Transferring

The information on this page is for full-time undergraduate home students receiving support from Student Finance England under the Education (Student Support) Regulations. If you are a part-time undergraduate, or a postgraduate student, or receiving funding from a different funding authority, please contact us for further advice as arrangements may vary. 

If you are thinking about transferring to a different course either within NTU or at another University, you will need to take advice from a range of services. It is vital to get advice regarding the implications for your tuition fees and Student Finance, and this page outlines some of the key points to consider. Further advice is available from the Student Financial Support Service.

Post-2016 – new fee and funding arrangements

If you are planning a transfer that will involve starting a new course or changing your mode of study, it is especially important that you seek advice. If you started your current course before 1 September 2016 and decide to change your mode of study (e.g. from full-time to part-time), please note that you will be classed as a new student for fees and funding purposes and will be subject to the post 2016 tuition fee rates and new student finance arrangements.

Transferring within NTU

If you transfer to another undergraduate course within NTU, the tuition fee will stay the same.  If you transfer between courses mid-year, and are able to continue on the new course within the same academic year, the total fee for the year should cover your attendance on both courses.

If you are unable to transfer mid-year and are required to start the new course at the beginning of the following academic year, you may have some fees to pay in respect of your old course, as well as the full fee when you start the new course the following year. Find out more about your fee liability if you leave during the 2018/19 academic year.

Transferring to another University

If you transfer to a course at another university, you are effectively withdrawing from NTU and the amount of fees you will have to pay will depend on your official date of withdrawal (see the fee liability link above). Our leaving NTU page also has further useful information. If you transfer mid-year, you could find yourself liable for fees at both universities and you should check this with the University to which you are transferring. Please note - you are only entitled to a tuition fee loan for the terms you are in attendance at University. If you transfer to a course at another university, you are advised to check your fee liability with both Universities.

Student Finance

Provided the relevant academic school(s) and / or universities have endorsed your course transfer, you should be able to transfer your student finance entitlement to allow you to receive the tuition fee loan and any loans / grants for living costs in respect of your new course. If the transfer means that you will be studying for longer than the period for which you had originally been awarded student finance, you may not receive funding for the whole of the new course and your previous study (below) will be taken into account in any calculation of your student finance entitlement.

Arranging to transfer your student finance

Your academic school at NTU will notify Student Finance England of your change of course (if you are transferring within NTU) or the last date of attendance at NTU (if you are transferring to another university). In the latter case, your new university will also need to send Student Finance England a form called a Notification of Student Transfer.

Applying for next year's student finance

We strongly recommend that you apply early for your student finance each year. Applications open for each academic year in the Spring. If you have already applied for next year's student finance, it’s important that you update Student Finance England to let them know that you have transferred courses and/or institution. If Student Finance England has the wrong course information on their systems, this could affect entitlement or delay any payments being made. 

Previous study

Eligibility for student finance will depend on your previous study history. The government provides funding for the duration of a course of study plus one additional year if needed. Therefore, if a course has a duration of three years, you would be entitled to four years of funding in total (3 + 1 = 4). So if you transfer at the end of your first year of study to start a new three-year course, and you haven't previously repeated a year or studied on a higher education course prior to this one, you should be entitled to the full student finance package for the whole of your new course (subject to you meeting the other eligibility requirements).

However, if you have undertaken a previous course at higher-education-level, or perhaps repeated any period of study, your entitlement to funding will be reduced to reflect this previous study.

For example, if you have previously studied for two years, you would then be entitled to a further two years of funding (3 + 1 = 4 - 2 = 2). If the new course has a three-year duration period, you would only be entitled to the maintenance loan* during the first year of your new course. You would then be entitled to full support for the remainder of the course.
*Provided you don't already have a degree, you can get a Maintenance Loan for as long as you're studying a course of higher education. In addition, even if you are not entitled to the Tuition Fee Loan, Maintenance Grant or NTU bursary, you would still be entitled to receive the Childcare Grant and the Parent's Learning Allowance.

If you have compelling personal reasons (CPR), some periods of study can be disregarded from this calculation and we would urge you to seek advice.

Further advice

Advice on all aspects of funding is available from the Student Financial Support Service on +44 (0)115 848 2494 or via email.