Find out how to transfer to a different course within the University of Hertfordshire.
- Before making your decision
- Important information for international students on a student visa
- How will this affect my tuition fees?
- How to request a course transfer
- Need more help?
Before making your decision
It is important that you get the advice and support you need when making the decision to transfer to or restart on a different course. If you are considering changing courses, please discuss your options and seek guidance from the following:
- Your current Programme Leader.
- The Programme Leader for the course you are considering transferring to.
- The Student Finance team, in case, transferring to or restarting a new course will impact your funding. This is particularly important if you are an EU Student so you can check whether a transfer or restart will affect your funding eligibility. You may also be liable for a proportion of tuition fees for the course you are transferring from so please check with Student Finance.
Important information for international students on a Student Visa
⚠️Students are expected to register on the course listed on their CAS and transfers to a different course or school are only permitted in very exceptional circumstances.
Key information
- You will only be permitted to transfer course if there is an exceptional reason as to why you need to transfer.
- Requesting to transfer course due to a change of mind, or wanting a different timetable, are not counted as exceptional reasons and will not be approved.
- All transfer requests are dependent on places being available on the course you are requesting to transfer to.
- If you are unsure if you are eligible to transfer courses, please contact the International Office.
If you believe you meet one of the exceptions listed above, this is what you need to do:
- If you are a new student, ensure you register on the course stated on your CAS as normal.
- Check visa guidance on future visa applications before submitting a request.
- Submit a Course Transfer Request form. Please note, if you are a new student, once registered, you will still be expected to meet the entry requirements for the course you wish to transfer to.
- Provide a clear explanation as to why you want to change course, how the new course relates to your previous course, and how both courses support your future career aspirations. You can also attach and any supporting evidence.
- All transfer requests will be reviewed by the International Office and Admissions to ensure eligibility and compliance with visa regulations and English Language requirements for the new course.
- Wait for a decision before making any changes.
Please note:
- If you are changing to a shorter course, you may be reported to the Home Office, which could shorten your visa and prevent re-entry to the UK.
- If you are changing to a course that ends on or before your visa end date and your visa expires before you receive your award, you may not be able to apply for the Graduate Route. You are advised to check with your School when your final award will be locked. A new CAS will not be issued just to wait for results.
If you need any visa advice, contact the Student Immigration Team (Advice) for more support.
How will this affect my tuition fees?
If you transfer from one course to another, you may be liable to pay tuition fees for both courses.
To avoid this, you must complete your course transfer by the end of the month that the last date to register falls within for each Semester intake. This is as follows:
- end of October for Sem A starters
- end of February for Sem B starters
- end of May for Sem C starters
For postgraduate students, if you transfer between UH courses after the date above, you may have to commence your new course at the start of the next transfer and would owe 25% of fees for your first course, and 100% of fees for your new course.
It is important that you speak to The Student Finance team before deciding to transfer between UH courses and this may also affect your funding eligibility. This is particularly important if you are an EU Student.
How to request a course transfer
To request a course transfer you will need to complete a Transfer Request Form. Make sure you read the instructions on the form and complete all the sections relevant to you otherwise processing of your transfer request will be delayed.
Once you have completed the form, home students should:
- Send the completed form and any attachments to the relevant administration team, shown at the bottom of the form, so that your transfer request can be processed.
Once you have completed the form, international students should:
- Send the completed form and any attachments to:
- international@herts.ac.uk if you are requesting to move between academic Schools so that your transfer request can be reviewed
- the relevant administrative team (shown at the bottom of the form) if you are requesting to change courses within the same academic School
- Once the transfer form has been received it will be checked to make sure that you meet Home Office conditions for transfer approval. If these conditions are not met, you will be notified by the Student Immigration Team as to the reason why your request cannot be actioned.
Need more help?
If you need more guidance or advice, contact the Ask Herts team who are here to help.