Policies and Procedures

We endeavour to deal with every application fairly and within a reasonable timescale.

Occasionally, an applicant may feel that this has not been the case, and we encourage anyone who is dissatisfied to contact us as soon as possible. Most issues can be resolved quickly and informally.

If you are still not satisfied, the Admissions Complaints and Appeals Procedure (PDF: 51 KB) explains how and when complaints about the administration of our admissions policies and procedures, or appeals against the decision of an admissions selector, may be made.

If you have a criminal conviction, you may be anxious that it will affect your chances of gaining a place at the University.

Our Criminal Convictions Policy (PDF: 66.7 KB) explains which convictions need to be considered and the process followed by the University to decide whether someone with a relevant conviction may be admitted.

The University welcomes applications from people of all ages, but we must recognise a special duty of care towards students who will be under 18 when they begin their studies and are legally still children.

Our Under 18 Policy and Procedure  (PDF: 68.8 KB) explains how we prepare for the admission of students who will still be under 18.

We are committed to ensuring that all students registered with the University, at any of its locations, have the opportunity to achieve optimum academic outcomes from their studies.

As part of our Office for Students registration, we are required to detail this commitment via a Student Protection Plan

Some applicants may wish to transfer to a degree programme at Newcastle from another higher education institution in the United Kingdom. This may be possible, and the rules and procedures that must be followed in relation to transferring can be found in our Policy on Credit Transfer and the Recognition of Prior Learning (PDF: 562 KB).

It should be noted that there are maximum numbers of credits for which credit transfer may be applied, and, for undergraduate students, at least two years of full-time study at the University is normally required. For example, students who have completed a relevant Foundation Degree or Higher National Diploma would normally be considered only for stage 1 or stage 2 entry (not stage 3) of a three-year undergraduate degree (or for entry to stages 1, 2 or 3 of a four-year degree).

It may also be possible for some applicants to have prior learning recognised where the learning has been gained through experience or through study that has not led to the award of credits or qualifications. Policy on Credit Transfer and the Recognition of Prior Learning (PDF: 562 KB) provides full details about how requests for recognition of prior learning should be made and how they are considered.

Individual School and subject-specific arrangements for Credit Transfer and the Recognition of Prior Learning can be found on our Regulations pages.

The MBBS admissions policy is intended to ensure that the process of student selection is free from discrimination of any kind. It is based on guidelines from the Medical Schools Council produced in consultation with the Commission for Racial Equality.

The Dental School Admissions Policy 2022 is intended to ensure that the process of student selection is free from discrimination of any kind. It is based on guidelines from the Dental Schools Council produced in consultation with the Commission for Racial Equality.