Transfers

If you are a continuing EU student with SAAS funding and have not applied for pre-settled status please check with Fees and or The Advice Place before requesting a transfer as there are fee implications and you will lose your SAAS funding. 

Fees Contact

The Advice Place

If you are studying at the University of Edinburgh on a Student visa, a transfer to a new degree programme may affect your visa so we would advise you to contact the Student Immigration Service to enquire about any potential visa implications.

Student Immigration Service webpage

If you are a current University of Edinburgh student who plans to study away from the University next year, or if you are currently studying away from the University in this academic year, please note the following:

•  you cannot transfer to another degree while studying away; and
• if you wish to transfer degree you are strongly advised to coordinate with the Student Support Team of the School that you wish to transfer to.  While studying away you may need to take courses which are compatible with the degree that you will be studying for when you return.

Due to unprecedented demand for spaces on our programmes, transfers into the School of Informatics have not been possible to date and we are not currently accepting MSc transfers on to any programmes for the 2024 intake.  From session 2023/24 a limited number of existing University of Edinburgh undergraduate students will be permitted to transfer into the School each year provided the following strict criteria are met:

• You must have secondary / pre-University qualifications at a level which would have resulted in being offered a place on an Informatics programme had you applied through UCAS.  Details of entry requirements for Informatics programmes can be found on the University of Edinburgh Degree Finder.
• For year 2 entry points you must have strong* results in Informatics (or their equivalent) assessments undertaken prior to transferring into the School of Informatics as outlined here: Extended Common Marking Scheme.

• For year 1 entry points we expect evidence of good performance at University study; transfers are not a route to avoid failure in another programme. Ideally applicants should be in "good standing" (no missing credits in the previous year of study), and demonstrating strong performance in a substantial part of their studies is required. Where places are still available, we may wait for any August resit results before being able to make a decision.

Students cannot transfer into year 1 at the commencement of their studies at the University, admission is via UCAS only as an applicant.  Two types of transfer into the School will be permitted:

1. Entry into Year 1: A fixed, small number of places will be reserved for students wishing to transfer into the School each year. This route is open if you have not fulfilled the Year 1 Degree Programme Table (DPT) requirements for the Informatics programme you wish to transfer onto.
2. Direct entry into Year 2: A small number of students will be permitted to transfer through this route each year, depending on progression rates in the School of Informatics in the year in question.  This route is available if you have fulfilled the Year 1 DPT requirements for the Informatics programme you wish to transfer onto.

You will not be permitted to transfer into later years of study. Transfer will be permitted at the start of the academic year only: no mid-session transfers will be allowed.

How to apply

If you are based in another University of Edinburgh School and wish to transfer onto a School of Informatics programme in the following academic year you should:

• Speak with your Student Adviser or Cohort Lead to discuss the possibility of a transfer and check that you meet the pre-requisites for the Informatics programme you wish to transfer onto.
• Check funding and finances – you should contact your loan authority or funding body in advance of any change as there is no guarantee that funding will continue automatically if a transfer is granted.
• Check student visa implications – if you are an international student on a student visa you should consult the Student Immigration Service about the implications for your visa of changing programmes. Further information can be found here: Changes to your studies.
• Contact the School of Informatics Student Support Team (inf-sst@inf.ed.ac.uk) by 31 July at the latest to request a transfer. You should provide information about:  your current programme of study;  the Informatics programme you wish to transfer onto; and whether you are hoping to transfer into Year 1 or Year 2 of your chosen programme.

Informatics will advise applicants of their decision as soon as possible before the start of semester. The School’s decision will be final and based on previous academic achievement and other contextual information it may seek.

*’Strong’ is indicatively identified as a grade average of at least 60 AND 60 on Inf1A and Inf1B AND at least 50 on Introductory Linear Algebra and Calculus and its Applications (or appropriate substitutes).

Where there is capacity, a small number of students who are enrolled on other University of Edinburgh programmes are permitted to transfer onto the BEng Electronics and Computer Science each year.

Two types of transfer onto the programme are permitted:

1. Entry into Year 1 This route is open to students who, during their previous years of study at the University, have not fulfilled the Year 1 Degree Programme Table (DPT) requirements for the BEng Electronics and Computer Science: DPT: Electronics and Computer Science (BEng Hons) (UTBNGELCOS1F)
2. Direct entry into Year 2 This route is for students who, during their previous years of study at the University, have fulfilled the Year 1 DPT requirements for the BEng Electronics and Computer Science: DPT: Electronics and Computer Science (BEng Hons) (UTBNGELCOS1F)

Students are not permitted to transfer into later years of study. Transfer is only permitted at the start of the academic year: no mid-year transfers are allowed.

Potential students must meet the following criteria in order to be permitted to transfer:

• Secondary / pre-University qualifications at a level which would have resulted in the student being offered a place on the BEng Electronics and Computer Science had they applied through UCAS. Details of entry requirements for the programme can be found here: BEng Electronics and Computer Science
• Strong results in all University of Edinburgh assessments undertaken prior to transferring onto the programme, and in any Informatics’ courses taken in particular.

Decision-making process

The decision around capacity for students to transfer onto the BEng Electronics and Computer Science is taken by the School of Informatics in early August each year and depends on:

• the predicted size of the School of Informatics’ undergraduate intake in the year in question
• progression rates in the School of Informatics in the year in question
• the total number of students requesting transfer onto Informatics’ programmes in the year in question.

Where it is agreed that there is capacity for students to transfer onto the BEng Electronics and Computer Science, the decision around which students are permitted to transfer is taken by the School of Engineering. The School of Engineering is also responsible for processing the transfer.

Applying to transfer onto the BEng Electronics and Computer Science

Students wishing to transfer onto the BEng Electronics and Computer Science should:

• Speak with their Student Adviser to discuss the possibility of a transfer and check that they meet the pre-requisites for the programme.
• Check funding and finances – students should contact their loan authority or funding body in advance of any change as there is no guarantee that funding will continue automatically if a transfer is granted.
• Check student visa implications – international students on student visas should consult Student Immigration Services about the implications for their visa of changing programmes. Further information can be found here: Changes to your studies.
• Contact the Engineering Student Support Office (sst@eng.ed.ac.uk) by 31 July to request a transfer. (Unfortunately, no late requests can be accepted.)  Students should provide information about:
  • their current programme of study;
  •  and whether they are hoping to transfer into Year 1 or Year 2 of the BEng Electronics and Computer Science.