University Transfer FAQ

Hello.

I noticed that there have recently been a reasonably high volume of questions about this and, as I cannot be bothered to always make the kind of detailed replies that are appropriate, I thought it would be good to make this thread. Feel free to ask questions and make suggestions for improvements and additions because obviously the better this is the more useful it will be. It was written up very rapidly by me a little earlier and is subject to considerable editing at some point.

Feel free to suggest revisions.

Why do people transfer?

People decide to transfer for all manner of reasons; some do it because the course does not match their expectations and some because of personal considerations such as family illness and the need to be closer to home. Others simply don't enjoy themselves where they are or want to "upgrade" to a university they consider to be better. Whatever the reason, many people do transfer each year and it is not as difficult or time consuming as many people assume it to be.

However, it also isn't an easy option and there is absolutely no guarantee that you will be able to transfer at all, let alone to the university you want to transfer to. It is important you are making the decision for the right reasons and, in many instances, taking a gap year is probably a better option if you are already considering a transfer before you have even begun your course. You should not make any plans that are dependent on you definitely being able to make X transfer because you could very well end up disappointed.

However, it should be noted that you can also apply for first year entry to other courses while at university and in that case you may well be in a stronger position than many applicants as you will have university experience, hopefully more knowledge and possibly the expectation of achieving a Certificate/Diploma of Higher Education or certainly the corresponding amount of credits.

First steps and initial correspondence

Initially, before beginning a formal application, you will want to contact the universities you are interested in applying to to ask them whether or not they will formally consider your application. This is because a variety of things may impede your progress before you even begin. Some examples include the fact that not all departments, and indeed universities, accept transfer applicants and that the course you wish to apply for may already be full up which is more likely to be the case if you are applying later in the academic year long after the standard UCAS cycle.

There are two strategies with your initial message and I suggest the latter personally because it may well save you time, gives the impression you have done some research about the process and ultimately has no negative implications that can reasonably be attributed to it.

One: Simply email asking broadly about the prospect of applying for X course. The reply, if positive, will often ask you for some if not all of the things listed below.

Two: Send an email to the admission office, possibly a department specific one, providing the following information:

- Your name and current university course
- The university you are currently studying at
- The course you are interested in transferring to
- Your academic history, specifically your A levels (or equivalent) and the grades you achieved.
- The official module names and descriptions (and codes for their easy reference) of every module you are studying that year and the grades you have achieved so far.

If time is an issue then phoning is likely to get you an answer quicker. Ask for and note the name and job title of the person you speak to and have the above information on hand.

The UCAS Application

If one or more of the universities you contact inform you that they will formally consider your application based on the information you have provided then you will need to submit a UCAS application in much the same way as you have previously. The difference being that, when you enter the course choice, you need to state that it is for entry point 2 (or 3 if that is the case) if that is the year you will be entering at.

You will still need to pay for the processing of the application and the same rules apply as for all other applicants with regards to adding choices, changing choices and how much you have to pay.

You will still receive decisions via track and will still have to accept or decline them as before with regard to what the offer is, although we cover that a little later.

What about a reference?

While some universities will accept a reference from an old school teacher, much the same as your original application, many wont and those that do will still prefer something far more recent. The guidance from university admissions staff is that the reference should be made by somebody who is an academic member of staff at the university you attend and that the more senior their position the better. You of course need to strike a balance between this and ensuring the reference is representative of your abilities and, as such, many people choose to provide a reference from a class teacher rather than a senior lecturer, for example, which may ostensibly seem the better choice.

It is possible that the member of staff will never have had to write such a reference before so you need to be prepared to offer them guidance on this if they request it (although in my experience they will request it from the university they are providing he reference to). Much the same as your original reference it should outline how you are as a student and highlight your academic strengths and why they recommend you for study on your proposed course.

Here is where having a personable demeanor and having made good impressions on staff will serve you well. You should be aware that it can take quite a long time for a reference to be provided, especially if it is being provided by somebody with a great many commitments, so it is important to get the ball rolling on this swiftly.

Your reference it should outline how you are as a student and highlight your academic strengths and why they recommend you for study on your proposed course. You should be aware that it can take quite a long time for a reference to be provided, especially if it is being provided by somebody with a great many commitments, so it is important to get the ball rolling on this swiftly.

You can help them by getting a copy of your previous UCAS reference and letting them know about any mitigating circumstances.

What about a personal statement?

You will need to provide a personal statement with your application and ultimately it has the same requirements as for other applicants. Some people do choose to include information about why they want to make the switch here although this will often be asked by admissions staff and passed on to the relevant person(s) separately.

