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 7 years ago)

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Reply 1380

Juno

Original post by ciaran_imirish:)

I've got a quick question in regards to my UCAS application. I'm currently with LJMU, but when I try to add LJMU down as education, I can enter in the correct start date but it doesnt give the option of putting the correct end date down which is 06/15. It's allowing me to only go up to Dec 2014. I'm worried about this because UCAS does state you need to provide details about you're current university, but how can I provide them those details if they are hitching me with this problem that they have created?

I've already emailed the university I'm applying to's admissions department, provided documentation showing all the qualifications I've earned to date including my first year qualifications in John Moores. So in regards to the latter, I might not be able to provide those on UCAS but I have given them to the uni i'm transferring to. I've talked to the woman that runs the admissions dept twice and all.

What do I do? Help lol

How is your end date 2015? You're not finishing your degree if you're transferring

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Reply 1381

ciaran_imirish:)

Original post by Juno

How is your end date 2015? You're not finishing your degree if you're transferring

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So should I just put down my first year results and say that I left June 2013? because thats the only full results that i have and its only what they are looking to know/only what they need from me ? Or will I put down this month? As I'll be withdrawing from the course I'm in as soon as they give me the green light to join theirs.

Reply 1382

rurounikenji

hey guys, what about my situation? No chance?

Reply 1383

Sixformer

Hi, does anyone know what reasons to include in their personal statement able wanting to transfer? I've read that saying you don't like your current uni is not enough... And that is my reason, that and my current uni being on the lower end of the league tables.

Also, I'm really not sure on who I can ask for a reference, none of the teachers really know me as an individual student, so will it be odd if I approach any of them and request one?

And lastly, will it be worth putting some of my choices down as point of entry year 1 aswel, just in case I don't get accepted due to my current degree not being similar enough? I have contacted some uni, and most have told me they do accept transfer however, they told me to apply through ucas, and that is when they'll see if my first year modules are similar to theirs.

Reply 1384

curaga

Hi!

I'm looking at transferring from my course (on which I am part-way through second year) to the second year of a course at another university.

Problem is that I only have a few UCAS points from completing my AS-levels, and most uni's state that to transfer into their second-year, you must have the A-levels or equivalent that would be necessary for the first year.

I am told that upon completion of second year of my current course, I will have obtained a 'Diploma of Higher Education'. I can't seem to find any information on how these equate to A-levels, if at all. Can anyone tell me if this diploma would count if I was applying to another first year?

Thank you!!

Reply 1385

Strangey

Original post by curaga

A diploma of higher education is an award given by universities, so it doesn't really map onto A-levels properly. What it would do is give evidence of your learning ability, and the fact that you passed 2nd yera at university. If you are doing the same course but just at different universities, then it should be good evidence that you've got the skills that it takes to complete the course. However, you may not be able to transfer straight to 3rd year, as every university does their degrees differently. You'll have to speak to the admissions people of the new university, and provide them with a transcript (your marks for each module) and a list of the content covered.

Reply 1386

curaga

Thanks so much for the reply.

I wasn't planning on applying for a third year transfer, that would be a little ambitious. I'm quite happy to redo the second year as I want to apply for a different but somewhat related subject (film production - where I've built up a decent portfolio of screenplays and written work) to creative writing. I'm also a mature student, does anyone know if I can bring this into play as well? Combining all these factors makes it tough to work out most unis position on it.

Reply 1387

Minerva

Original post by Gibbo92

Hello everyone. Wasn't sure this was the right place to put this but couldn't think of anywhere else, if it's in the wrong place I apologise.

I'm currently studying computer science, and I'm a semester in (well after I finish my exams) and I hate it. I'm pretty gutted that I hate it too as I really thought it was something I would enjoy. I stuck with the course until the end of the semester hoping that I would eventually begin to like it, but It's just not happening for me. The lack of enthusiam is causing me to get frustrated while trying to revise too.

Now, my second choice was always to do primary school teaching and i was umming and ahhing right up until the last minute when aplpying, and primary teaching is now something I would love to look at doing. My main problem is I have absolutely no idea where my options are from here. Ideally I would like to be able to start Primary teaching now, from the second semester point, as I've heard of people that have switched from Comp science across to physics after their first semester, but I imagine that, that would be nearly impossible to do. I don't know, but I'd be surprised if you could pick up primary teaching in this way. You'll need to talk to the unis concerned and see what they say, but the most likely thing is that you'll have to start again, and get an application in quickly as the deadline of 15 January for equal consideration would apply here.

If thats not an option, I imagine my best course of action would be to drop out of my course now, But I have no idea how that effects my funding. Am I already 9 grand down or if I come out of the course now will I only have the first semesters debt to my name? You'll need to check what your university's policy is on this - they do vary. For student loan purposes you are allowed one false start, so you should be OK even if you complete the year.

