Recognition of Prior Certificated Learning (RPCL)

If you have studied for at least one year at another university or Higher Education Institution, you may be able to transfer to the University of Cumbria to continue your studies. 

To enquire about joining a course at the beginning of year 2 or 3, please send the below to rpl@cumbria.ac.uk. 

• The name of the course you wish to transfer to 
• The name of the course your prior study is from 
• The institution your prior study was with 
• The module specific learning outcomes of each module you completed, in files which are clearly from the institution you have studied with 
• The number of university-level academic credits you have achieved 
• Your official transcript of results (when available)

On receipt of this information, the RPL team will liaise with the course tutor to see if a transfer is possible.

Transfers to full-time undergraduate courses are usually only permitted at the end of an academic level, i.e. into the start of year 2 or 3, and will depend on place availability as well as your prior learning content.

Some professional health courses do not allow advanced entry to year 3, such as BSc (Hons) Diagnostic Radiography and BSc (Hons) Nursing. For more information, contact the RPL at rpl@cumbria.ac.uk.

The course you studied previously or are studying now must be similar to the course you wish to study at the University of Cumbria. You should also have gained 120 level 4 credits for year 2 entry, or 120 level 4 and 120 level 5 credits for year 3 entry, and we will need to see an official transcript of results as confirmation.

If you have the required credits and most of the subject matter is covered but there are some knowledge gaps, we might be able to offer you bridging work which would then enable you to fill these gaps and enter the course at the appropriate point. In all cases, we are seeking to ensure that you have the same knowledge as students studying the whole course at the University of Cumbria and are therefore fully prepared for the next academic level and subject areas.

The tuition fees that you will be charged will be assessed on an individual basis and will be dependent on several factors including your previous qualification and dates of study.

International Students

If you are applying to join the second or third year of a University of Cumbria course as an international student, you will need to send details of your university-level study to rpl@cumbria.ac.uk.

You will need to provide: 

•    Translated copies of your prior learning transcripts, showing details of the academic credits and award you have attained
•    The module-specific learning outcomes of your previous study, in files which are clearly from the institution you studied with. 
•    Full details of the institution where you have studied.
•    Any certificated evidence from another language medium must be provided in the original format and with a translated copy. Both the original language and translated copies must be authenticated by the issuing institution and signed by its senior academic officer.

The RPL team will aim to confirm the UK equivalency of your prior study and will liaise with the appropriate programme team in considering your application, 

How to apply

You will need to apply through www.ucas.com and ensure that you select Point of Entry as 2 or 3 as appropriate. As well as applying for RPL for the first year or two years, you will also need to meet the programme’s entry requirements. If you are applying for a nursing course, please contact the RPL team at at rpl@cumbria.ac.uk  as these programmes follow a different application process for your course.

If you have any difficulties locating the course on UCAS, it may be that we are no longer recruiting to year one of that course, but can consider transfer requests into year 2 or 3. The RPL team will provide you with an online Direct Entry Application Form instead.

Most applicants will be interviewed, though it is not always necessary depending on the course you are applying for.

In addition to your application, we will need a transcript of your results from your previous institution. This should include the module titles, marks and grades, and the number and level of academic credits gained for each module. If you are still studying at the institution you wish to transfer from, this will not be available immediately. However, if we know that entry to year 2 or 3 of a course is possible because learning outcomes match, we can make a provisional offer of a place subject to our receipt of the transcript.

For professional courses such as teaching or health care, you will be expected to meet professional standards. For example, teaching practice placements for QTS teaching courses are non-contributory in terms of credit and must be passed. For any courses that involve a placement, you will need occupational health clearance and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) background clearance prior to registration. There is usually a charge for completing the DBS disclosure procedure. DBS disclosures from previous institutions are not accepted.

 

If you are applying to join the second or third year of a University of Cumbria course as an international student, you will need to send details of your university-level study to rpl@cumbria.ac.uk.

You will need to provide:
•    Translated copies of your prior learning transcripts, showing details of the academic credits and award you have attained
•    The module-specific learning outcomes of your previous study, in files which are clearly from the institution you studied with. 
•    Full details of the institution where you have studied.
•    Any certificated evidence from another language medium must be provided in the original format and with a translated copy. Both the original language and translated copies must be authenticated by the issuing institution and signed by its senior academic officer.

The RPL team will aim to confirm the UK equivalency of your prior study and will liaise with the appropriate programme team in considering your application. 

If you have studied individual modules on a stand alone basis, i.e. they have not counted towards a major award qualification, you may be able to use these to count towards a qualification at UoC, however the modules must have been awarded academic credits at the appropriate level and in a relevant subject. If you wish to apply for RPL you should not register on the module, you should not register on the module you wish to apply to as you will be seeking exemption from this module. 

If you wish to seek RPCL for module(s) in this way, please complete the RPCL Application Form, and send this, along with your results transcript to rpl@cumbria.ac.uk. 

There are upper limits to the amount of RPL you can apply for – these are listed in Appendix 6 of the University’s Academic Regulations at https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/about/organisation/professional-services/academic-quality-and-development/academic-regulations/

There is no guarantee that your application will be successful. Applications are assessed on an individual basis and decisions depend on the date, content, level and credits of your previous study, as well as the content and structure of the award.

RPCL

There is no charge for RPCL claims.

RPEL

Unless you are an apprentice, you will be charged a fee for the support you gain and the assessment of your RPEL application, whether or not your application is successful. The RPEL fee does not apply to apprenticeship students.

The 2025/26 fee is a £90 administration charge and £410 per 30 credits for which you are seeking RPL (e.g. the charge for applying for 20 credits is the same as that for 30), regardless of academic level. Annual increments apply.

Assessing an application for RPL can take some time, so it is important that you apply early. Following your initial enquiry, we expect to receive your application within one month and if we do not, we will assume that you are no longer interested in pursuing your RPL application.

If you are in any doubt, please contact the RPL team. 

Apprentices must have their RPL confirmed before they begin their studies: RPL for apprentices will be discussed as part of the application process.  

Full-time undergraduate courses 

For our BSc (Hons) Pre-Registration Nursing courses, the application deadline is 31 March for year 2 entry in the following September.

For other courses, applications will be received up until the end of the first week in September. However to avoid disappointment, you are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

If, following application, you are successful and are offered a place, you will need to be able to provide certificated evidence of all qualifications held, including GCSEs where required.

Individual Modules

RCPL applications for individual modules may be submitted at any time, so long as you are still eligible for RPL; for example, you have not enrolled onto a module you wish to RPL. 

Prior certificated learning (RPCL)

You will need to provide your results transcript for the qualification you have gained previously, and the module-specific learning outcomes for each module you wish to include in your RPL application. We need to ascertain the academic level, number of credits, date of award and syllabus information to make a judgement on your application.

If you are applying for RPL on a course which leads to professional registration and includes placements, you will be required to provide details of your previous practice placements – the number of hours/days and details of the setting.

For prior experiential learning, please refer to the RPEL-specific page, here.

No. If you have received RPL which has been applied to your record as a specific module, you cannot also study that module.