Transferring directly into 2nd year of diff degree with good 1st year grades?

Hey everyone.

So I’m doing Ancient History at Uni. I’m not enjoying it, so I wanted to switch to a combined degree of History & Ancient History but my uni wouldn’t let me as the normal history course is very full. They offer some optional modules in regular history - and I have taken those. In addition to that, I don’t meet the entry requirements for the normal History course despite my contextual offer.

I decided to keep going but to try and do as well as possible in first year to maybe have a chance of transferring into the course at second year, at this uni or another “good” uni as the current one is RG. I don’t want to repeat first year as I have already taken a gap year. It’s semester one and i’ve done my best to get a first, but I haven’t been able to. Instead I’ve been getting grades around the 67-68% mark. I’ll try to get 70% next semester to improve my chances. My A Level grades were only BBC though.

Is it possible that some unis might accept a second year transfer with a high 2:1 in first year in a semi related course (so if i were to apply to do History or History with Ancient History elsewhere) , even if entry requirements aren’t met? or is it too unlikely and I should just give up, enjoy first year since it doesnt count and take it easy? if i’ve got no chance i’d rather just use this year to make memories.

Thanks!

(edited 4 months ago)

Reply 1

random_matt

You will need a 2:1 and your current modules need to be similar to the ones on the new course. It is best to ask the university to check for you.

Reply 2

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

It's very unlikely you can transfer into second year of a different course. In any event, in order to apply to transfer to second year of another course you need to contact the uni before submitting an application and get their confirmation they will consider it, and the submit your UCAS application. Submitting an unsolicited application for year 2 entry will probably just lead to a rejection anyway.

Unfortunately your timing leaves you with very limited time to do this, as most unis are going to be breaking up for the winter break in the next week or so, and they will be fully shutting down within the next two weeks or so until after the new year. Then you are trying to chase them for stuff during a very busy time of year ahead of the UCAS deadline at the end of January. If this is your plan you need to be writing to unis you want to consider applying to now and find out if they'll even consider this. That will then give you some idea whether it's reasonable to apply for second year entry or not in January.

Realistically you probably do need to be looking at applying to first year entry, at least for some of your choices. Not really sure why having done a gap year has any bearing on this outside of some schoolyard nonsense about thinking somehow that makes you "too old", in which case I hate to be the one to break it to you but you're stuck on this planet for the next ~60-70 years so if one year is too many you are going to have a very long and unhappy life as you wait for those "too long" individual years to pass by (and they will pass by whether you use them to do something you want to do or not).