Transfers between programmes at Loughborough University

Contact the Programme Leader for the new programme for an informal discussion in the first instance. If the School are willing to accept you onto the new programme, you will need to submit an online request via the My Requests tab in the Self-Service portal. See Q17 and Q18.

You are strongly advised to consider the financial implications of changing your programme, as well as the impact if you have a Tier 4/Student visa or require ATAS, and seek advice as appropriate. See Q15 and Q16.

Depending on the similarities between your current programme and the programme you wish to join, the School may consider some of the following:

• Your performance to date
• The modules you have completed (if applicable) and are currently studying
• Whether you meet the entry requirements for the new programme
• Whether there is space on the new programme
• The time of year

This depends on the similarities between your current and the proposed new programme. You may be expected to pass certain modules, or if you are requesting a transfer from an undergraduate Bachelor’s to an undergraduate Master’s programme, your School could set a requirement for you to achieve a certain Part mark before the transfer is approved. These are known as ‘conditions of transfer’. See Q22 and Q23.

Specific conditions may also apply to Tier 4/Student visa holders or those who require ATAS clearance. See Q15 and Q16.

You may not request a transfer to a previous Part of your programme in order to improve your marks.

If your performance in the current academic year is being affected by circumstances beyond your control, you should discuss this with your School and submit a Mitigating Circumstances claim.

In some situations, a Leave of Absence may be appropriate.

If your new programme includes modules which you have already studied, all marks achieved for these modules will normally be carried over to the new programme. This usually applies to transfers between undergraduate Bachelor’s and Master’s versions of the same degree programme in Parts A and B, and in some instances where a student is transferring within the same subject area, for example from a joint honours to a single honours programme.  Your School will confirm which credits can be transferred.

Any modules which are not transferred to your new programme will not appear on your final transcript.  However, you may request an interim transcript from your School to confirm these marks.  If you complete an entire Part before transferring to an unrelated programme, you may be eligible for a Lesser Award. See Q12.

In some cases, you may be required to pass reassessments or achieve a certain Part mark before you can start your new programme.

If you are transferring immediately and your new programme has modules in common with your old programme, you will only be able to retake modules for which you have been awarded reassessment rights by the programme board. You will not simply be able to start the modules from scratch to improve your marks.

If you are registered for resits or repeat attempts in modules which you are transferring to the new programme, these will continue to be resits/repeat attempts. Both the first and subsequent attempt(s) will be transferred to the new record.

If you are transferring from an undergraduate Master’s to an undergraduate Bachelor’s programme, having failed to meet the progression criteria for the Master’s programme, you may no longer need to take reassessments. Your School Admin Team can give you further advice about this.

If you change your mind about your degree programme, you should speak to the Foundation Programme Administrator as soon as possible, in case you are required to transfer to a different foundation pathway. If your current pathway allows you to progress to the new degree programme, your School will advise you regarding the timing of your transfer request.

Email your Foundation Programme Administrator if you want to make a transfer request at any stage, rather than requesting through the Self-Service system.

If you do not meet the progression criteria for your intended degree, you may be offered a place on an alternative programme. You do not need to make a separate request through the Self-Service portal.

If you are a postgraduate student this may be possible depending on the programme, the time of year and the number of credits you have studied to date. Speak to your Programme Leader/School Admin Team for further guidance. You should also seek guidance from the Student Advice and Support Service regarding how changing your studies may affect your financial circumstances (including student loan) and/or immigration status. Students holding a Tier 4/Student Visa are unlikely to be able to transfer to a part time programme.

The University does not offer part-time undergraduate programmes. However, if you are an undergraduate student and are experiencing serious health difficulties, or have elite sporting/coaching commitments, it may be possible to 'stretch' your programme. You should contact your Programme Leader/School Admin Team for guidance.

If your School allows students on your programme to choose whether to study towards a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or Master’s degree, this should be possible. You will not be eligible for a refund for modules which have already started.  Unless you are also changing your programme/mode of study, you will need to obtain a qualification aim change form from your School; this type of change cannot be made through the Self-Service portal.

You may only start your new programme once the request has been approved and any associated conditions (academic, ATAS or visa-related) met. Until this time, you should continue to engage with your current programme, attend all teaching and undertake assessments as directed by your School. You should not attend teaching for any new modules unless specifically told to by your School.

If you will be required to take different modules on the new programme, a transfer will only normally be approved prior to the start of the academic year or within the first two weeks.

If you are transferring to a programme with different modules after Week 2 of Semester 1, you may have to take a Leave of Absence and start your new programme at the beginning of the next academic year.

This normally happens where students are starting Part A of a new programme. If appropriate, your Leave of Absence will be approved at the same time as your Programme Transfer; it is not necessary to also submit a Leave of Absence form.

You should read about the implications of taking a Leave of Absence and should speak to your School administrator to confirm you understand these.

If you hold a Tier 4/Student visa, the University will not continue to sponsor you whilst on a Leave of Absence and you will need to apply for a new visa before returning for your new programme.

If you are transferring to an unrelated programme and not carrying over modules from your current part, you may be eligible for a lesser award, in accordance with Regulation XX (undergraduates) or Regulation XXI (postgraduates):

• Certificate in Foundation/International Foundation Studies – successful completion of Part F
• Certificate of Higher Education – successful completion of Part A
• Diploma of Higher Education – successful completion of Part B
• Postgraduate Certificate – 60 credits
• Postgraduate Diploma – 100 credits plus a further 20 credits with module marks of no less than 40

Lesser awards must be confirmed by a programme board. Credits from individual modules may not be used to gain more than one award unless the programme specification makes provision for this.

