I am in the writing up stage of my PhD and am considering (if such a thing is possible) moving to another university. My original supervisor left about 8 months into my PhD - she continued as an external for a time but then resigned as a supervisor. The supervisors who took over do not work in my field at all - they are both psychology but have nothing to do with the area I work in and cannot advise on it. I know I really should have looked at my options at that time but had various other issues going on and really wasn't up to a big upheaval so I let things slide.

It wasn't so bad while I was still trundling along collecting data but now I am writing up I am all at sea with no advice at all. With the prospect of paying for another two terms at a much increased fee rate I'd really like to have some expert advice before I submit, not wait to see what the examiner thinks! Does anyone know if it is feasible to leave one uni and take a largely finished thesis somewhere else? Or is it something that's 'not done' and am I likely to find myself with a homeless thesis? Obviously it's not something I can ask my supervisor but I really don't know where to get advice. I'm really not happy with the lack of supervision I've had over a number of years and just wonder if I've left it too late in the day to be proactive about it. :-(

I am not able to say whether a change at this stage is possible or not. I don't know anyone who changed uni close to completion, but I have been in a very similar position to yours. I tried all the possible avenues to make things working, but in the end I had to realise that I couldn't pretend more from my supervisor, because although he is a good lecturer, he was a poor supervisor in the first place, regardless of his area of expertise.
I tentatively tested the higher ranks to see what the alternative options were, but in the end I had to make a do with what I had, and I think that I have managed pretty well. Actually, I managed to submit a good thesis and passed the viva with minor corrections, which make me feel very proud, as I really had very little help from my sup. Obviously it's far from ideal, and very stressful!

If I were you however, I would ask your department if it is possible to have a second supervisor before trying more radical options, although if you are already registered for the "writing up" year, you may not be entitled to have a supervisor - not at my uni anyway - but you should definitely check with your institution.
 

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I looked at changing university halfway through my part-time PhD, when my supervisor moved 500 miles away. The destination university (actually Oxford) would only take transfer PhD students if the bulk of their PhD would be done there. Otherwise no. I don't know what general rules are, but suspect policies might vary by university.

At this stage, so close to the end, I think changing university would probably be counter-productive. You would be better to try to get more support locally. And why not ask your original supervisor (at the other university) if they would be willing to help and read through your thesis and give suggestions? It doesn't hurt to ask. The worst they can say is no.

Thanks, it's helpful to hear of people having goner through the same situation. I guess it really would be a bad idea so late in the day - just trying to cover all eventualities I guess. It is encouraging to hear you got through with minor corrections - at the moment I'm putting my hopes on not failing but getting sent away to do some major revisions, which I guess wouldn't be the end of the world :p