This information is for Home/EU students in receipt of Student Finance England (SFE) funding.
International students must contact Student Advice as transferring (or withdrawing) from your course will affect your Student visa.
Part-time and Postgraduate students should contact Student Advice to discuss the financial implications of transferring from your course.
Things to consider before you transfer
- If your decision will have an impact on the SFE funding available for your current course or any future course.
- The date you make a change to your studies will impact on the tuition fees you owe or any refund you may be entitled to (see information below on fee liability).
- Whether SFE will consider you have been overpaid the maintenance loan if you transfer midterm
- Whether you will be liable to continue to pay for your accommodation or halls of residence. You may have signed a contract for a set period and if you decide to leave, you may still be liable to pay rent for the remainder of the contract.
- How you will financially support yourself if you will have a period of not attending a course and are not receiving SFE funding
- Withdrawing from your course Is not the same as transferring and means that you are leaving your course and do not intend to return. You may not be sure if you do intend to transfer to another course at this point in time. If you are not transferring to a new course, then please read our withdrawing from your course webpage.
Who to speak to before you transfer
- If you're struggling with your work and need academic advice, contact your Personal Tutor or Course Leader or your Registry Office via the Library and Student Centre.
- If you have been unable to submit coursework or attend exams due to illness, our mitigating circumstances process exists to ensure that you are not disadvantaged in your studies by serious, unforeseen and unpreventable circumstances.
- If you are having personal difficulties and you would like emotional support, consider making an appointment with our counsellors or the Student Wellbeing team to talk about the issues in confidence.
- If your problems relate to your finances, funding or immigration status, speak to our Student Advisers.
- If you have an ongoing health issue/disability/Specific Learning Difficulty that's affecting your studies, register with our Disability Learning Support team and find out whether you are entitled to any individual assessment arrangements.
- If you think you may be on the wrong course and would like guidance on your future career choices and whether a different course would help you achieve these, contact the university’s Careers and Employability Service.
If you are transferring to another course at the University of Westminster, then you will need to complete the Internal Transfer Form. You’ll need to get the signature of your current course leader and that of the prospective course leader. Please note that all course transfers are subject to the requirements of the academic regulations and academic approval.
Your Registry will notify SFE of your change in circumstances, but we recommend you also notify them by telephone to let them know that you are transferring and ask if they have received notification of your change in circumstances from your Registry.
If you are transferring to another university you must complete the Withdrawal from Studies form and state that you are transferring to a new institution. The University Finance Office will then update your student record to show that you are no longer studying with us. You may also notify SFE that you are no longer studying with us and are transferring. If you transfer to a new university, they will need to confirm to SFE that they accept you as a transfer student. You may need to check that your new university has done this nearer the time to avoid any delays, as your Student Finance funding will not be paid for your new course until your transfer is confirmed to SFE.
If you stop attending your current course part way through the year, your SFE funding should also stop and you will not be entitled to any further payments until you resume studies. The amount of student Maintenance Loan (and Grants if you receive these) you are entitled to receive for the year will be recalculated and can sometime result in an overpayment, see information below on overpayments.
Regardless of whether you are treated as a new or continuing student, any years or part years you have studied as a full-time degree student may reduce the funding available to you for your new full-time course. See information on previous study below.
Fee liability
It is important that you check what fees you are liable to pay before completing and submitting a transfer or withdrawal form.
Full details of fee liability dates and refund policy can be found in the Universities Student Fees and Other Charges Policy
If you have questions about how much fees you are liable to pay following your withdrawal you can email the Credit Control team at [email protected].
Student Finance England funding implications
If you receive funding from Student Finance England (SFE), transferring from your studies will affect your SFE funding and entitlement.
Tuition Fees
If you are being funded through Student Finance, you should inform them of your transfer as they may need to cancel any further payments of your Tuition Fee Loan. Your Registry Office will also notify Student Finance of your transfer through a Change of Circumstance.
