Programme Transfer FAQs

How do I contact my new School to discuss any requirements for my transfer?

We would strongly advise you check with your School / supervisor /employer before applying for a programme transfer, to ensure that the transfer is possible and that you meet the academic criteria and requirements for the new programme.

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Students	You should discuss your options with your personal tutor and then speak to the Admissions Tutor for the School you wish to join.
Degree Apprenticeship Students	Ensure you seek advice from your Personal Tutor/Supervisor in your School, your programme lead and your Employer before speaking to the Admissions Tutor for the programme to which you wish to transfer.
Postgraduate Research Students	You are strongly advised to discuss your options with your supervisors at the earliest opportunity.

How might a programme transfer affect my tuition fees?

Transferring degree programme may affect your tuition fee liability depending on your new programme. Please refer to the following pages for further information on the costs associate with your new programme:

Undergraduate Taught Tuition Fees
Postgraduate Taught Tuition Fees
Postgraduate Research Students only: if you would like information regarding the financial implications of your transfer, please contact the Research Student Administration team (RSA) at pgrletforms@contacts.bham.ac.uk

If you receive Student Finance support, the Student Loan Company will be notified of your transfer. You should check with the Student Loans Company that they will be continue to give you support on the new programme.

How do I know if my transfer type is Within Current Programme or Transfer to a Different Programme?

Most programme transfers will be classed as ‘Transfer to a Different Programme,’ however a select few will be ‘Within the Current Programme’. Your transfer may be classed as ‘Within the Current Programme’ if your new programme has the same major as your current programme. For instance:

BSc Economics to BSc Economics with Year Abroad
BSc Accounting and Finance to BSc Accounting and Finance with Business Analytics
PhD Computer Science to PhD Computer Science with Industry

If you have selected either ‘Transfer to a Different Programme’ or ‘Within the Current Programme’ and cannot find your new programme, please try the other option.

How can I check status of my programme transfer application?

To check the status of your programme transfer application, log onto Self-Service, select the Programme Transfers portal and click on ‘Your Existing Requests’.

*Please note, if you have previously applied for a programme transfer using a PDF/ Word document form, your request will not show in Self-Service existing requests. Please contact your school if you wish to know the progress of your PDF /Word document form.

I have checked the status of my programme transfer application, what does it mean?

Application Submitted	We have received your application, and it is waiting to be reviewed.
ATAS Pending	You have not submitted a valid ATAS certificate, which is required to transfer to the new course. The ATAS certificate included with your application has either expired or does not match the course you are applying to transfer to, or you have not submitted an ATAS certificate at all. Please submit a valid ATAS certificate as soon as possible. For more information, please see our ATAS pages.
Clearance Recognised	We have sent a notification to your current School confirming you are applying to transfer and at the same time have notified the School that owns the new programme that you have applied to transfer to them. Your application is still being reviewed and is not yet approved.
Approved	Your application has been approved. You will receive an email confirming this and any further steps you need to take.

I am an international student, how should I complete the Career Aspirations section?

When prompted by the form, you should give a clear and thorough explanation of how transferring to this new programme will benefit your career aspirations.

For postgraduate researchers only: Your explanation could also include how your new programme will benefit your research or circumstances.

I have been asked to upload an ATAS certificate to my application, what are my next steps?

Please read through the information on our ATAS webpage for guidance on how to apply for an ATAS certificate.

PGR FTE changes and transfer forms

A transfer form is required when a student changes concentration of study from full-time to part-time, or from part-time to full-time. For this purpose, full-time is 75% FTE and above, and part-time is anything below 75% FTE. If the student wants to change their FTE but remains within the same study mode category, a transfer form is not required; the School should email the Research Student Administration Team with the new FTE percentage, effective date, and supervisor approval.

Summary: when is a transfer form required?

