Credit Entry Guide

The M103 form is for staff use only and is used to award prior certificated credit for students registered on an Undergraduate UMP/ AFR award.

Information from the form is converted directly onto a student’s record so that the Student Records System (Banner) can read and include it in the process of checking the student’s programme and generating programme errors, the Module Registration summary etc. It is therefore essential that the credit awarded is based on the subject rules that will apply to the student at the point they enrol:

• The rules under which a student is considered for Stage I credit are those in operation when the student entered Stage I. 

• The rules under which a student is considered for Stage II credit are those in operation when the student entered into Stage II. Please note, in this instance the Stage I rules for the year of entry will also apply and are not backdated.

Students entering into the final year of the course in September 2022, will study under the Undergraduate Modular Programme Regulations following the Stage II rules for their year of entry. Please also refer to UMP Regulation B2.14 (Admission with Credit and Credit Transfer) which sets the minimum amount of credits that a student must complete on the UMP for the various awards. For example, it is a requirement that students take a minimum of 120 acceptable Level 6 Hons credits on their new UMP registration for the award of an Honours degree.

For students studying under the Academic Framework the regulations state that students cannot normally be awarded more than two-thirds of the total credit required for the award they have applied for.

When a student applies for credit entry the Subject Coordinator should receive a copy of the application form accompanied by a transcript and module descriptions (where possible).

Once the application for credit entry has been assessed by the Subject Coordinator the M103 form must be completed and returned to Admissions, who will record and communicate the final decision to the applicant.

Please note, the M103 form is only passed on to the Programme Support team for processing once the applicant has become unconditional. This means that the form may not be processed until several months after the offer has been made but we aim to put input credit during the enrolment period. 

To assess the credit, first read the application and course information about study completed and/or expected to be completed.  Assess its match with the Level 4 and Level 5 compulsories from your programme and if you think the modules cover the learning outcomes and content of your course please complete the M103 as per the detailed guidance below. For Joint Honours, Subject Coordinators should liaise with each other when assessing and awarding credit.

Notes to consider when assessing the credit:

• Students re-starting a course at year 1 after failure will need any acceptable modules passed on their previous registration credited to their new registration.

• Acceptable failed credit will also need to be applied to the students programme. Therefore you must consider the maximum volume of credit that may be attempted at each stage, including Level 4 credit, and ensure there are enough modules available at each stage for the student to be able complete the award they have applied for.

• Students who are transferring credit from a completed Honours Degree into a second degree, can only transfer level 4 credit from their first year and should NOT be awarded credit that will count towards Stage II of the second award. Exemptions should be awarded for modules that have been substantially covered by the previous qualification.

• Please complete the applicant details using the information provided in the application form sent to you by Admissions.
• Please enter the details of the College or University where the applicant completed the prior credit, the years studied at the previous institution and the qualification awarded (where applicable)

Please note, we recommend that credit more than 10 years old should only be considered where the applicant can show that their knowledge has been kept up to date. 

CATS Points and Level (Passed credit)

• In the left hand side of the section, please list the level of the total credit value achieved from the applicants prior study, using a different line for each institution.
• In the right hand side of the section, under ‘Credit transferred to Brookes registration’, please state the total value of credit which should be applied to the Brookes registration.
• Please note for students studying under the UMP Regulations a maximum of two Level 6 Hons module credits can be awarded.

Points to consider:

• Credit should be transferred into the same level at which it was awarded; however, Subject Co-ordinators may use their academic judgement to credit modules at a lower level than that at which they were attained.
• Credit at level 7 cannot be transferred to an undergraduate award. If the learning outcomes of a module have been met by previous study at level 7 an exemption may be appropriate. The exceptions to this are the Oxford Brookes MSc Healthcare courses (Adult Nursing and Midwifery) where an exceptional agreement is in place for students to transfer from the MSc to the BSc by prior agreement. Please note that if a student has achieved 40-49% at MSc level the module cannot be credited but an exemption can be applied.
• Students being re-admitted onto a Foundation Diploma should have both failed and passed credit transferred from their previous registration, it is important to ensure that the student can complete the outstanding credit after the time spent on the previous registration has been deducted.

CATS Points and Level (Failed credit)

• In the left hand side of the section, please list the level of the total credit value failed from the applicants prior study, using a different line for each institution.
• In the right hand side of the section, under ‘Credit transferred to Brookes registration’, please state the total value of failed credit which should be applied, which is acceptable to the Brookes registration.

• Credit is normally ungraded. Marks can only be transferred where a student has previously studied on an Undergraduate degree (UMP/ AFR) at Oxford Brookes

• Please list all of the modules and marks previously studied under a Brookes Undergraduate registration that are to be transferred to the student’s new registration. Indicating an XC grade for passed credit (eg. 58 XC) and an XF grade for failed credit (eg. 24 XF).

• Where acceptable failed credit is being applied, please consider the maximum volume of credit that may be attempted at each stage and ensure there are enough modules available at each stage for the student to be able complete the award they have applied for.

Students may be granted an exemption from a module when learning equivalent to that shown by passing the module has been achieved. If a formal exemption grade is awarded such a module does not count towards any award requirements, the student still has to take the full amount of modules required for their award i.e. an exemption is not a credit.

In this section please list the module codes and titles of any modules that the student should be made exempt from.

• Please use this section to record any credit you wish to award which has been gained by (APEL) prior experiential learning, eg Un-certificated learning through work. Formal assessment must be undertaken to award APEL, the form of this assessment is at the discretion of the SEC. Please indicate in the tick boxes what evidence has been provided to show this assessment has been carried out and forward a copy to the Programme Support team to be saved on the students record.

In this section please indicate if the offer is Unconditional/ Conditional/ Reject and the Award Aim of the applicant. Enter the details of any conditions in the box provided.

Please note:

• Please do not make an unconditional offer unless a transcript of final results covering all of the credit awarded has been received. If a transcript has not been received please make the offer conditional on receiving the transcript.

• If the credit being considered for transfer has not yet been completed you can make a conditional offer, you can also request that the pass specific credits with a required mark or grade.

Below the conditions box please enter the start date and the expected completion date of the applicant. Enter the year the applicant applied for and the agreed year of entry (If different please explain why in the additional information box.)

Please note

• Only applicants who have completed 120 credits and have covered the learning outcomes of the L4 compulsories can be offered entry into year 2. L4 modules can no longer be trailed into Stage II.

• If a student is entering into Year 3 in September 2021 who needs to take additional credits, please make them aware of the additional module fee.

• The M103 form cannot be processed unless it is signed by a Programme Lead or Subject Coordinator (both electronic signatures are acceptable). Please also indicate where applicable a contact person for follow up queries.
• Please note as all student’s programmes should be subject to the same internal and external quality assurance procedures it is essential that all awards of credit are reported at an SEC and considered by an External Examiner. It is the Programme Lead’s responsibility to ensure that this takes place and that it is recorded/minuted appropriately.