Transfer course

Information about transferring to another course of study.

We hope that you will have chosen a course that best suits your skills, interests and career aspirations.

If you are thinking about changing your course of study, you need to discuss this carefully with:

  1. your current Course Director
  2. the Course Director of the new course

Following discussions with the appropriate Course Directors, you can apply for a change of course using the online Course Transfer Form.

Research students can request a change from PhD study to MPhil by submitting a "Change request" using PhD Manager.

Tuition Fees and Student Finance

Please ensure you are familiar with the Tuition Fee Liability Policy to make an informed decision about the timing of your course transfer in line with the liability dates throughout the academic year in relation to the tuition fee you will owe.

If you are in receipt of student finance, please contact the Student Finance Company directly to discuss your financial entitlement.

Student finance

  • Financial Help (Full-Time students)

    If you attend a course for no more than one year and change to another course you will remain eligible for financial help in the form of loans and means-tested grants.

    You are encouraged to check carefully before taking any irrevocable decisions.

    It is most important that, after consultation with the Registry Office, you let your Education Authority know as soon as possible in writing of any transfer in courses. The transfer to another course may be within this University or to another institution of higher or further education. The requirements are essentially the same:

    • the transfer must be approved on educational grounds by the institution or institutions; and
    • the transfer must be made within one academic year of the start of the original course.

    However, you may transfer after one year and still receive financial help if you can complete the new course within the same timescale as the original course. For example moving from a non-honours to an honours degree of the same duration or from a 4 year to a 3 year degree course.

    The Education Authority may refuse to transfer an award if it believes that you did not intend to complete the course for which the original award was made.

    Therefore, it is important for your future fee entitlement to maintain satisfactory progress on your present course right up to the point where you withdraw. Poor attendance, or just “drifting away” may lead to your Education Authority asking how serious you are about completing another course satisfactorily.

    You are encouraged to consider your options carefully, be sure about the choice you make and be clear about the consequences. You may, for example, be risking your future entitlement to future support with your fees or to continuation of an NHS bursary if you receive one.

    Some types of course have the possibility of course change built in, and the University will inform your Education Authority at the appropriate point, when you have made the required choices; but the deadlines still have to be observed.

  • Loans (Full-Time students)

    If you change to another full-time course within the University and you have already taken out a loan, you should tell the Student Loans Company of any change in graduation date.

    If your new course is not an eligible course for loans purposes you will not be able to apply for any more loans. You will also have to begin repaying any loans taken out for your first course, unless you apply to defer your repayments. The SLC will write to you about this.

    If you change to a new course at a different institution you should tell the SLC that you have left (the University will also inform your Education Authority who will, in turn, notify the SLC).

  • Loans and Grants (Full-Time students)

    If you take leave of absence your Education Authority will usually suspend your award for the same period, allowing you to pick it up again from the point you left off.

    In such circumstances the support will normally be suspended until the next academic year. If you want a further extension you should protect your entitlement by writing to your board. Any further leave of absence will need to be approved by your faculty.

    You will not normally have to begin making repayments on your student loan, but you will not be able to apply for another loan until you have resumed your course.

    If, when you resume the course, the finishing date has changed (because you have to repeat a year for example) you should inform your Education Authority of the new date. The University will also inform the Board.