This is your chance to show them that you have used your year well and to communicate to them that you are the kind of person they want at their university. Different people employ different strategies here with some people targeting the university specifically if they are only applying to one and talking about why the specifics of that course interest them and some simply relay their interests and motivations and treat it the same as other PSs written for the standard UCAS application. There is no right or wrong answer, but the aim remains constant - to present a case for you being worth an offer.

Adding qualifications to UCAS

You need to include all previous qualifications (GCSEs, AS and A levels usually INCLUDING resits) as well as the dates of your university study. If you've attended university long enough to pass any modules then these also need to be added to your application as qualifications.This post explains how to add your university modules/study to your application.

UCAS deadlines for transfer students

For first year entry you will normally need to apply by the standard UCAS deadlines (15 January for most courses, 15 October for Oxbridge/Medicine/Dentistry/Vet courses).

Applying be the early 15 October deadline while at university isn't recommended. You're making it clear to the universities you apply to that you started on a degree course without intending to finish it. If you want to apply for a course/university that has the early deadline then it is FAR better to take a year out of education and do something else. Oxford say "Oxford does accept applications from students who are currently studying at another university. Your full academic record would be taken in to account in your application, including your A-levels (or other equivalent qualifications) and study at university level, so we would need evidence of your performance on your university course." This would only be possible if you applied to enter into Year 1 at Oxford at the start of your Second year elsewhere. Cambridge say "Cambridge Colleges will only, as a matter of principle, consider applications from students enrolled in a degree course at other UK universities in very exceptional circumstances. Any application to study at Cambridge would need strong support from your Course Director or other academic tutor at your current university." - again only possible if you apply at the start of your second year for entry into the start of a course at Cambridge.

Outside of courses with the early deadline most universities would only expect to get applications for transfer close to the January deadline. Applying too early will give the impression that you haven't made much effort to settle in at your current university.
Universities are sympathetic to applications for first year entry after the January deadline (so even if a course is closed to late applications it is often worth getting in touch). The January deadline is not normally applicable to applications for entry into second or third year - but you should aim to apply as early as possible.

What will my offer be contingent upon?

Essentially, anything they want it to be contingent upon.

Firstly, it is often - although not always - the case that your A levels must be at least reasonably similar to those of other students on the proposed course and policy on that will vary. Of course, a slight deficiency here can possibly be mitigated by improved attainment, evidenced in this case by the grades you are achieving at university currently.

Secondly, your offer will almost always (I say almost because, although I've never seen this not be the case, It would be inappropriate for me to say it with complete certainty) be contingent on obtaining a certain grade for the stage of study you are currently at. This may range simply from needing to pass the year, to having to achieve X percentage (often a 2:1) or to having to achieve a certain result in specific modules as well as meeting other conditions such as the aforementioned.

The onus will be on you to provide proof that you meet any conditions asked of you before your offer becomes unconditional and this will include providing A level documents (they often accept scans) and proof of your university results. You should be mindful of any deadlines for proving this poof and be proactive in providing it!

Other actions you will need to take and considerations

Obvious though it may seem, you have to remember to inform student finance about the change of circumstance and, dependent on the specifics, this may involve beginning a new application for finance which, if you are applying late in the day, may mean resubmitting financial information and other documents they require. Of course you should consult them about this but it is definitely something you need to consider.

As well as all of the above it is perfectly possible that you may have a phone conversation with staff at the university you have applied to in which you are asked about the course so you should not enter into the process without having done enough research to be able to provide a cogent, convincing case for why you have made the decision should it be required of you.

Student finance implications

Obvious though it may seem, you have to remember to inform student finance about the change of circumstance and, dependent on the specifics, this may involve beginning a new application for finance which, if you are applying late in the day, may mean resubmitting financial information and other documents they require. Of course you should consult them about this but it is definitely something you need to consider.

If you apply to continue your degree elsewhere without repeating or restarting a year then your finance eligibility should not be affected.
If you apply to restart or repeat a year elsewhere then this will count as using your "gift" year of funding. Everyone gets ONE gift year so any further additional years (if you need to restart again or fail and repeat a year) wouldn't be eligible for a tuition fee loan.
Transferring from a foundation year into year 1 of a degree without a foundation year will normally also count as using up your gift year.

This means it is important that you're confident that the change of university/course is right for you. If you're unsure or in doubt then speak to your current university about suspending your studies for a year - you can suspend your studies AND hold a deferred offer to give yourself time to make the right decision.

Transferring courses within the same university

While this thread is primarily concerned with transferring to a university other than the one you attend, it is common for questions to be asked about this so I thought I should include it. University policy, indeed departmental policy, will vary but generally the following is true. There are two main times you can transfer internally without having to restart the year.