Example FTE change	Starting concentration		New concentration	Does it cross the 75% threshold?	Transfer form required?	What to do
100% to 80%	Full-time	Full-time		No	No	School to email Research Student Administration with the new FTE, effective date, and supervisor approval.
100% to 75%	Full-time	Full-time		No	No	School to email Research Student Administration with the new FTE, effective date, and supervisor approval.
100% to 70%	Full-time	Part-time		Yes	Yes	Complete a transfer form because the mode of study changes.
100% to 50%	Full-time	Part-time		Yes	Yes	Complete a transfer form because the mode of study changes.
80% to 60%	Full-time	Part-time		Yes	Yes	Complete a transfer form because the mode of study changes.
50% to 40%	Part-time	Part-time		No	No	School to email Research Student Administration with the new FTE, effective date, and supervisor approval.
40% to 74%	Part-time	Part-time		No	No	School to email Research Student Administration with the new FTE, effective date, and supervisor approval.
40% to 75%	Part-time	Full-time		Yes	Yes	Complete a transfer form because the mode of study changes.
40% to 100%	Part-time	Full-time		Yes	Yes	Complete a transfer form because the mode of study changes.

I am an international student; how do I know if I need an ATAS certificate for my transfer?

International students may require an ATAS certificate for transfers to certain programmes. To check whether your new programme will require an ATAS certificate, please read through the advice and information at our ATAS webpage and the government’s website.

I cannot find my new programme listed in the application form

Here are some helpful tips to find your new programme in the online form:

Check that the transfer type is correct. See the FAQ on How do I know if my transfer type is Within Current Programme or Transfer to a Different Programme? for more information.
Check that the level is correct.
Check that the Campus is correct. See the FAQ on Which campus should I select? for more advice.
Search for the subject area of your course, e.g., MATHS for subjects related to maths.
To search for programmes related to Law, search LAWS.
If your programme title has two subject areas try searching for both subject areas e.g., BSc Mathematics and Computer Science, try searching MATHS or COMP.
Alternatively, search for a key term in your new programme title, e.g., MODERN for BA Modern Languages Full-time
Please note, searching for the degree type (e.g., BSc, PhD) will not return results
If you still cannot locate your new programme, please contact your School / personal tutor / supervisor for more advice.

Which campus should I select?

Postgraduate Research Students: Select Edgbaston unless you are on a joint degree with another university or are based in Dubai.

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Students:

Edgbaston Campus	Our UK campus in Edgbaston Birmingham. Most in-person courses delivered in the UK will be at this campus.
Distance Learning (Edgbaston)	Most distance learning programmes owned by the University of Birmingham. If your course doesn’t appear as expected, please try Online (Edgbaston).
Online (Edgbaston)	Other distance learning programmes delivered by the University of Birmingham. If your course doesn’t appear as expected, please try Distance Learning (Edgbaston)
Dubai	Our Dubai campus in the United Arab Emirates.
Other Campuses	Various other programmes may be listed under a different campus. For advice on which campus your new programme falls under, please contact your School / personal tutor / supervisor.

I am a postgraduate research student transferring to a split-location/distance learning course, is there anything else I need to complete?

If you are transferring to a split location or distance learning programme, you will need to complete additional paperwork before we can review your application. Please complete the relevant checklist below and email this to pgrletforms@contacts.bham.ac.uk before submitting your Self-Service transfer application:

Transferring to a Distance Learning Programme: Distance Learning Checklist (Word - 75KB)
Transferring to a Split-Location programme: Split Location Checklist (Word - 77KB)

I am having issues accessing the Self-Service form

If you are having problems logging in due to a forgotten/incorrect username and password, please contact IT Services.

If you have logged in successfully, but are having problems accessing the Self-Service form please complete the Word document forms below and send it to your School / tutor / supervisor for processing:

Undergraduate Taught Transfer Form (DOC 50KB)
Postgraduate Taught Transfer Form (DOC 42KB)
Degree Apprenticeship Transfer Form (DOC 77KB)
Postgraduate Research Transfer Form (DOC 55KB)
Postgraduate Taught to Research Transfer Form (DOC 61KB)

I have changed my mind about my programme transfer, what do I do?

Please contact your School / supervisor / personal tutor if you have changed your mind and no longer wish to transfer courses. Please also contact tsa-pt@contacts.bham.ac.uk (for undergraduate and postgraduate taught) or pgrletforms@contacts.bham.ac.uk (for postgraduate research).

I want to withdraw and transfer to a different university; how do I do this?

If you are looking to withdraw from your studies at the University of Birmingham and apply for a programme elsewhere, please visit our voluntary withdrawal webpages.

Can’t find what you’re looking for?

If you are unable to find the information that you're searching for in our FAQs, please contact:

For Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught: tsa-pt@contacts.bham.ac.uk
For Postgraduate Research: pgrletforms@contacts.bham.ac.uk