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New Initiative to make Transferring Between Universities Easier

An initiative aimed at making it easier for students to switch universities midway through their degree, is being launched today by Midlands Enterprise Universities (MEU).

    Midlands Credit Compass

    The Midlands Credit Compass is a new framework which will support students who leave university or want to change course or institution part-way though their studies, to re-enter higher education or transfer to partner universities.

    The initiative has been developed by the MEU, a consortium of six universities (Birmingham City, Derby, Coventry, Lincoln, Nottingham Trent and Wolverhampton) which work together to drive productivity in the Midlands through skills, innovation and enterprise.

    Chief Executive at the Office for Students Nicola Dandridge CBE, who has been calling for universities to make it easier for undergraduates to transfer between institutions, will give a speech at the launch on Monday 14th October at Nottingham Trent University.

    Chair of MEU and Vice-Chancellor at the University of Derby Professor Kathryn Mitchell said the Midlands Credit Compass will raise skills levels, improving the opportunities and quality of life for the people of the Midlands.

    “On our doorstep there is a huge challenge in closing the productivity gap of around 15% that exists between the Midlands and the UK average,” she explained.

    “By increasing flexibility and access to lifelong learning we can deliver the skilled workers the Midlands and the rest of the UK needs to close that gap.”

    Professor Edward Peck, Vice-Chancellor at Nottingham Trent University, said he believes it’s the first initiative of its kind in the country.

    “The Midlands Credit Compass is unique in that it will directly support hundreds of individuals each year who have decided to leave their studies before gaining their qualification, possibly due to a change in circumstance,” he explained.

    “It will make the process of transferring academic credit more transparent to students and guide them through re-application to one of the partner universities.

    “The framework complements our student retention strategies and supports a culture of lifelong learning across the Midlands, by encouraging individuals back to higher education. It also demonstrates our joint commitment to putting students at the heart of the system, supporting student access, choice and flexibility.”

    • Notes for editors

      Notes to editors:

      About Midlands Enterprise Universities

      • The Midlands Enterprise Universities is a consortium of six universities (Birmingham City, Coventry, Derby, Lincoln, Nottingham Trent and Wolverhampton) committed to driving economic prosperity across the region.
      • Our mission is to support the Government’s ambition to grow the regional economy by £54bn by 2030, in partnership with the Midlands Engine.
      • Working collaboratively with businesses of all sizes, our aim is to increase productivity through applied research, innovation and knowledge exchange.
      • To keep up to date with the latest news from the MEU visit www.meu.ac.uk follow @MEUniversities on Twitter or search for Midlands Enterprise Universities on LinkedIn.

      For more information, contact:

      Kate Strawson

      Director

      Shooting Star

      kate@weareshootingstar.co.uk

      weareshootingstar.co.uk01522 528540

      About Nottingham Trent University

      Nottingham Trent University (NTU) was named University of the Year 2019 in the Guardian University Awards. The award was based on performance and improvement in the Guardian University Guide, retention of students from low-participation areas and attainment of BME students. NTU was also the Times Higher Education University of the Year 2017, and The Times and Sunday Times Modern University of the Year 2018. These awards recognise NTU for its high levels of student satisfaction, its quality of teaching, its engagement with employers, and its overall student experience. The university has been rated Gold in the Government’s Teaching Excellence Framework – the highest ranking available.

      It is one of the largest UK universities. With nearly 32,000 students and more than 4,000 staff located across four campuses, the University contributes £900m to the UK economy every year. With an international student population of more than 3,000 from around 100 countries, the University prides itself on its global outlook. The university is passionate about creating opportunities and its extensive outreach programme is designed to enable NTU to be a vehicle for social mobility.

      NTU is among the UK’s top five recruiters of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. A total of 82% of its graduates go on to graduate entry employment or graduate entry education or training within six months of leaving. Student satisfaction is high: NTU achieved an 87% satisfaction score in the 2019 National Student Survey.

      NTU is also one of the UK’s most environmentally friendly universities, containing some of the sector’s most inspiring and efficient award-winning buildings.

      It is home to world-class research, and won The Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2015 – the highest national honour for a UK university. It recognised the University’s pioneering projects to improve weapons and explosives detection in luggage; enable safer production of powdered infant formula; and combat food fraud.

    Published on 14 October 2019
    • Category: Press office