At the beginning of the year

The exact window will vary, as will the availability and ease of the option as some universities offer this as a promulgated matter of course and others simply make provision for it if a student presents a case for it. Generally, your academic attainment prior to university - A Levels etc - will be the determining factor of whether or not the switch is approved but thee may also be a discussion akin to an informal interview with somebody relevant beforehand.

At the end of the year

Most universities (perhaps all) allow this, but you usually have to meet the same module prerequisites with regards to core modules as other students. For example, if you study course X and choose elective module Y which happens to be the only core module for course Z then in most cases you will be allowed to switch. Most common is people switching from joint honors to one of the two constituent subjects alone as they always satisfy the progression prerequisites with regard to module choice.

Practice may vary massively at some universities and it is always better to call or email them and ask in advance of any binding decisions as obviously the advice your university provides is of far more use to you.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 580

freedomyak

Original post

by Jagzthebest

Okay so Im starting Uni this year, am I allowed to reapply on UCAS while there, and what could I use as the reference? my college again? (I have already taken a gap year). What if I get accepted, what do I tell my Uni? how should I go about this, also how is student finance (grants loans etc) affected by this?

More information would really help such as your current uni and hopefuls, different universities have different policies.

Reply 581

hcooper09

Could anyone give me some advice on how to write a letter to a university regarding moving there for my 2nd year, please?
Many thanks!

Reply 582

Vulpes

15

Original post

by Jagzthebest

Okay so Im starting Uni this year, am I allowed to reapply on UCAS while there, and what could I use as the reference? my college again? (I have already taken a gap year). What if I get accepted, what do I tell my Uni? how should I go about this, also how is student finance (grants loans etc) affected by this?

It will depend on the course you are reapplying to. I assume you can either use the same reference as last year or get your Personal Tutor at uni to write you a reference although they probably wouldn't know you as well. Some courses will only accept applications from someone in their final year of uni. If you get accepted, you will have to inform your uni that you will be dropping out at the end of next semester.

Can't really answer your other questions, I'm afraid. :dontknow:

Reply 583

Jagzthebest

4

I guess I'm really interested in ther student finance bit

Reply 584

Juno

20

Original post

by Jagzthebest

I guess I'm really interested in ther student finance bit

You get funding for the new course length plus one year, so as long as you've only done one year before changing your mind then you'll be fine. Obviously you will still owe them the money for your first first year, but that won't stop you borrowing more.

However, you're only allowed one false start so you need to make sure the new course is perfect - you can't drop out a second time and start again unless you have compelling personal reasons.

If you drop out before the end of the year you may end up with a small overpayment that they want back immediately.

Reply 585

ByronicHero

OP

20

Original post

by hcooper09

Could anyone give me some advice on how to write a letter to a university regarding moving there for my 2nd year, please?
Many thanks!

Email them and to begin with you should email someone relevant asking of they accept transfers and proving some information about your course and the one you would want to change to - they will tell you where to go from there.

Reply 586

hcooper09

Original post

by paddy__power

University Transfer FAQ

The UCAS Application

If one or more of the universities you contact inform you that they will formally consider your application based on the information you have provided then you will need to submit a UCAS application in much the same way as you have previously. The difference being that, when you enter the course choice, you need to state that it is for entry point 2 (or 3 if that is the case) if that is the year you will be entering at.

Does this mean you can select up to 5 universities to apply to transfer to?

Reply 587

ByronicHero

OP

20

Original post

by hcooper09

Does this mean you can select up to 5 universities to apply to transfer to?

Yes.

Reply 588

foxes-are-ginger

9

I'm not so much transferring - I'm starting again in a completely different course this September as I hate my current one.

•

How do I get round this in my personal statement?

•

If I already have the grade requirements for the uni i'm applying to - will my offer be based on what I get at the end of this year or purely on A-Levels?

•

Does my reference have to be from my current Uni?

Sorry for all the questions - I just need my app finished within the next week!!

Reply 589

TLOB

Can anyone give me a definitive ruling on what fees you're supposed to be charged if you transfer from your first year at one uni on the old fees system to a different uni(same course) in your 2nd, because of 3 offers I've been given, 1 is old fees, 1 is new fees and 1 is being a pain in the arse letting me know.

I'd really like a definitive answer.

Reply 590

Juno

20

Original post

by TLOB

Can anyone give me a definitive ruling on what fees you're supposed to be charged if you transfer from your first year at one uni on the old fees system to a different uni(same course) in your 2nd, because of 3 offers I've been given, 1 is old fees, 1 is new fees and 1 is being a pain in the arse letting me know.

I'd really like a definitive answer.

