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Change of Course
The University offers a scheme whereby UCC registered students, who find themselves in the wrong degree programme, may apply online to change to another first-year programme within the first three weeks of semester one only. Students must have the required number of Leaving Certificate points or equivalent, meet the necessary subject requirements of the course they wish to change into, and there must be a place on the course. A change of course cannot take place until the close of the CAO season and is in no way guaranteed. Students who are permitted to change must also be aware that they will have missed the first few weeks of their new programme and it is their responsibility to make up “lost ground”.
There are also possibilities to change into another related course at the end of the first year. Details of these internal transfers are available from College Offices.
The online facility to request a Change of Course will open on the 17 September 2025. If you are having difficulty in your course please see the Having Second Thoughts information page to look through the options available to you, including contact details for our First Year Experience Coordinator, Nóirín Deady.
Application Procedure
You can make an initial enquiry expressing your interest in changing course via the "Make an Enquiry" button below. You will need to be logged in to your UCC account using the Single Service Login for this to work correctly. Before you apply, please make sure that you meet the subject and points requirements for the course you are interested in changing to.
A student may not change from any programme in UCC into MTU, nor may a student change from any programme in MTU into UCC.
In no case can acceptance of a change of course be cited by you as grounds for poor performance at examinations later in the academic year.
1. Check your eligibility
We make our decisions on applications to change course based on the following criteria:
- The availability of places in the course you want to change to
- The entry qualifications for the course you want to change to
You must have the Leaving Certificate points or equivalent and must meet the matriculation requirements of the course you want to change to in order to make a Change of Course Application. In addition, a place must be available in the course that you want to change to. As part of the application process, you will need to ensure that the desired programme is the right course for you.
Note: Mature, QQI FET, HEAR, and DARE candidates may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Please note that in all cases, we must honour the CAO system.
2. Make an enquiry
Once you are sure that you are eligible for the course you’re interested in, you can use the button at the bottom of this page to make an enquiry. You will need to be logged into your UCC account for the form to work correctly.
Once you have logged in, please choose the options as per the graphic below:
- What type of student are you? Undergraduate student
- What is your enquiry about? First-year change of course
-1563x978.jpg "A screenshot of the options on the registered web enquiry form needed to choose the")
We will assess your enquiry and send you a link to the application form if you meet the cut-off points and matriculation requirements, and a place becomes available.
In the meantime, you may wish to attend lectures of the course you want to change to. Sampling lectures will help you understand new module content and will help you to make a more informed decision about changing course. You will find the contact details of the course coordinator on the course webpage and timetable information is available on UCC Student Timetables.
3. Fill in the application form
If you are not eligible for change of course, you will be notified within 1-2 working days. If a place becomes available and you are eligible for it, we will email your Umail account with the link to complete the application form. You should check your student email account regularly for correspondence from the Admissions Office.
Please note some decisions may be available within 7 working days, but in some instances the final decision may not be available until after the closing date.
Once you receive the link to the application form, please complete it as soon as possible. This helps us move you into your new course as early as possible. When filling out the form, please let us know what course you are currently taking and which course you hope to change into.
Please note that there is a non-refundable administrative fee of €50 to process the application. Students are limited to making only one application to change course.
If you are unsure whether changing course is the right choice for you and want to discuss your options, you can book an appointment with our First Year Experience Coordinator Nóirín Deady.
4. Register for your new course
If your application to change course is approved, we will email you to ask you to register for the new programme via the MyStudentAdmin system.
Some courses require students to undergo Student Garda Vetting as per the UCC Student Garda Vetting Policy. If your new course requires vetting, you will receive an email on this after you register. Full list of programmes subject to vetting is available on the Student Garda Vetting page.
5. Next steps
Once you have completed online registration for your new course, you can collect your new student ID card from the Student Records & Examinations Office, 1st floor West Wing, Main Quad.
You will lose access to your old Canvas modules, but should receive access to your new Canvas information within 24 hours of registering. If you haven't started attending lectures for your new course at this point, you should get in contact with your course coordinator as soon as possible. You can find their details on the relevant course page.
Please note: If you are currently a second year and returning to the first year of a new course, there may be implications on your fees and SUSI grant. Please see Fees Office page for details.
