Transferring your course

For Home/EU students receiving Student Finance England (SFE) funding:

  • Please contact Student Advice, as transferring or withdrawing from your course will impact your Student visa. Please read our Changes to your course page for further information.
  • Part-time and postgraduate students: Reach out to Student Advice to understand the financial implications of transferring from your course.

Things to consider before transferring

  • Impact on SFE funding: Determine if your decision will affect the funding available for your current or future courses.
  • Tuition fees: The date you change your studies will influence the tuition fees you owe or any potential refund (see fee liability information below).
  • Maintenance Loan: Consider if SFE will view your maintenance loan as overpaid if you transfer midterm.
  • Accommodation costs: Assess whether you'll still be liable for accommodation or halls of residence fees. Contracts may require you to pay rent for the remainder of the term.
  • Financial support: Plan how you'll support yourself financially during any period of non-attendance without SFE funding.
  • Withdrawing verses transferring: Understand that withdrawing from your course means leaving without intending to return. If you're unsure about transferring to another course, please read our withdrawing from your studies page.

Who to speak to before transferring

  • Academic advice: If you're struggling with your work, reach out to your Personal Tutor, Course Leader, or Registry Office via the Student Centre.
  • Mitigating circumstances: If illness has prevented you from submitting coursework or attending exams, our mitigating circumstances process ensures you aren't disadvantaged by serious, unforeseen, and unpreventable events.
  • Emotional support: For personal difficulties and emotional support, consider making an appointment with our counsellors or the Student Wellbeing team to discuss your issues confidentially.
  • Financial, funding, or immigration issues: Speak to our Student Advisers if your problems relate to finances, funding, or immigration status.
  • Health issues/disabilities: If you have an ongoing health issue, disability, or Specific Learning Difficulty affecting your studies, register with our Disability Learning Support team to see if you qualify for individual assessment arrangements.
  • Career guidance: If you think you may be on the wrong course and need guidance on future career choices, contact the University’s Careers and Employability Service to explore whether a different course would better help you achieve your goals.

  • Complete the Internal Transfer Form: Obtain signatures from both your current and prospective course leaders.
  • Academic regulations and approval: Be aware that all course transfers are subject to academic regulations and require academic approval.
  • Notify SFE: Your Registry will inform Student Finance England (SFE) of your change in circumstances. However, we recommend you also contact SFE by phone to confirm they have received this notification.

 

  • Complete the withdrawal process in your student record: Indicate that you are transferring to a new institution. The University Finance Office will update your student record to reflect that you are no longer studying with us.
  • Notify SFE: Inform Student Finance England (SFE) that you are transferring. Your new university must confirm to SFE that they accept you as a transfer student. Ensure this confirmation is done to avoid delays in your Student Finance funding for the new course.

Impact on SFE Funding:

  • Mid-year transfer: If you stop attending your current course partway through the year, your SFE funding will cease, and you won't receive further payments until you resume studies. The amount of Maintenance Loan (and grants, if applicable) will be recalculated, which may result in an overpayment. See information below on overpayments.
  • Previous study: Whether you are treated as a new or continuing student, any years or part years studied as a full-time degree student may reduce the funding available for your new full-time course. See information on previous study below.

Fee liability

  • Check fees: Ensure you understand the fees you are liable to pay before completing and submitting a transfer or withdrawal form.
  • Policy details: Full details of fee liability dates and the refund policy are available in the University's Student Fees and Other Charges Policy.
  • Questions: If you have questions about your fee liability after withdrawal, you can chat with our Student Centre Team or raise an enquiry on Compass.

Student Finance England funding implications

  • Impact on funding: Transferring from your studies will affect your SFE funding and entitlement.
  • Tuition fees: If you receive funding from SFE, inform them of your transfer as they may need to cancel further Tuition Fee Loan payments. Your Registry Office will also notify SFE of your transfer through a change of circumstance.
  • Payment schedule: SFE pays your tuition fees in three instalments at the beginning of each term during the academic year. No fees are paid to the University until your attendance is confirmed to SFE. If your transfer is reported by your Registry before the next fee payment is due, the next instalment of your tuition fee should not be paid. However, if a Tuition Fee Loan instalment is mistakenly paid for a period you were not liable for, SFE will recover this money from the University.

