Foundation Year

If you don’t quite qualify for one of our degree courses then don’t worry, you’re in the right place!

If you are interested in enrolling on one of our four BA (Hons) degree programmes and following your passion for music, Point Blank’s Foundation Year could be your launch pad. Throughout your studies with us, you will be able to access academic support workshops, wellbeing support, and equipment guidance to enable you to help you reach your full potential. If you can demonstrate the determination to succeed within a year you’ll be ready for our degree programmes.

This course will enable you to develop confidence in your abilities whilst acquiring a strong knowledge and skillset needed to complete your chosen degree. Our Foundation Year has been designed to help you explore the key areas of the music industry, support you in discovering your interests, and help you make informed choices in your career ambitions.

If you need any help or assistance in making the right choice, then please contact us here and we'll be happy to guide you through the process.

On our higher education programmes, students take part in a variety of intimate lectures (up to 16 students) and workshops. When not attending these sessions, you will be expected to continue learning independently. Independent learning is about taking control of your work, finding out what you need to know and deciding how you are going to study.

During this time, you can take advantage of:

• Our award-winning Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) with bespoke downloadable resources to support your lectures.
• Our state-of-the-art facilities and private practice spaces across two buildings.
• Studio Lab Time with support staff (up to five per week depending on availability) to help you with your technical set up and assignments.
• Extra workshops with music industry professionals.
• Our Open Mic Nights and Point Blank Choir.

A degree course consists of academic levels 4, 5 and 6. Each level consists of 120 credits. Each module is worth 20 credits and students are expected to study 10 hours per week per module (4 hours of lectures and 6 hours of independent learning).

Assessment is an integral part of learning and you may hear it referred to as formative or summative:

• Formative assessment (exercise) is designed to give you feedback on your performance and how it can be improved as you study at Point Blank. Formative assessment is an important part of the learning process and has been shown to help students improve both their grades and their learning style.
• Summative assessment is designed to measure the extent to which you have achieved the learning outcomes of a module and therefore the grade you will be awarded. Learning outcomes are the specific skills and knowledge that you are expected to demonstrate as a result of taking a module.

Most students show themselves to be stronger in some assessment types than others. To make it possible for students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills to the best of their abilities, a wide range of assessment types is offered. Students will be asked to produce work in a wide variety of formats including: compositions, creative projects, written work, report, performances, presentations, 1-2-1 discussions, recordings and timed composition briefs. The assessment breakdown for this programme is approximately:

What I went on to do – you couldn’t understand how beneficial it was for me to come and study with Point Blank and get the technical knowledge I needed first. - Benny Scarrs, Point Blank graduate and artist manager for Dave (Mercury Prize Winner)

Being an undergraduate student involves two main expenses: tuition fees and living costs. Students can either choose to pay for their course privately, or alternatively, all of our higher education programmes are eligible for Student Finance loans. Eligible students may be able to apply for a tuition fee loan to cover the full course fees. This will be up to £9,250 per year for courses with standard delivery, or up to £11,100 per year for courses with accelerated delivery. In addition, eligible students may be entitled to a maintenance loan of up to £12,382 per year. The amount of maintenance you can apply for will depend on your circumstances. EU students are not eligible for the maintenance loan. For students wishing to pay privately, we have a number of payment plans available, including annual and termly instalments.  Click here for more information on fees and funding options available. 

Point Blank students enjoy a range of exclusive discounts including but not limited to:

• 50% off NI Komplete, Ableton Live & Roland Cloud
• 30% off NI Kontrol & Maschine
• 25% off Adam Audio & Focusrite