Frequently Asked Questions
The Student Recruitment and Admissions Office is responsible for managing the admissions process within Durham University for full and part time undergraduate courses. Academic Departments are responsible for considering each application and making offers and passing successful applications to one of the sixteen colleges for consideration, whilst the Student Recruitment and Admissions Office ensures that this process occurs as fairly and as transparently as possible and that decisions are communicated to UCAS within agreed deadlines.
The questions below have all been asked by our applicants or their parents at one time or another, and are intended to provide further information regarding the application process, some of our requirements, our collegiate system, the University and life as a student.
If you find that your query is not addressed or if you have any specific questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Student Recruitment and Admissions Team directly. Our email address is admissions@durham.ac.uk.
Will I be able to transfer between courses once I arrive?
To ensure the quality of student experience, we have a target quota for each of our degree courses and places on these degree courses are very competitive. It is possible to change degree programmes, but there is no automatic right to do so and such transfers are not common. The factors that we take into account are academic merit as well as availability of places on particular programmes.
Although we do our best to help students who wish to change degree programmes, it becomes progressively more difficult to change as time goes on, because of the amount of work which you will have missed. To be considered for a transfer you will also normally need to satisfy any pre-requisites for the degree programme to which you wish to change. If you are permitted to change degree programme it will be your responsibility to catch up the work which you have missed.
