Transferring to Durham

[Muchtootall]

Does anyone know if it is possible to transfer to Durham University to do sciences either now or in the second year of a degree. My DD has started at another university (that she thought she would really like) but is hating it. Durham was her dream university but she never applied because the grades were too high for her. In the end she got very high grades but still one grade lower than Durham are asking for on UCAS. She has friends who were accepted into other prestigious universities this year with grades 1 or 2 grades less than advertised (Imperial and Warwick as examples) and is wondering if Durham would take her now or if not could she possibly transfer in the second year. I have heard of other universities taking transfers but never Durham. Can anyone help?

Would she/you consider her dropping out and re-applying?
She has just missed the deadline for Oxbridge, but if she didn't want to apply to there then no problem.

Is it a case of wanting Durham or sticking to her current university. Does she want to apply/study elsewhere?

In my opinion, if she is not absolutely loathing her current institution, then she should apply through UCAS and stay where she is for the time being. That is an option, but she would need to write a compelling reason why she dislikes her current place. Her school would also have to agree to supplying a reference, as she will not have been at the current university long enough for them to do so. It also presents the opportunity to being able to rewrite her statement to fit Durham.

Who knows, she may settle further and decide she does actually like where she is now.

It always helps for her to go and speak to her academic advisor/tutor/etc.

All that is immediately obvious on the Durham wrbsite is thst one has to apply for umdergraduate places via UCAS. Doesn't actially say they dont accept transfers in.

This is from some while ago but when I was at Durham they very definitely accepted transfers in. Two people transferred in from elsewhere that I knew of and there must have been more across the uni.

In both cases it was purely because neither had settled at their original uni. They transferred into the second year without repeating the first year. I can't see why Durham wouldn't still do that - people do drop out in their first year for any number of reasons and the uni would far rather fill spaces than leave them empty. It's only a phone call to undergrad admissions to find out for sure, you wouldn't have to name names.

It is good to know that people have transferred in the past. Does anyone know of more recent transfers? She doesn’t want to take a year out but she doesn’t really want to stay where she is either. I will suggest that she calls their admissions. Thank you.

They will not let her transfer now,

her options are to drop out/stay and reapply or to complete the current year and then transfer into 2nd.
Socially that wouldn’t be the best idea.

Goodbye I was also at Durham and remember the odd transfer but it was in the 1980s . I particularly remember someone from Cambridge . However I would have thought it would be very unusual especually if you would not meet the published offer .

Pease I was 1980's too. I remember Leeds as well but yes, the grade might very well be an issue.

Only real advice would be to ask the University Admissions dept.

But I'm not sure why you say it would be a bad move socially - I know groups will have formed but there are normally big enough groups and enough flux at a big uni to join in - and surely better socially than somewhere where they are unhappy.

So only issue is perhaps qualifying grades. Only the Uni will know he answer to that one

I can't help you at all regarding transferring, but my DS had to drop out of his university last year due to unforeseen circumstances.

Like your DD he did not apply to Durham first time around because he didn't think he would make the grades - which he didn't. He would have needed three As and he got AAB.

However, he reapplied to UCAS last year, including Durham, and did get an offer from them on those lower grades. He is now there and is loving it!

TonTon - that’s interesting. Do you mind me asking if that was a contextual offer or not?

DD tells me that four of the six in her current science group have arrived in the third year by less than conventional means - they've repeated a year at Durham/started elsewhere and transferred/taken a mid-degree break for health reasons/had more than one gap year first. The oldest is around 26. The two who arrived at 18 and are now 20 feel like the babies of the group.

Thanks all for the advice and insight. I think the grades at A levels may be a problem so transferring in second year may be a better option assuming she can bear to stay where she is.

@Dancingdreamer

Apologies for the delay in answering, I've been away!
No, it wasn't a contextual offer, other than the fact that the A's were in subjects related to his degree (he is studying Classics) and the B was in a totally unrelated subject.