Once you've applied you may wish to make changes in the following ways:
We know that our applicants often have multiple interests and sometimes decide to change their course once they've applied to us.
If you're hoping to change your course, the likelihood of this change will depend on what time of year you make this request. As such we'd always recommend you carefully research the course you'd like to study and recommend making the request prior to the UCAS equal consideration deadline (which is 29 January 2025 this year) for your best chance of being considered for your preferred course.
Please note we'll only consider one request to change course per admissions cycle, so please make sure you choose carefully and check the requirements for the course before you request the change.
Before, and including, 29 January 2025:
Waiting for a decision on your application?
If you've applied for a course with us, are waiting to hear if you have an offer but have decided you'd prefer a different course instead, please complete our Ask Us form to let us know. We'll check if you'll meet the minimum requirements for the course first, but if you do we'll amend your course so you can be considered for your new choice.
Already have an offer?
If you already have an offer, we'll consider you for your new course however this will be in competition with other applications received by the 29 January 2025 deadline, so our decision may take longer as we consider your application alongside others. To request a change to your course, please complete our Ask Us form.
If you've originally applied for an entirely different subject, you may wish to consider submitting a substitute personal statement for us to consider.
Please note that if you received an offer for an alternative course to the one you'd originally chosen, we're unable to consider a change back to your original academic department. However, if we have spaces for your course in Clearing later in the cycle, you could apply for your original course through this route.
After 29 January 2025:
Following the 29 January 2025 (our UCAS equal consideration deadline), course changes will only be considered for courses where we have places available.
If your preferred course is closed at UCAS, we may not be able to consider your request.The exception would be if you're looking to change course within the same academic department, for example a change from BSc Physics to MPhys Theoretical Physics would still be considered.If you have deferred entry to the following year, it may not be possible to change your course. In most instances you'll need to reapply for your new course.
We recognise that circumstances can change for our applicants throughout the admissions cycle. As such we consider requests to either 'defer' a year (to autumn 2026) or to 'un-defer' a year (to autumn 2025 if you originally applied for 2026).
All such changes are dependent on places being available, and as such it's often easier to 'defer' a year than to reverse this. If you're still deciding what year to apply for and aren't 100% sure you want to take a gap year, then we'd recommend applying for 'direct' entry (i.e. for this cycle applying for 2025 entry rather than 2026 entry).
If you'd like to make a change to your year of entry, please complete our Ask Us form. Please ensure you provide a reason for your request and any relevant evidence if this is based on medical grounds.
Which courses are changes of year possible for?Change of year requests are considered for all courses with the exception of Law, History (including joint honours courses with Classics, English, and Modern Languages and Cultures) and courses with a Foundation year. For these departments, a deferral would only be considered if you have mitigating circumstances (such as a significant and evidenced health reason).
Regardless of year of entry, we consider your application according to the entry requirements and standards of the year you're applying in. This means your application would be considered alongside all other applications for your course that year i.e. applying for deferred entry won't increase your chances of receiving an offer.
When won't we consider a deferral?
If you're successful in gaining a place with us through Clearing, or if we confirmed your place with us after you missed your offer conditions, this will be for the specific year of entry we accepted you for. As such, a deferral would only be considered if you have mitigating circumstances (such as a significant and evidenced health reason), and this would not be guaranteed.
If you'd like to join us the following year instead then you'd need to reapply in the next admissions cycle. Your application would be considered in competition with the rest of the cohort for the new cycle. If you'd missed your original offer conditions, you may wish to consider re-sitting exams to ensure your application is competitive.
Change of year for international students
We understand that travelling around the world to a new country is a significant commitment and as such will consider all requests to defer entry for international students.
Once you've made your firm and insurance replies, you have 14 days to make a change at UCAS and you won't need to contact us to let us know.
Beyond 14 days, this would usually require the approval from each university involved in the change. At present, we've advised UCAS that we're happy to support any change of replies and you'll be able to contact UCAS directly to request this. You may still need permission from other universities involved in the change however.
Please note, our view regarding change of replies after 14 days may change later in the cycle (for example if more applicants than expected choose one of our courses as their firm choice). Please check this webpage for updates as the cycle continues.
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