Also, if anyone does primary teaching I would love to hear your experiences. If thats possible. Check out this forum.
Really not looking forward to telling me dad I'm gonna be dropping out for a few months. That really wont go down well. :frown:

As PQ has said, it will go down better if you can tell him you have a plan.

Sorry if this is in the wrong place, And I know it's really a 3 pronged question but hopefully it's alright!

Cheers;

Gibbo.

The main message here is that you will need to be quick because the likelihood is that you will have to start again if you decide to go for primary education.

Reply 1388

returnmigrant

Original post by anyhowzim

I didn't get the grades for my first choice university (Portsmouth), so went to a different one. This one is closer to home but is not very good for my course (in fact, it is the lowest ranked). I'm not really enjoying myself there so I'm looking into moving to Portsmouth, as I have received a 1st for the 1st year and I'm on track for another 1st this year.

I am planning to take a year out after this year (my second year) anyway but if I were to transfer for 3rd year, would it be worth it? Would it matter to employers that I attended the bottom ranked university for my first two years?

I am an engineering student so if there are any Portsmouth engineers on here, how are you finding the university for your course?

I want to make sure its worth it before I delve into it.

You wont be able to transfer into a 3rd year.

No University would be interested in awarding a degree to a student who had done 2/3rds of their degree at another University. There is also the issue of comparability of existing units/finals exams etc. All together, a non-starter.

You might be allowed to transfer into a 2nd year - ie. if you dropped out of your current Uni and applied for a 'year 2 start' at another Uni (through UCAS) for entry this autumn. But there is no guarantee of acceptance so I suggest you email your intended Unis and ask about possibility for this before you formally apply.

Reply 1389

PS Reviewer

Original post by ciaran_imirish:)

You put in the start date as the date you started and the end date as the date you INTEND to withdraw if your application is successful.

You're applying for 2014 entry so you can't have an end date later than the date your new course would start.

Reply 1390

Themiddleone

HELP!
So i have been trying to apply transfer to a different Uni from where I am now. Same course, however I have only received their email that instructed me to apply through UCAS yesterday and they told me it's highly beneficial if i complete it before tuesday 18:00 (Deadline). I know it's a bit of a situation but I need help on where to enter my current modules on UCAS. Where do I enter them? Also I took some exams in my gap year, do I add them(the results) separately, i.e. 2010-2012 and then 2012-2013 or I just put the results under 2010-2013 ?

Please reply ASAP, anyone :frown:

.

EDIT -------------
Also when I am including my current University what date do I write down for "finish date" ? Do I write 2014 because I want to leave or 2017 because that's when my course ends???

Reply 1391

Juno

Original post by Themiddleone

If you read the post above yours it would answer half of your questions. If you can't even bother to do that, why should anyone bother to help you?

Reply 1392

Themiddleone

Original post by Juno

If you read the post above yours it would answer half of your questions. If you can't even bother to do that, why should anyone bother to help you?

Yeah, I realised that after I stopped panicking.

Thanks for the help though.

Reply 1393

sundus94

In the UCAS application, do you have to include ur GCSE and A-level results aswell?

Reply 1394

ammailliaw

If the university i wanna apply doesnt consider me just because there's one different module (but all the others are the same) from the course i'm studying now at my current university, is it possible to negotiate with the university i want to apply?

Reply 1395

ammailliaw

If the uni i want to transfer to doesnt consider me for second year because one of the first year module is different from the course i'm studyingin my current uni , is it possible to negotiate with the university?

Reply 1396

returnmigrant

This is NOT a sensible strategy.

You are starting a Uni you dont want to be at, with NO guarantee you will be able to transfer Unis at all.

Do retakes, reapply. Go to the University you actually want to be at.

Reply 1397

khaled ali

do anyone know the average time for the university (oxford-brookes) to transfer my old credit and give me an offer ? ,did any one successfully transferred credit to oxford-brookes before ?

Reply 1398

lozzymaye

So if wishing to transfer to a different uni for 2nd year do you start the process as soon as you decide you want to move or wait til the summer when you have your final grades for the year? :s

Reply 1399

Bekkah321

Hi
I read somewhere on this thread that not liking the Uni isn't the greatest reason in the world to transfer because what's the chances you'll like the next one. But what I was wondering is.. If the reason you give and your reference give for transfer reason is extended period of being home sick.. Do universities even need to know this or is it just all about grades and quality of personal statement? And if you are applying to transfer, will the uni get back to you sooner seeing as you have all your A Levels and (in my case) foundation degree results or is it still a length wait?

Sorry for so many questions. Just anxious about my application

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