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How easy is it to switch courses once I’m at university?

It is possible to switch courses at uni – but not always straightforward. It’s much easier to put the time in now and make sure you’ve definitely made the right degree choice...

If you’re asking this question, you should probably also consider how committed you actually are to your course. Have you researched and explored it in enough depth? Is it something that you’re really interested in doing for the next few years? Before you apply or accept an offer, search for a course to see what you'll study and how students rate it.

It's also not worth taking a course just so you can try and switch onto a more competitive one (like medicine) afterwards - these courses wised up to that trick years ago.

But let’s say you end up really not liking the course you’re doing. Can you switch? We asked a few universities to see how they deal with this.

Can I switch to another course in my uni?

Whether or not this is possible will depend on the programme that you want to take, as well as if there's space.

It is usually possible to switch programmes within a department as there will often be some commonality in modules.

Switching to an entirely different subject, though, usually requires students to re-commence the degree programme in the first year. There is no guarantee that this will be possible as they will be considered alongside Ucas applicants. University College London


Explore our subject guides: see example modules, job possibilities and more

Can I transfer to another university?

Generally we are open to transfers from either within the university, or from outside the university during the first year, subject to spaces being available and the applicant meeting the standard entry requirements for that particular course. 

As we run on a semester basis rather than in terms, the timing of transfers can be quite delicate as students will need to present a certain number of credits by the start of the semester. University Of Chichester


What this might mean is that if you haven’t done enough work in the semester (equivalent to half an academic year), you might not be able to transfer.

So do your work – even if you’re not enjoying your studies.

Don’t rely on the possibility of switching

Our general advice to students tends to be to not to rely on being able to do so. Most universities do their best to accommodate transfers but this isn't always possible particularly where the transfer would take the student onto a very competitive programme already full to capacity. For example, it would be unusual for someone to secure a transfer into medicine.

Where transfers can be accommodated, the general rule is the earlier the better - there is obviously a point beyond which too much teaching has been missed. University Of Bristol

 

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