• Student portal
• Contact us
• Employment and skills
• Equality and diversity
• Exams, awards and regulations
• Find a member of staff
• Library and IT
• News for current students
• Student Centres, Student Helpline and Registration
• Schools and institutes
• Student accommodation
• Student finance
  • Undergraduate degrees, fees & funding
  • Postgraduate degrees, fees & funding
  • Equivalent or Lower Qualifications
  • Foundation degree tuition fees and loans
  • Initial Teacher Training
  • International student fees
  • Frequently asked questions
  • Changing your programme or mode of study
  • Money Doctors
• Student services A - Z
• Student support
• Travel and transport

• University of Greenwich
•   >  
• Information for current students
•   >  
• Student finance
•   >  
• Changing your programme or mode of study

By mode of study we mean things like being full-time or part-time.

Changing your programme or mode of study* may have an effect on:

1. the level of tuition fee you are required to pay
2. the type of student support that you are eligible to receive
3. your right to remain in the UK on a student visa
   
4. the need to have an ATAS Certificate (for international students)
5. your ELQ Status

* Changing your programme or mode of study is only possible once you have filled in a Notification of Change of Student Details form that is then approved by the appropriate programme leader(s).

1. Tuition fees

If you change programme or mode of study you may find you have an increase in the level of tuition fee you need to pay. This is because:

• not all programmes have the same fee
• if you undertake extra modules these may not be fundable by your student support provider and you will then need to pay these fees for yourself
  
• if you change mode of study, for example from full-time to part-time, you may also find that you are no longer eligible to receive help with paying your fees from your student support provider or the type of student support funding system you come under has changed. This may also affect the level of fee you are charged.

Once a change of mode is made or you add extra units to your record, your fees will be adjusted so it is important that you have the right amount of money to pay your fees if they have increased. If your fees have reduced you may also be entitled to a refund depending on when you change programme and other factors. You can check your tuition fee account balance via the student portal, on the Student Support tab, under Pay tuition fees online.   

2. Student support

By 'student support' we mean things like tuition fee loans and loans and grants for maintenance that you may receive from a student support provider such as your LA (Local Authority); SLC (Student Loans Company); Student Finance England (SFE) or the regional equivalent and the Student Finance Services European Team (EU Team).

Changing your mode of study will affect the type of student support funding that you are eligible for. For example the funding for full-time and part-time students is in general very different. The level of student support funding you may get will also depend on other factors such as the time of year that you make your transfer, your household income and your personal eligibility for student support. If you change programme and for example have to undertake an extra year of study this may also affect the funding that you can receive.

3. International students

International Students will need to make sure that they are permitted to make a change to their mode of study in accordance with the type of visa that they have been given to enter the UK.

4. ATAS certificates

Certain postgraduate programmes, masters by research and PHDs require international students to apply for an ATAS certificate. These programmes are in the School of Engineering, CMS and the School of Science. Check your programme requirements before completing the transfer.

5. ELQ

Changing your programme of study may also affect your ELQ Status. Students who are studying for an award at a level equivalent to or lower than qualifications they already hold are categorised as ELQ and may be charged a higher rate of tuition fee than the standard published rates.  This is because in 2008 the government announced that it would no longer provide funding to support universities teaching students who were ELQ.

The ELQ policy affects students who began their programme of study from September 2008 onwards; earlier entrants are not affected by the legislation. Note that changing your programme or mode of study may also have effects on the year that you are seen as entering a programme.

This decision applies to Home and EU students no matter when or where their current qualifications were gained and includes qualifications gained outside of the United Kingdom.

As a result universities are revising the fees they charge to students who are studying for an award that is equivalent or lower than their existing qualification. There are some exceptions to the ELQ charging policy and further information is available here.

Further advice and information