Dropping out and applying to Oxford?

I think you would need to contact an admissions officer for the English Faculty to check if this would be count as exceptional circumstances and what to do about the reference.
I imagine it’s fair enough to have decided you don’t want to do Law and are genuinely passionate about English, but you’d need to have evidence for this eg extra reading

Thank you for the response. I'll get in touch with Oxford - should I be doing this with the English faculty or with the college I wish to apply to?

Probably both would be worth it - the Faculty will have a better overview of the subject policy, but obviously the individual college does choose to accept you. I’d suggest reaching out to both (and mentioning you are contacting the appropriate dept/college)

Hi, I am in a bit of a pickle. So, I am currently a student at another high-ranking RG uni, going into my second-last year next week. When I applied to uni, partly because I filled out the UCAS form incorrectly, I was assigned international status for fees despite technically being eligible for home status. I've had to pay international fees for the first year of my course, and I only discovered my real eligibility for home status after speaking to UKCISA.

I have raised an appeal with my uni to get my status converted to home, but I am unsure of whether it will be successful/whether they will now allow it. Unfortunately, I'm in a bit of financial difficulty, so I can't afford the intl fees any longer. One option (if the appeal is unsuccessful) is for me to drop out and reapply for entry in 2025. This way, I am definitely a home student and can also access student loans/support. If I do drop out, I would like to apply to Oxbridge.

Please could I have some advice on the following:
1. If I apply to Oxford, I know I need to have exceptional circumstances. Would these circumstances count? I would not drop out if I did not have to, so I'm not doing it for the prestige of Oxford, but rather because I may as well apply seeing I have pretty good A levels and a good first-year grade at uni.

2. I am considering, if I do drop out, switching degrees (Law to English). This is mostly because I have not enjoyed law *as much* as I thought I would - and having done English at A levels, I know I enjoy that quite a bit. It was always a tossup b/w English and law at uni, and I am wondering whether I could do that now? Would this reflect very poorly on me as not having a very keen motivation for English?

3. Would I need a reference from my uni tutor or could a reference from my sixth form teacher still work? I have my English lit teacher ready to give a stellar reference (as I did well in her subject), and whilst I have done quite well at uni, my tutor would know me much less well than my teacher. Furthermore, if I do apply for English, surely the english reference would be better?

I should caveat this post by admitting I know this is a waste of 2 years of my life and of 1 year's worth of fees. I would not do this if I did not have to, so I would appreciate advice purely on the questions as opposed to telling me how this is not the ideal route. Thanks a lot to all. TSR has always been a great help.

Note that even if you have home fees status, as you've completed at least 2 years of your current degree, you won't get full funding if you start a new course from 1st year. You would have to self-fund tuition fees for at least the 1st year of the new course. That's potentially a big consideration!

Would that be the case considering I have been an intl student for the first year of my uni, and then dropped out prior to completing my 2nd year?

I thought you were only considering dropping out? (Post #1)
What funding did you use for your first year and the recently commenced one? Private funds, Student Finance England or something else?

Would that be the case considering I have been an intl student for the first year of my uni, and then dropped out prior to completing my 2nd year?

I am considering dropping out AFTER having completed my first year (i.e., I am now about to start my second year in a few weeks time). I am still waiting for the final decision of the fee status reassessment and hoping that goes through, in which case I'd be happy to continue at my uni (albeit having wasted 15k quid). I funded my first year (2023-24) through private funds.