If you are in receipt of a student loan or are sponsored by an external organisation, you should check that you will still be eligible for funding on the new programme. Undergraduates who are funded by Student Finance will normally only be entitled to a tuition fee loan for one year of repeat/additional study unless there are compelling circumstances. You are encouraged to seek guidance from the Student Advice and Support Service.

If you are an international or postgraduate taught student, the tuition fees for your new programme may differ. If you have overpaid your tuition fees as a result of transferring programme or changing to part-time study and are due a refund, you should contact the Finance Office.

If you need to take a Leave of Absence before starting your new programme, you should consider how this will affect any accommodation contract you currently hold and speak to the Accommodation Centre (students in halls) or Student Advice and Support Service (students in private sector accommodation).

International and postgraduate taught scholarships may vary according to the programme and you should discuss this with the School. If you are transferring from a full-time postgraduate programme to a part-time version, you are unlikely to remain eligible for a University scholarship.

Before submitting a request, you are encouraged to seek guidance from the Student Advice and Support Service. If your request is approved by the School, it will then be checked by the Student Office before final approval.

You should consider the following:

• Is the programme at the same RQF Level as your current programme, higher or lower? Will the change meet UKVI’s academic progression criteria?
• Will you be able to complete the new programme before your current visa expires?
• Will you be able to complete the new course within the time limit for undergraduate degree level study? What would the implications of needing to take reassessment with attendance be?
• If you need to obtain a new Student visa before starting your programme, can the application be made in the UK or overseas? Do you have time to make your application before your new programme commences?
• If you are starting a completely different programme in the next academic year, will you need to take a Leave of Absence first? This will mean your Tier 4/Student sponsorship is withdrawn and you will need to make a new visa application in your home country.

If you are a national of the UK, an EU or EEA country, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, or the United States of America, you are not required to obtain ATAS clearance.

If you are a national of another country and have a Tier 4/Student visa, or you hold a Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 5 visa which was issued on or after 6 April 2015, and you wish to transfer to an undergraduate Master’s or postgraduate taught programme which requires ATAS clearance, you will need to obtain an ATAS certificate before your programme transfer will be approved.

Once the Programme Leader has provisionally agreed to accept you for the new programme, you should then make a formal request via the My Requests tab in the Self-Service portal. If you are a temporary student and cannot access the My Requests tab, please contact your School Administrator.

If you are an undergraduate, you will need to select the programme to which you wish to transfer and the route (e.g. with a placement or without a placement). You will also need to state whether you wish to start the new programme as soon as the transfer is approved and any conditions met, or whether you wish to start the programme in the next academic year. If the latter, you will be asked whether you wish to take a Leave of Absence from your current programme or complete the academic year.

If you are a postgraduate, you will need to select the programme to which you wish to transfer. If there are multiple options, you will also need to choose the qualification aim (Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, or Master’s degree) and the mode of study (full-time or part-time). You will also need to state whether you wish to start the new programme as soon as the transfer is approved and any conditions met, or whether you wish to take a Leave of Absence from your current programme and start the programme in the next academic year.

You should make a request to transfer to the new programme. If this has an optional placement year, you will be able to choose between the version with a placement and the version without.

If you change your mind about taking a placement year once your programme transfer has been approved and processed, you can make a new request to add or remove the placement year. If your request is on hold because you need to meet conditions of transfer or obtain a new visa/ATAS, please contact your School Admin Team for guidance.

You can only make one Self-Service request at a time, so will either need to wait for the route change request to be completed or withdraw it before submitting a programme transfer request. When requesting a programme transfer, you have the option to select whether the new programme will include a placement year.

The School will review your request and you will be notified by email of any conditions you must meet before transferring, including in relation to a Tier 4/Student visa or ATAS. You will also receive an email to advise you if the transfer has been approved and processed, or alternatively if your request has been unsuccessful.

In some cases, your School may require you to meet certain academic conditions before you can transfer to the new programme. This could include passing your current Part, achieving a certain Part mark, or achieving minimum marks in specific modules. You will be informed of any conditions which apply, and your transfer will then be approved in principle and placed on hold until those conditions are met.

If the transfer has been approved in principle, but you are required to fulfil certain criteria, for example passing your current Part or achieving certain marks, your transfer will not be processed until you have met these conditions. If you are an undergraduate, this is likely to be at the end of the academic year. If you do not achieve the required conditions, your School will review the request and decide if it is still appropriate for you to transfer to the new programme. If it is not possible to transfer, your request will be rejected, and you will remain on your current programme.

The timing of the transfer will depend on the nature of your request and whether or not there are any academic conditions of transfer, or if you need to obtain a new visa/ATAS clearance. Your School Admin Team can give you further information.

If you are unsure about whether transferring to a new programme or continuing with your current programme is the best option, you can discuss this with the Programme Leader or your Personal Academic Tutor. If you have any questions about using the Self-Service portal, you should contact your School Admin Team.

Other sources of support include:

• Student Advice and Support Service (archived Nov 2023) – student finance, private sector accommodation contracts, immigration and ATAS
• Accommodation Centre – halls of residence
• Careers Network – support with careers planning
• Student Wellbeing and Inclusivity – mental health and wellbeing support, and support for students with a disability or specific learning difference

If your request has not yet been approved, you can log back into the Self-Service portal and withdraw it. If your programme transfer has been approved and processed, contact your School Admin Team as soon as possible.