First Year Change of Course Policy

First Year Change of Course Policy and Procedure

Version Number: 3.0

Revision date: March 2025

Policy Owner: Admissions Office

Approval by: Academic Board 02 April 2025

Review: Every three years

Purpose of the policy
Definitions
Policy Statement
- Scope
- Criteria
Application Procedure
Roles and responsibilities
Related Policies and Procedures
Contact for further information
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Purpose of the policy

University College Cork recognises that some students struggle with making a decision about what programme to study, and as a result may wish to change direction. This Policy enables registered first year UCC students to apply to Change Course during the first three weeks of the first year (first semester) from when their selected course commences (“Timeframe or Change of Course Window”). The First Year Change of Course policy and its associated procedure have been developed so that UCC may support the progression and retention of students, where possible. The underlying principle is to support students, as best we can, to find programmes that suit their academic strengths and change course within the permissible Timeframe. There are other routes available to students who wish to change their programme after the Timeframe, and further information in that regard is available from the Admissions Office or from the First Year Experience Coordinator.

Definitions

Advanced Entry: entry to a year beyond first year, from a cognate programme in another institution, it is an entirely separate process from First Year Change of Course (as provided for in this Policy).

Internal transfer: transfer to a year beyond first year from one UCC programme to another UCC programme and is not covered by First Year Change of Course or by Advanced Entry. Internal transfers are processed by the relevant College Office.

Student applicant: the student who has submitted an Expression of Interest and/or an Application to avail of the First Year Change of Course facility.

Timeframe or Change of Course Window: three weeks of the first year (first semester) of the student’s programme/course start date (for which they are currently registered with UCC)

Policy Statement

Scope

Registered UCC students may apply through the Admissions Office to possibly change to the first year of another UCC programme, in accordance with the procedure outlined in this Policy, Students should make an appointment to meet the First Year Experience Coordinator in the Admissions Office before making an application to the Admissions Office. Criteria, Priority for Places/Applications and Rules

Criteria

Subject at all times to the priority of the CAO Waiting List (see below) and HEAR/DARE applicants, for a First Year Change of Course application to beconsidered by the Admissions Office , the following criteria must be met

There must be space in the programme
The student applicant must satisfy the entry criteria (as determined by the Admissions Office)
The student applicant must have obtained the minimum cut-off points of the programme for the year of entry/application

It is the Admissions Office who determines whether the above criteria have or may be met by the applicant.

Priority of CAO Waiting Lists and HEAR/DARE Applicants

Throughout the Change of Course window/Timeframe, CAO waiting lists are honoured and prioritised above Change of Course applicants. This means that the Admissions Office seeks to fill all available places with CAO waiting lists first, which in turn means that not all student applicants who meet the above criteria may be approved to change course.

As the Admissions Office is the only unit within the University which has sight of CAO waiting lists and is aware of when and how many further offers may be made for any programme, it is not possible for a Programme Director, Head of School, Lecturer, or any other staff member to confirm whether there is space available. The Admissions Office alone has authority to determine whether there is space in a particular programme.

See below for priority afforded to HEAR/DARE Applicants

Late starts

As stated on the Overarching Admissions Policy, the latest available start-date for any student is normally within three weeks of the programme’s start-date. Therefore, late Change of Course enquiries (received outside of that timeframe) will not be considered. The closing date of the Wednesday of Week 3 has been carefully identified to allow sufficient time for those who submit an Expression of Interest to change over to the new programme before the start of Week 4.

Number of applications

Only one application to change course may be made per student applicant. If a student applicant submits an Expression of Interest for one programme but they do not meet the criteria and/or there is no space on the programme, they may submit an Expression of Interest for another programme.

Attendance at lectures

As part of the Change of Course process, applicants are strongly advised to attend lectures to ensure that the desired programme is the right choice for them. Attendance at lectures is not a factor in determining whether an applicant will be permitted to/approved for a change of the course.

HEAR and DARE

Student applicants who are HEAR or DARE eligible who submit an Expression of Interest for a programme for which they have not obtained the cut-off points, may be considered for a reduced-points place if such a place is available. The HEAR and DARE CAO waiting lists will be prioritised for reduced-points places ahead of Change of Course applications.

QQI and Mature entry

Student applicants who entered via the QQI or Mature entry routes may be considered for a Change of Course place if such a place is available on the programme that they wish to change into. Student applicants seeking such a place must satisfy the specific QQI or Mature entry criteria of the programme that they wish to change into. The QQI or Mature CAO waiting lists will be prioritised for these places ahead of Change of Course applications.

Roles and Responsibilities 

First Year Experience Coordinator: Manages the process for the Admissions Office, including assigning cases to colleagues in SREO, and meets students individually to discuss options

Admissions Office: processes all Change of Course queries, Expressions of Interest, and Applications. All queries in relation to Change of Course must be directed to the Admissions Office. Relevant staff within Admissions Office are the sole decision makers in respect of any Change of Course application.

College Office: in collaboration with the Admissions Officer approves Change of Course applications

Student applicants: must submit the Expression of Interest on time i.e. within the Change of Course Window/Timeframe. If a student’s application is approved by the Admissions Office, , it is the student’s responsibility to bring themselves up to date with course work. In no case can acceptance of a Change of Course be cited by students as grounds for poor performance at examinations later in the academic year and/or pleaded as a mitigation ground.

SREO: changes student over to new programme and issues new student ID card (once approval for Change of Course confirmed by the Admissions Office to SREO).

Application Procedure

The Change of Course application procedure is a two-part process:

Expression of Interest

The student applicant submits an Expression of Interest via the student web enquiry form online. The Admissions Office makes the following checks:

That the student is eligible to change into the programme they have expressed an interest in based on matriculation requirements and cut-off points.
That there is space in the programme.
That the student has not made multiple expressions of interest, has attended lectures in the programme they wish to change into, and is aware of Student Garda Vetting requirements, if that is relevant to the programme.

Students who fail to satisfy the requirements for Change of Course will be notified immediately.

Application

Provided the student is eligible for a place on the programme, and there is space on the programme, the student will then be sent the link to the application form. This should be returned to the Admissions Office within the timeframe specified on the email. The application fee is €50.

Once the completed application form is submitted to the Admissions Office, the student applicant can expect to receive confirmation of the Change of Course anytime up to the close of the Change of Course Window/ Timeframe. All successful student applicants will be notified by email.

Students should check their student email account regularly for UCC First Year Change of Course.

New Course Registration

Where the Change of Course is approved by the Admissions Office, the student will be notified by the Admissions Office and instructed to select modules / electives, and to collect new Student ID card.