There are lots of reasons why the course you’re studying at your current university might not be working out.

It might be that the course isn’t meeting expectations, you’ve realised the subject just isn’t for you or you’ve re-evaluated your career path and want to go in a different, more creative, direction.

If that’s the case, then you might be interested to know you can switch to a course at UCA.

Depending on the course you’re on, and the one you want to switch to, you can transfer in Year 1 or Year 2 – and sometimes in Year 3.

If you’ve decided that you want to study a totally different subject – for example, switching from maths to fine art – then you would most likely need to reapply for Year 1, as any modules or units that you would have already done are unlikely to be relevant in your new subject area.

The good news is, whatever the circumstances, we’re here to support you with advice and guidance – so if you have questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we’ll do all we can to help you come to a decision, and make the transition between your current course and your new start at UCA as smooth as possible.

Read on to find out what to do, depending on your year of study…

How do I switch
to UCA?

If you decide to transfer to UCA sometime during your first year at another university, the best thing to do is to call our Admissions Team on 01252 416110 to see if you’ll be able to transfer to a course here mid-year. This can sometimes depend on the units of the course you’re transferring to.

If you’ve applied to UCA before but didn’t choose us as your firm offer, we may still have your application in the system and might be able to reinstate it, so that you don’t have to apply through UCAS all over again. If you did apply to us in the past, call our Admissions Team on 01252 416110 and they’ll be able to look for your application.

If you’ve never applied to UCA before, you can apply to us through UCAS and select the year of entry that you’d like to start in, in this case, Year 2.

It’s not always possible to transfer into Year 3 – many courses start preparations for the final year projects and dissertations in Year 2, while Year 3 often has more independent study time using what has been taught in the previous years. It’s best, in this case, to get in touch with our Admissions Team on 01252 416110 to discuss the options available to you.

Entry Requirements

Below are the entry criteria for transferring to a UCA course:

  • You should meet the standard first-year entry requirements (level 3 and GCSEs)
  • You should have studied similar modules in the first/second year of a similar course and will need have 120/240 credits to join Year 2/3
  • You will need to provide evidence of the modules you’ve studied and the grades/credits you’ve achieved. We’ll ask you to provide a transcript from your current university which should be on original letter-headed paper and stamped or signed by the registry of your previous university.

We can make conditional offers, so if you haven’t completed your year of study, you can apply prior to receiving your results by sending details of the modules you’re studying.

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If you would like to talk to us to find out more information about our courses and to discuss a possible switch to UCA, please contact our Admissions team: