Transferring to Roehampton

Credit transfer is the process of translating prior learning into University credits to contribute towards a Roehampton programme of study. The University recognises different types of prior learning:

Recognition of Prior Certificated Learning (RPCL)
If you have studied at another university and are interested in joining us to complete an undergraduate or postgraduate taught degree, you may be eligible to have some or all of your prior learning recognised towards the University award you wish to study. RPCL is the recognition of credits or credit-bearing academic or professional courses that may allow exemption from part of a Roehampton programme.

Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL)
RPEL is the recognition of learning, gained through professional or other experience, as equivalent to the learning outcomes of a University programme of study for which exemption of credit is being sought. When applying for RPEL you will need to demonstrate what you have learnt from the experience, since this learning will not have been previously assessed, a claim for RPEL credit involves the submission of work for assessment (such as a report, portfolio, performance, written assignment, oral presentation, interview or presentation). This work will be assessed by the University.

It may take a little time to assess your application for RPCL and to provide you with information about the modules you will need to take at the University. Due to this, it is important to ensure that your application for RPCL is submitted as soon as possible as part of your application to study at the University and normally before you formally enrol onto your programme.

You will be notified in writing when a decision regarding your RPCL application has been made. Until such notification has been received you should not assume that you are exempt from any modules.

In order for the University to assess your application you will need to provide us with the following information:  

• a copy of your transcript including programme/module titles, date of study, levels of study and number of credits taken/achieved;
• programme documentation providing module information on subjects studied.

The University will use the following criteria when assessing your RPL application:

• sufficiency – there is sufficient evidence to support your RPL application’
• relevance – the evidence must be able to be mapped to the content and learning outcomes of the programme for which exemptions of credit are being sought;
• authenticity – the evidence can be authenticated, for example, through a transcript from an educational establishment; an employer reference;
• currency – the prior learning will have been undertaken normally no more than five years before the proposed date of initial registration at the University.

Applications for RPEL may be complex and take longer to submit and assess. Requests for RPEL should be made at the same time as your formal application to join the programme.

You should not assume that your application for RPEL has been approved until you have formally received written notification from the university.

If you wish to apply for RPEL you should initially contact the admissions department at admissions@roehampton.ac.uk.  You will initially be asked to provide

 the following information:

• the number of credits for which RPEL is being sought and the modules against which the credit might be counted;
• a brief outline of the nature of the experience and its relevance to the University programme;
• where the experiential learning took place;
• when the learning took place.

Once the initial information has been received, the relevant academic department will contact you to discuss the next steps regarding your application. This may involve guidance regarding the submission of a portfolio of evidence to support your application for RPEL.

The University, will assess your previous learning, including programme content and level, and make a decision regarding the amount of credit that can be recognised towards your University of Roehampton award.

Your prior experiential learning will be assessed through a portfolio of evidence, including a statement of the credit being applied for and a summary of the learning claimed in relation to the programme you are applying for. The statement should cross-reference the module learning outcomes to your learning to demonstrate that you have acquired the relevant knowledge and skills to be exempted from the modules on the University of Roehampton  programme. The portfolio might include practice-based documents, certificates, employer references, or other endorsement, reports on observations of practice, video/audio tapes with commentary and analysis related to your achievement as well as an evaluation of how the experience demonstrates the learning achievements claimed. The portfolio should demonstrate authenticity and whether the learning is current or, if not, how it has been updated to make it so.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council place restrictions on the amount of credit that may be transferred into Nursing programmes (i.e. no more than 50%). Please note, this means we cannot consider transfer requests beyond Year 2. Applications for credit transfer from related programmes such as the following are permissible:

• Nursing Associate programme
• Any other NMC accredited pre-registration nursing programme

Applications for credit transfer will not be considered from unrelated programmes such as English Literature, History etc.

If you are unsure if you are eligible to apply for a transfer, please email admissions@roehampton.ac.uk. Please provide evidence of your Maths and English Level 2 qualifications (e.g. GCSE) and degree transcripts in this email.

Any applications to a nursing programme at the University involving credit transfer will be subject to approval by the department of Life Sciences and an external examiner.

If you are confident that you are eligible to transfer, please apply online through UCAS, selecting Year 2 as the point of entry.

The University Taught Degree Regulations state that credit must normally have been undertaken no more than five academic years before the proposed date of initial registration at the University.

There are restrictions on the volume of credit which may be transferred towards the requirements of programmes of study at the University, as follows: 

For some programmes there may be further restrictions imposed by Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies on the volume of credit which can be recognised, you will be advised of these when you apply.

Applications for credit transfer will not be accepted towards programmes of study at the University comprising fewer than 120 credits in total. 

The marks for any credits awarded via RPCL will not be transferred towards the University award. Your final award classification will therefore be calculated using only the marks attained from study at the University of Roehampton.

There is no fee for the assessment and award of credit for RPCL. There may be a fee for RPEL please check with the admissions office.

An application for RPCL or RPEL may have implications for your student funding and financial support arrangements. If you are thinking of applying for RPL please contact the Student Finance Team by emailing studentfinance@roehampton.ac.uk or calling 0208 392 3090

There may be fee or visa implications for International Students who obtain credit and are therefore no longer registered for a sufficient number of modules  to be equivalent to full-time study. Advice should be sought from the immigration and compliance team who can be contacted at immigration@roehampton.ac.uk.