I have not yet applied to BCU and need more help
Here are some frequently asked questions and other information about applying to BCU. If you can't find the answer you are looking for you could try our main help and support page to find the answer there.
Choosing a course
Who can help me to choose a course?
Our friendly Enquiries Team will be able to help with choosing which course to study at Birmingham City University. We can help you if you are:
- a school or college leaver considering your subject, course or career option
- a parent
- a mature student without formal qualifications looking for guidance on entry routes into higher education
- someone considering a career change or retraining
- in full-time employment but interested in studying part-time for a professional qualification to help you develop your career
- looking for a part-time course for personal interest or self-development
- a teacher, careers advisor or employment and training adviser who needs to source information on behalf of a student or client.
You contact us by calling 0121 331 6295 or via the enquiry form.
Open Days and campus tours
- I would like to find out more about the Open Days and/or book a place?
- Do I have to stay at the Open Day for the whole event?
- Do I have to be at the Open Day at the start time for the event?
- Do my guests need to a pass to attend the Open Day?
- Can I book a campus tour?
I would like to find out more about the Open Days and/or book a place?
Further information on our Open Days can be found here. You can book a place at an Open Day through that web page if bookings are open.
Do I have to stay at the Open Day for the whole event?
No, you are welcome to attend the event for as long as you want to. However, do allow yourself enough time to fit in any talks, tours or other activities you would like to do during the Open Day. If you have booked a place at the Open Day through our website, we usually send you further information about the schedule for the day, including an Open Day programme, a few days before the event itself.
Do I have to be at the Open Day at the start time for the event?
No, you are welcome to arrive at the event later if you wish. However, do allow yourself enough time to fit in any talks, tours or other activities you would like to do during the Open Day. If you have booked a place at the Open Day through our website, we usually send you further information about the schedule for the day, including an Open Day programme, a few days before the event itself.
Can I book a campus tour?
If you would like a campus tour, you are welcome to contact us to request one. Find out more about our campus tours and how to book them.
Entry requirements
- Where can I find out about the entry requirements for a course?
- Can I apply for a top-up degree if my HND or foundation degree qualification is in a different subject?
Where can I find out about the entry requirements for a course?
Details of course entry requirements can be found on the individual course pages on our website.
Should you have any specific questions about entry requirements once you have reviewed the information on the course web page, please contact the Enquiries Team.
Can I apply for a top-up degree if my HND or foundation degree qualification is in a different subject?
It is only possible to access a top-up degree qualification if the content of your previous level 5 qualification (e.g. HND or foundation degree) is suitable in terms of the amount of Credit Accumulation Transfer (CAT) points it is made up of and the content of the qualification is sufficiently relevant to the subject of the top-up degree. It is not possible to complete a top-up degree if the subject of your level 5 qualification is in an entirely different subject area, for example if your HND is in Business you could not apply for a top-up degree in Computing.
Transfers or applying for advance entry
- I would like to apply to transfer from another university to BCU for advanced entry onto the second or third year of an undergraduate course. How do apply?
- I would like to apply to transfer to BCU for entry onto the first year or foundation year of an undergraduate course. How do apply?
- Do you consider transfers to join an undergraduate course in Semester 2?
I would like to apply to transfer from another university to BCU for advanced entry onto the second or third year of an undergraduate course. How do apply?
If you are looking to transfer with advanced entry from one of the following universities:
- Coventry University
- University of Derby
- Nottingham Trent University
- University of Wolverhampton
- University of Lincoln
Please email with details of the course you are currently studying and the BCU course you would to transfer to. A copy of your university transcript and an academic reference will also be required to give full consideration to your request to transfer.
Please note that if you wish to apply for entry onto the first year of one of our undergraduate courses, you will need to apply through UCAS and not through Midlands Credit Compass.
Transfers from other universities
For transfers to a full-time undergraduate course at BCU from all other universities, please apply using UCAS and choose the year of entry you wish to be considered for. When adding your course choice on the UCAS application form, the ‘point of entry’ field is used to tell us which year of the course you want to start, e.g. point of entry two is the second year of the course.
Students wishing to transfer to a part-time undergraduate course should apply directly to the University using the online application form linked to on the individual course pages on our website.
Consideration for advanced entry onto our course will largely be dependent upon the content of your current studies and how this compares to the content of our course. It can also depend on how well you have performed on your current course. Where appropriate comparable study is evident, it may be possible for us to award accreditation for prior learning and possibly grant advanced entry onto our course. This is something which is assessed and decided on upon receipt of a completed application form. All applications are considered on an individual basis.