There isn't a definitive answer as it depends on the uni

Reply 591

TLOB

Original post

by Juno

There isn't a definitive answer as it depends on the uni

trust the government to screw us over, cheers anyway.

Reply 592

Casshern1456

18

Original post

by foxes-are-ginger

I'm not so much transferring - I'm starting again in a completely different course this September as I hate my current one.

•

How do I get round this in my personal statement?

•

If I already have the grade requirements for the uni i'm applying to - will my offer be based on what I get at the end of this year or purely on A-Levels?

•

Does my reference have to be from my current Uni?

Sorry for all the questions - I just need my app finished within the next week!!

1) Your PS should focus entirely why you want to do your chosen course and what makes you think you could do well in it, if you decide to include a little about the course you did you can say how it has helped you, that usually suffices.

2) It depends on the uni, but if it is a totally unrelated course they might just ask for the A-levels, they will know when they see your application in clearing.

3) You can chose your university lecturer to write a reference for you, one of my friend who is transferring did the same and it might be more beneficial as it is a lecturer writing it than say a teacher, but you can also ask your college or Sixth form to write you one.

Hope this helped.

Reply 593

ByronicHero

OP

20

Original post

by Casshern1456

1) Your PS should focus entirely why you want to do your chosen course and what makes you think you could do well in it, if you decide to include a little about the course you did you can say how it has helped you, that usually suffices.

2) It depends on the uni, but if it is a totally unrelated course they might just ask for the A-levels, they will know when they see your application in clearing.

3) You can chose your university lecturer to write a reference for you, one of my friend who is transferring did the same and it might be more beneficial as it is a lecturer writing it than say a teacher, but you can also ask your college or Sixth form to write you one.

Hope this helped.

This - except that many universities, rightly, won't accept dated references from when you were at school/college.

Reply 594

foxes-are-ginger

9

Original post

by paddy__power

This - except that many universities, rightly, won't accept dated references from when you were at school/college.

Thanks!
I did email the universities asking about the references - and they are gladly accepting one from my old college lecturers as they understand that obtaining a reference in my current situation is a bit awkward (PHEW)

Reply 595

ByronicHero

OP

20

Original post

by foxes-are-ginger

Thanks!
I did email the universities asking about the references - and they are gladly accepting one from my old college lecturers as they understand that obtaining a reference in my current situation is a bit awkward (PHEW)

Some will and some won't, as you might expect, but in (pretty much) all cases a reference from a university teacher is a better choice. Your grades will matter far more anyway - best of luck :smile:

Reply 596

mandarina

I am a student at Middlesex doing marketing and I'm the 1st one in the course but I would like to change the university since I was not aware of the reputation of the uni when I applied ( I'm an european student). Could you please tell me if anyone got this kind of experience before, I mean changing unis and also what unis accept students straight into second year?

thanks a lot :smile:

cheers!

Reply 597

oxymoronic

19

Original post

by mandarina

I am a student at Middlesex doing marketing and I'm the 1st one in the course but I would like to change the university since I was not aware of the reputation of the uni when I applied ( I'm an european student). Could you please tell me if anyone got this kind of experience before, I mean changing unis and also what unis accept students straight into second year?

thanks a lot :smile:

cheers!

See the first post in the thread that I've moved this post into.

Reply 598

alkantara

Hello everyone

I am a student at Lancaster University doing Beng Mechanical engineering. I want to transfer to differrent university for personal reason. I already contacted the admission offices and finisihed my UCAS application for the same course, but Year 2 entry only.

My choices are
City University
Liverpool Uni
Sheffield
Quenn Mary
Manchester

Has anyone who did transfer tell what grades do universities normally ask? What is the chance to be accepted? Could i enter clearing if nobody give an offer?

My current overall is around 67-69%

Thanks for comments

Reply 599

Minerva

17

Original post

by alkantara

Hello everyone

I am a student at Lancaster University doing Beng Mechanical engineering. I want to transfer to differrent university for personal reason. I already contacted the admission offices and finisihed my UCAS application for the same course, but Year 2 entry only.

My choices are
City University
Liverpool Uni
Sheffield
Quenn Mary
Manchester

Has anyone who did transfer tell what grades do universities normally ask? What is the chance to be accepted? Could i enter clearing if nobody give an offer?

My current overall is around 67-69%

Thanks for comments

Unis accepting students into the second year of a course will normally specify a mark to be achieved at the end of the year in your current uni.

I can't see why you wouldn't be eligible for Clearing if you get no offers, but you would have to contact unis individually because places for year two entry won't be listed. You would also have the option of applying through Clearing to start all over again, though this would have tuition fee implications.

University Transfer FAQ

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Articles for you

How The Student Room is moderated