Foundation College specialises in the preparation of students who choose to study in British universities. The College offers Foundation Courses, A-levels and preparatory courses for subject-specific tests. It is the oldest, most experienced and probably best known institution of its kind in Greece. Its foundation courses are widely accepted by most UK universities while its A-level courses replicate the typical English high school programme and offers a secure and totally acceptable entry route to UK universities. Last, but not least, Foundation College offers a full application and placement service to ensure that its students maximise their chances of being accepted by the universities of their choice. 

Foundation College was established in 1988 as the first Greek institution to introduce a novel concept of admission to university: a foundation course which was offered in collaboration with a specific accepting university. Foundation College established its first access agreement in 1988-89 with Middlesex University in London. At that time the apolitirion was not acceptable for entry in the UK and the only way a Greek student could be admitted was through GCE A-levels. By breaking new ground, in September 1989, twenty students that had attended our first foundation course progressed to study at Middlesex University. In the following years the College broadened its collaborations to feature fourteen UK universities that included, among others, Lancaster University, City University, Liverpool University and Newcastle University. 

By 1994 most UK universities made offers of admission to applicants from Foundation College even though they had no formal agreement with the College. As a result formal agreements with specific universities were no longer pursued and students were encouraged to apply freely to any institution that they chose. This situation has been maintained and nowadays our students apply to a large number of universities expecting to receive offers from most. 

In 2004 the College introduced the parallel foundation course that allowed Lykeion students to study the foundation course along their last (or two last) year(s) at school thus allowing students to proceed to UK universities immediately upon completing the Greek school. 

In 2009 the College started to teach GCE A-levels as an examination centre for Cambridge International Examinations and later, in 2010, as a centre for Edexcel (Pearson Education). By offering A-levels the College provided a safer and more widely acceptable alternative to the IB to help high aspiring students secure their admission to the top UK institutions. Since 2009 many of our A-level students have succeeded to enter some of the most prestigious UK institutions. 

The director, Dr Dimitris Valsamis, who is an active teacher on the A-level programme, had himself done A-levels and studied in the UK where he was distinguished by earning the prize of the year 1978 in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Manchester (UMIST). Having worked in UK universities for many years makes him uniquely experienced to guide new prospective students toward their pursuit of UK higher education. Read his welcome note.