I would like to apply to transfer to BCU for entry onto the first year or foundation year of an undergraduate course. How do apply?
If you would like to be considered for a transfer from another university onto the first year or foundation year one of our undergraduate courses, please submit an application through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
Do you consider transfers to join an undergraduate course in Semester 2?
Unfortunately, we do not consider transfers to join an undergraduate course part way through the academic year in Semester 2. So, if an undergraduate course had an intake that began in September then we would not allow students to join the course part way through the year in the following January.
Help for current students
I am currently a student enrolled on a course at Birmingham City University. Am I able to change to another course?
If you are currently enrolled on a course at BCU, in the first instance please approach your School Office or Personal Tutor to discuss changing courses.
Clearing
- Will places become available on a course in Clearing?
- When can I apply for a course in Clearing?
- Can I join a waiting list for places on a course if it is full?
- How do I apply for a course in Clearing?
- Do I need to have made a UCAS application to apply through Clearing?
- How many courses can I apply for at Birmingham City University through Clearing?
- I can't get through to the Clearing Hotline - what should I do?
- I called the Clearing Hotline and was told I would receive a call back from a tutor about an interview but no-one has called me back. What should I do?
- When should I add a Clearing choice to UCAS Track?
- How long is my Clearing offer guaranteed for?
- I previously accepted a place at another university but now want to accept an offer of a place I’ve been made by BCU in Clearing. My firm choice have not released my application into Clearing. What should I do?
- I already have a place on another course at Birmingham City University and now want to apply for a different course in Clearing. How do I do this?
- Can I still apply for accommodation during Clearing?
- How can I be released from my current offer with BCU so I can enter Clearing?
- How do I accept a Clearing offer?
Will places become available on a course in Clearing?
We publish a list of courses which have places in Clearing on our website from early July and this is regularly updated throughout the summer.
You can check our latest Clearing course vacancies on our website from early July onwards.
If the course you are interested does not have any places available when you search the list of course vacancies, please keep checking the website as this may change as Clearing progresses. Please note that we won't be able to tell you whether or not a course may or may not enter Clearing at a later point, so we would encourage you to regularly check the course vacancy listing on our website for up to date information.
A-level results day is also a key date in Clearing when we would know whether any vacancies have become available on a course if it has not had any places available before then.
When can I apply for a course in Clearing?
If you wish to be considered for a course through Clearing and already have your qualification results, you will need to check to see if there are any available places on your chosen course of interest once Clearing opens in early July.
A list of courses available to apply to through Clearing is published from early July on our website at http://www.bcu.ac.uk/clearing/courses.
You will need to have your exam results before you can apply. Once you have your results, you can apply for courses available in Clearing. If you are waiting for results for any qualifications that would count towards the entry requirements for the course you wish to apply for through Clearing, you will need to wait until you have received confirmation of the exam results for these qualifications before applying for a course in Clearing.
Can I join a waiting list for places on a course if it is full?
We regret that we do not operate waiting lists for courses that are not in Clearing. If the course you are interested does not have any places available when you search the list of course vacancies, please keep checking the website as this may change as Clearing progresses. Please note that we won't be able to tell you whether or not a course may or may not enter Clearing at a later point, so we would encourage you to regularly check the course vacancy listing on our website for up to date information.
How do I apply for a course in Clearing?
From early July until 11 August 2022:
If you want to apply for a place in Clearing between early July and 17 August, please apply using our online Clearing application form.
12 August – 17 August 2022:
No Clearing applications can be made to us between these dates – you can apply for a course in Clearing from 18 August.
Thursday 18 August – mid-October 2022:
Our Clearing Hotline opens on Thursday 18 August and the number is 0121 331 6777.
If you receive your results (or already have your qualification results) on Thursday 18 August, you can call our Clearing Hotline which opens at 7.30am. Our online application form will also be available for applications. We assess telephone and online applications the same way, so you can choose either option but it's best not to try and do both as this may cause some confusion between our call centre and online application system. You can apply through Clearing as long as we have vacancies.
Our Clearing Hotline operating hours are as follows:
Thursday 18 August 7.30am – 10.00pm
Friday 19 August 7.30am – 8.00pm
Saturday 20 August 9.00am – 4.00pm
Sunday 21 August 10.00am – 2.00pm
Monday 22 August 8.00am – 5.00pm
Tuesday 23 Aug – mid Oct 9.00am – 5.00pm
(weekdays only)
Do I need to have made a UCAS application to apply through Clearing?
