 2 bn in education tourism revenues by then.

Centralized exams: The Supreme Council of Universities will supervise the source exams to ensure granting additional points to qualify for the specialization desired by students, the source confirmed to us.

Who will offer foundation years? Universities will have to meet certain requirements to be allowed to roll out their iterations of foundation courses, according to the sources.These requirements include the university's ranking based on domestic and international classifications, foreign partnerships with internationally-classified universities in specializations, and capabilities for the university to grant that course.

Seven international universities already offer foundation year courses, including the University of London, which offers these programs in its branch in the European Universities in Egypt in the new capital.

A boost for Egyptian higher education: Exploring the potential of the foundation year will add to the quality of Egyptian university education and work to put Egypt on the map of international universities, Future University Head, Abada Sarhan told Enterprise. He added that It will also work to reduce the volume of spending on education abroad by attracting students to complete that foundation course in Egypt instead of traveling abroad. Sarhan added that developing the university education system will qualify Egyptian universities to implement the foundation course, which in turn raises the international ranking of Egyptian universities.

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