Preliminary programme students include mature entrants who have left school early but who now wish to re-commence studying. In addition students from USP member countries who have not performed well in their Form 6 (or equivalent) examinations can take courses for a USP Preliminary Programme in either science or social science, with the aim of then moving on to a Foundation Programme.
Students with the required total for admission to a Foundation Programme but who do not have a pass in Form 6 English (or equivalent), must successfully complete the Preliminary English course before enrolling in USP's Foundation Programme. Similarly students with the required total for admission to a Foundation Programme who gain a pass in Form 6 (or equivalent) English, but do not have a pass in other required Form 6 (or equivalent) subjects, may need to pass certain preliminary courses before gaining entry into a USP Foundation Programme.
Admission Requirements:
To be admitted to a Preliminary Programme a person shall have:
successfully completed Form 5 and must submit a satisfactory school report and reference from the Principal when applying for admission;
marginally failed a Senate-recognised Form 6 or equivalent examination and obtained in four subjects an aggregate marks of at least 230 but less than 250. To complete the Preliminary courses specified in the table below in order to qualify for admission to a Foundation programme:
Form 6 Aggregate Mark Number of Preliminary Courses
240 - 249 1 Preliminary course
230 - 239 2 Preliminary courses
c. met the mature student admission criteria.
Programme Requirements:
To complete a Preliminary Programme students must pass LLP13, LLP14 and six other preliminary courses:
For Preliminary Social Science six of AFP01, AFP02, ECP01, GEP01, GEP02, HYP01, MAP11, MAP12, MAP13, PLP01, SOP01
Courses:
Preliminary Social Science courses are available only by distance and flexible learning. All have a 'P' as the third character in their course code.
Additional Requirements
Some Preliminary Social Science courses include a component of required laboratory work. Attendance at laboratory classes is compulsary. Students who fail to complete at least three-quarters of the practical requirements of a course shall be awarded a fail grade notwithstanding the fact that the student may have total marks for the continuous assessment and final examination which are equal to or greater than the pass mark.