You don’t necessarily have to have made an application through UCAS in order to be considered for a place in Clearing, but we would encourage you to register for a UCAS account if you have not done so - as this can speed up the process if you are made an offer and want to accept it.
If you do not have a UCAS account when you apply through Clearing and are then offered a place that you want to accept, we will provide details of what you need to do if you want to accept your offer in your official offer email.
How many courses can I apply for at Birmingham City University through Clearing?
You can apply for one course only.
I can't get through to the Clearing Hotline - what should I do?
The lines will be very busy, but we have plenty of staff taking calls so please be patient and keep holding the line. We'll do our best to get to your call as quickly as we can.
If you don't want to wait on the line, you can instead use our online application form and we'll email you a decision. Online applications are handled in the same way as calls to our Clearing hotline.
I called the Clearing Hotline and was told I would receive a call back from a tutor about an interview but no-one has called me back. What should I do?
Call our Clearing Hotline on 0121 331 6777 and they will be able to follow this up for you.
When should I add a Clearing choice to UCAS Track?
You should only 'add a Clearing choice' to UCAS Track if a university offers you a place on a course through Clearing and you wish to accept that offer. If you add a Clearing Choice on UCAS Track but have not been offered a place for that course and/ or by that university, your application will likely be declined and until that university declines you, you can't accept any another Clearing offer that you may receive.
How long is my Clearing offer guaranteed for?
The period of time that your offer is guaranteed for is detailed in the offer email we send once we have offered you a place in Clearing.
I previously accepted a place at another university but now want to accept an offer of a place I’ve been made by BCU in Clearing. My firm choice have not released my application into Clearing. What should I do?
Contact your firm choice again and ask them to process your request to be released into Clearing. Keep in touch with us and we will do all we can to try and keep your offer open, but we can only guarantee your offer for the time specified in your Clearing offer email.
If you can provide email evidence of your request to be released that you have sent to your firm choice institution, you can send this to us so we can make a note of it on your application record. You can send this to admissions@bcu.ac.uk.
I already have a place on another course at Birmingham City University and now want to apply for a different course in Clearing. How do I do this?
Call our Clearing Hotline on 0121 331 6777 who will take your details and refer this to our Admissions team.
Can I still apply for accommodation during Clearing?
We are able to offer accommodation within the University portfolio so long as you have accepted a place on a course and have applied for accommodation by 16 September 2022.
How can I be released from my current offer with BCU so I can enter Clearing?
If you are holding an Unconditional Firm offer, you will be able to self-release into Clearing via your UCAS Track account.
If you have a Conditional offer and wish to be released, you will need to put your request in writing to Admissions through our contact form.
How do I accept a Clearing offer?
If you have a UCAS account:
Here's how to accept a Clearing offer on UCAS:
- Log in to your UCAS account.
- Add details for the Birmingham City University, UCAS code B25 and the course you have been offered a place on using the Add Clearing choice option.
- Once you have added your Clearing choice on UCAS Track, UCAS will then inform us of this. You will then receive a holding message in your UCAS Track account notifying you that you’re waiting for a decision from us. This will state ‘the University or college is currently considering your application (Referred)'.
- We will then confirm to UCAS that we have offered you a place of study at Birmingham City University and you will be able to view our confirmation of your place on your UCAS Track account. This process will take approximately 24 hours (excluding weekends) from when you receive the offer email.
- Your application with then achieve UF status (a firmly accepted unconditional offer) and this will trigger an email which acknowledges your acceptance of a place at Birmingham City University. If required, you can then apply for accommodation.
Important: You should only 'add a Clearing choice' to UCAS Track if a university offers you a place on a course through Clearing and you wish to accept that offer. If you add a Clearing Choice on UCAS Track but have not been offered a place for that course and/ or by that university, your application will likely be declined and until that university declines you, you can't accept any another Clearing offer that you may receive.
If the ‘add Clearing choice' button in your on-line UCAS Track is not available, please check that you have definitely been released or rejected from your other UCAS commitments and are not holding a place at another University or institution.
If you don’t have a UCAS account and have applied directly to us through Clearing:
If you don’t have a UCAS account and have applied directly to us through Clearing:
The University has to return to UCAS the details of all applicants who have been recruited directly to us so your information will be submitted to them in order to process your offer.
Once we have processed your direct offer you will receive another communication via email with instructions on how to accept your place. Please note that you can only accept a place on one course.
Still need help?
If you can't find the answer to your question, please don't hesitate to get in touch with our Admissions team.
Contact us