SFE pay your tuition fees in three instalments near 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, your next instalment of Tuition Fee should not be paid. However, if a Tuition Fee Loan instalment is paid in error for a period that you were not liable to pay fees, SFE will recover this money from the University.
Maintenance Loan and Additional Grants
If you transfer partway through the academic year, SFE will re-assess your funding entitlement for the year and you may be asked to repay some of the Maintenance Loan and/or any Grants you've received, e.g Parents Learning Allowance, Adult Dependents Grant or Childcare grant.
You will not be entitled to any further payments until you resume your studies.
Any overpayment of Maintenance Loan will be calculated from the day you stop studying on your course.
If you are withdrawing from this course to transfer to another degree course at another University any overpayments may affect your entitlement to a maintenance loan or grants for your new course.
See further details on overpayments below.
If you are in receipt of the Masters Loan, you can transfer to a course in the same academic year. Any payments you are due when you transfer to your new course will be aligned to the payment periods of the new course. If you are transferring to a new course at a new institution, you must ensure your new institution confirms to SFE that you have been accepted onto your new course as a transfer. To formalise your transfer you will need to fill out the Withdrawal from Studies form from the university website, and state on this form that you are transferring to a new course/institution. If you would like further information on how your loan payments will be adjusted, please contact Student Advice.
When SFE receive 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 are no longer studying or attending your course will be re-assessed. This may result in an overpayment. This is because you are only entitled to receive Student Finance when you are fully enrolled and attending your course. SFE will ask for any overpayments to be repaid to them and will decide on the method of recovery. You will need to discuss the repayment options with SFE.
It is important to note if you decide to start a new degree course in the future and you have not repaid any overpaid loan or grant amounts, SFE can deduct the overpayment from your new SFE funding entitlement. You should discuss the repayment options with SFE.
For more information about overpayment recovery, visit: media.slc.co.uk/sfe/overpayment/index.html.
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 and even if you did not apply for or receive any SFE funding.
Previous study on a degree level course undertaken 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.
If you’re thinking of changing between part-time and full-time studies (changing your ‘mode of study’), make sure you first discuss your options with your course leader. You will also need to check if the course you wish to study is available part-time, as not all our courses are offered in this mode of attendance.
There will be funding implications if you change your mode of study. SFE funding entitlements are different for full time and part time students.
Please see information on part-time time student funding.
If you are currently part-time and will switch to full-time study see information on funding for full-time degrees.
A Student Adviser will be able to work out what Student Finance may be available to you.
If you do decide to change either your course or mode of study, you’ll need to complete an Internal Transfer Form and submit it to the Library and Student Centre.
If you are currently on a 4-year degree course and you will transfer to a 3-year degree course, depending on the years you have studied previously, your future entitlement can be adversely affect by this decision. Please seek advice from us before transferring.
If you transfer from a course with a foundation attached, and then join a new course without a foundation, this could also affect your funding. Please see information on how previous studies can affect your entitlement.
If you would like help to calculate your entitlement to funding, please contact Student Advice.
If eligible, you may be able to claim social security benefits if you stop studying and there is some time before you resume your new course. Any claim will be assessed under the general benefit eligibility rules. Some of your student finance already received may reduce your benefit entitlement. If you are unsure about your eligibility for benefits, contact Student Advice about your individual circumstance.
If as a result of transferring you will no longer be registered as a student, you will no longer be exempt from paying Council Tax as a student. If you are liable to pay Council Tax where you live, you may be entitled to apply for help towards paying this from your local council. Support varies depending on where you live.
Visit the gov.uk/council-tax website for more information.
Can I leave with a qualification?
Depending on the course you have studied and what stage you have reached, you may be eligible to receive an exit or intermediate award if you transfer before you complete your course. You may discuss this issue with your Registry Office, by emailing [email protected].
Student Visa implications
Seek urgent advice to discuss visa implications from Student Advice before you transfer.
If you withdraw or transfer from Westminster before completing your course, the university Visa Compliance team has a duty to notify UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). This is part of our responsibilities as a Sponsor.