Studying for a second undergraduate degree is a common route for students who decide to change direction in their education or to pursue areas of study that were not offered to them by the course they followed for their first degree.
How to apply
Application procedures and deadlines for second undergraduate degree applicants are the same as for candidates for their first degree. The deadline for the UCAS application is 15 October 2013 for entry in October 2014 (or deferred entry in 2015).
All second undergraduate degree applicants should ensure that their UCAS personal statement includes an account of activities at their previous (or current) university as well as at school, and the UCAS reference should be written by an individual familiar with the applicant’s academic performance in their first degree. Second undergraduate degree applicants are also required to send a transcript of their first degree to the college considering their application by 11 November.
Candidates are selected on the basis of their suitability for the course proposed, personal statement, academic record, academic reference and any written work or written tests that may be required. Please note that where written work is required, you should submit work from your degree course, rather than from your school work. Graduate applicants are required to fulfil the same entrance requirements (see Courses and Entrance Requirements) and are considered in open competition with first-degree applicants. More recent academic achievements will carry more weight than, eg, qualifications achieved at school, although a strong academic profile will generally be expected throughout. Colleges offer the same full undergraduate degrees to graduate applicants as they do to those applying for a first undergraduate degree (see Which colleges offer my course?).
Senior Status
Second undergraduate degree candidates may apply for ‘Senior Status’. Senior Status exempts students from the First Public Examination, thereby entering students directly into the second year of the degree. The criterion for achieving such status is an approved degree at an approved university, obtained after courses extending over at least three years at that university, usually with a degree classification of 2:1 (or equivalent) or higher.
To apply for Senior Status, candidates should follow the same procedures above but also indicate their Point of Entry as Year 2 on their UCAS application.All colleges will consider applicants for Senior Status, with the exceptions of Hertford, New College, and Somerville. Applicants are assessed firstly on their suitability for the course of study and secondly on their suitability for Senior Status (so may be made an offer for the full course if this is felt appropriate). Please note that colleges may not offer Senior Status for all their courses.
If you wish to apply for Law or PPE with Senior Status, please note that some colleges do not offer this option even if they offer the full-length course. You should ensure that the college you choose offers the Senior Status option. Please refer to the separate information about colleges offering Senior Status Law and colleges offering Senior Status PPE.
Please note that Senior Status is not available for Fine Art or Law with Law Studies in Europe.