Maintenance Loan and additional grants

  • Re-assessment: If you transfer partway through the academic year, SFE will re-assess your funding entitlement. You may be required to repay some of the Maintenance Loan and/or any Grants you've received, such as Parents' Learning Allowance, Adult Dependents' Grant, or Childcare Grant.
  • Payment suspension: You will not be entitled to further payments until you resume your studies.
  • Overpayment calculation: Any overpayment of the Maintenance Loan will be calculated from the day you stop studying.
  • Impact on new course: If you withdraw from this course to transfer to another degree course at a different university, any overpayments may affect your entitlement to a maintenance loan or grants for your new course.

See further details on overpayments below.

  • Transfer within the same academic year: If you receive a Masters Loan, you can transfer to a course within the same academic year. Your payment schedule will be adjusted to align with the new course's payment periods.
  • New institution: If transferring to a new institution, ensure the new institution confirms to SFE that you have been accepted as a transfer student.
  • Formalize your transfer: Complete the Withdrawal from Studies process in your online record indicating that you are transferring to a new course or institution.
  • Further information: For more details on how your loan payments will be adjusted, please contact Student Advice.

  • Reassessment: When SFE receives confirmation from your Registry that you have transferred from your course, they will reassess your entitlement to Student Finance. Any loans or grants paid to you during a period when you were not studying or attending will be re-evaluated, potentially resulting in an overpayment.
  • Repayment: Since you are only entitled to Student Finance while fully enrolled and attending your course, SFE will request repayment of any overpayments and determine the method of recovery. You'll need to discuss repayment options with SFE.
  • Future courses: If you start a new degree course in the future and have not repaid any overpaid loan or grant amounts, SFE can deduct the overpayment from your new funding entitlement. It is important to discuss repayment options with SFE.

For more information about overpayment recovery, visit GOV.UK.

  • Impact on entitlement: Your attendance on this course or any previous degree-level course will reduce your entitlement to receive a Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance/Special Support Grant for a future degree-level course, even if you only attended for one day or did not apply for or receive any SFE funding.
  • Previous study considerations: Previous study at degree level in the UK or any other country affects SFE funding. Attendance on HND and HNC courses also counts as previous study for SFE purposes.

Find out more information about previous study.

  • Discuss options: If you're considering switching between part-time and full-time studies, first discuss your options with your course leader. Ensure the course you wish to study is available part-time, as not all courses are offered in this mode.
  • Funding implications: Changing your mode of study will affect your funding. SFE funding entitlements differ for full-time and part-time students.
  • Part-time student funding: See information on funding for part-time students.
  • Full-time student funding: If you are currently part-time and plan to switch to full-time study, see information on funding for full-time degrees.
  • Student Finance advice: A Student Adviser can help determine what Student Finance may be available to you.
  • Complete transfer: If you decide to change your course or mode of study, complete an Internal Transfer Form and submit it to the Student Centre.

  • Impact on entitlement: If you are currently enrolled in a four-year degree course and plan to transfer to a three-year degree course, your future entitlement may be adversely affected depending on the years you have already studied. Please seek advice from us before making this decision.
  • Foundation courses: Transferring from a course with a foundation year to one without can also impact your funding. Refer to information on how previous studies can affect your entitlement.
  • Calculate entitlement: For assistance in calculating your funding entitlement, please contact Student Advice.

  • Eligibility for benefits: If you stop studying and there is a gap before you resume your new course, you may be eligible to claim social security benefits. Your claim will be assessed under general benefit eligibility rules, and some of your received student finance may reduce your benefit entitlement. If you're unsure about your eligibility, contact Student Advice for personalized guidance.
  • Council Tax: If transferring results in you no longer being registered as a student, you'll lose your exemption from paying Council Tax. If you are liable for Council Tax, you may be able to apply for assistance from your local council. Support varies depending on your location.

For more information, visit the GOV.UK website.

Leaving with a qualification

  • Eligibility for awards: Depending on your course and the stage you have reached, you may be eligible for an exit or intermediate award if you transfer before completing your course. Discuss this with your Registry Office, chat with our Student Centre Team, or raise an enquiry on Compass.

Student Visa implications

  • Seek advice: Before transferring, urgently seek advice from Student Advice to discuss visa implications.
  • Notification to UKVI: If you withdraw or transfer from Westminster before completing your course, the University's Visa Compliance team must notify UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) as part of our responsibilities as a Sponsor. Read more information on our Changes to your course page and contact Student Advice.