How Do I Change Universities?

Changing universities or changing your university course isn’t a bad thing! Maybe it just wasn’t for you or maybe you found a course that better suits you elsewhere. Nearly 33% of students end up transferring universities.

How do I change universities?

The first thing to do is to speak to your course tutor, make them aware of the situation and what you’re thinking of doing. After that, you’ll want to email the admissions tutor for your course.

While many online resources may tell you to email the general enquiries email first, we recommend that you don’t do that. The email receives hundreds of emails a day, and you won’t want to have your email lost in the middle of all the others.

In your email, you’ll want to explain what it is that you’re currently studying at university, what your issues are and what your overall plan is. We recommend that you speak to the admissions officer in person, before dropping an email.

After this, you will need to apply to move universities through UCAS. Your UCAS application and your personal statement will need to be added again; you may need to rewrite your personal statement.

Changing universities is a big step for all students, but it’s a much less stressful task than you might think.

Does it cost money to transfer universities?

This depends on the university itself and the university you’re going to. Assuming that you’re going to be studying the same course at the new university, the fees won’t change much.

Changing universities doesn't tend to incur a cost, but some universities may charge a penalty fee depending on how deep into your course you are. Speak to your admissions office beforehand and see what the procedure is for your university.

Will it affect how long it takes me to finish my course if I transfer universities?

This depends on the course and how deep into the course you still are. As long as the length of time on the course is the same as the length of the course you are leaving, then things will be relatively straightforward.

If however, the course lengths differ, then you may need to start your degree from scratch. If you are changing subjects, then you will instantly start your new degree from the very start.

Will this affect any grants, bursaries or scholarships that I currently have?

Depending on which bursary, grant or scholarship you are using, you shouldn’t be affected.

If you live at home during university and you claim a travel grant, because you live too far away from home for university, but then you move to a university that is closer to your home, then it is quite likely that your travel grant may stop, though it may be a good idea to check this out with your new university before agreeing to join, if it is something that you definitely rely on.

Who knows, you might even be entitled to a new kind of financial aid at your new university!

The first thing to do is to speak to your course tutor, make them aware of the situation and what you’re thinking of doing.

Will changing universities effect my tuition fee repayment length?

No, your repayment period will remain the same as before. Student finance across the UK all have the same repayment period, and all have the same repayment terms, things are slightly different for student finance in Scotland as the payment terms all depend on your country of origin.

Changing universities is a big step for all students, but it’s a much less stressful task than you might think. All universities have to deal with students leaving or joining midway through the school year, so they will always have words of comfort, reassurance and advice for you to follow.