Study abroad for outgoing students

If you are a Year 1 student this year, you can:

• apply in your first year to go out for a semester abroad during your second year, if available. This can be either Semester 1 or semester 2 (students must discuss with their Department)
• wait and apply in your second year to go out for a full year abroad between your 2nd & 3rd year. We would then change your course to a 4 year sandwich degree.

If you are a second year student you can:

• apply to go out for semester 2 abroad of your 2nd year if we are still before the deadline of 30th September (if your programme allows this, please check with your Personal Tutor, International Coordinator or Head of Department)
• apply to go our for a full year abroad between your 2nd & 3rd year. We would then change your course to a 4 year sandwich degree.

Students must be on a full time 3 year undergraduate degree and currently in their 1st or 2nd year of study in order to be eligible to apply for the Study Abroad Programme.

If you are in your 3rd year of study already or a Postgraduate student then unfortunately you are not able to apply for the Study Abroad Programme, however, please do have a look at our Summer Programme options which may be open to you.

Turing Grant

All students undertaking a study abroad mobility are entitled to a non repayable grant. The Turing Scheme covers costs of living overseas. Destination countries are divided into three groups with Group 1 having the highest cost of living. You do not need to apply for your Turing Grant, we will do this automatically for you and notify you of the amount you will receive.

For study abroad placements of nine weeks to 12 months you will receive:

– £380 per month (for Group 1 destinations)
– £335 per month (for Group 2 and 3 destinations)

Students from disadvantaged backgrounds will receive a higher amount of funding

– £490 per month (to Group 1 countries/territories)
– £445 per month (to Group 2 and 3 countries/territories)

They will also receive funding towards the direct costs of travel depending on the distance between
the host and destination provider. They will also receive funding for exceptional costs calculated on
an actual cost basis and are specifically for any additional costs incurred to support the participation
of disadvantaged participants. This covers passports/visa/insurance/appropriate clothes/luggage as
necessary.

Disadvantaged backgrounds is defined as:-

• Students with an annual household income of £25,000 or less
• Students receiving Universal Credit or income-related benefits
• Care leavers and students who are care-experienced.
• Students who have caring responsibilities
• Estranged Students
• Refugees and asylum seekers

Student finance Travel Grant

If you are not classed as a disadvantaged student then Student finance England offer a means tested travel grant for students studying abroad as part of their course*. For full details, see the travel grants page. In summary, you can apply for funding for:

• up to three return flights from the UK to your Host Country

You must pay the first £303 of your travel costs, and your travel grant will be reduced by £1 for each £8.73 of household income over £39,796.

*you can not apply for the travel grant from SFE if you are a disadvantaged student already receiving the travel grant from the Turing Scheme.

Maintenance loan/grant

• You will still be eligible to apply for a maintenance loan/grant.
• For students studying abroad, the amount of loan available may be higher, please see the Student Finance pages for the latest amounts.
  
  

Edge Hill University provides tuition fee support via the Student Opportunity Fund for students taking part in International mobility.

• Students on a full year Study Abroad Programme – tuition fees = £1,385. This will be covered by the Student Opportunity Fund and therefore you will not have to pay any additional tuition fees for your study abroad year.
• Students on a semester only Study Abroad Programme – tuition fees = £9,250. Half of this will be covered by the Student Opportunity Fund (the proportion of the year you are abroad) Therefore students will have to pay £4,625 for their tuition fees to EHU.

Once selected this will be adjusted with your fee provider.

This may change each year. However, applicants will be informed of any changes.

There are a few different costs to think about before studying abroad and some of these costs will depend on where you are going and how long for.

You will need to cover the costs of your travel, accommodation, insurance and living costs – most students will use a mixture of their SFE Maintenance loan (or equivalent), their Turing Grant and any income or savings they may have.

If you need a visa to go to the country you are planning to study in then there will be a minimum financial requirement that you must show in order to satisfy the visa terms. Again this is usually made up of a mixture of SFE Maintenance loan (or equivalent), Turing Grant and any income or savings you or a family member who is willing to sponsor you may have. You do not need to have this actual amount in your bank account but you must be able to provide evidence such as your award letters to show you will have access to this money.

Looking at the general cost of living in different countries can help you decided where you would like to consider studying. In general it is more expensive to go to the USA than it is to go to a university in the EU or Asia.

This will depend on where you are going, how long for and your own nationality.

It is your responsibility to check if you require a visa for the country you are travelling to, the easiest way to do this is to visa the Government webpages of the country you are travelling to.

Please be aware that applying for a visa can take up to 10 weeks so you need to start this process as early as possible once you have had your Study Abroad placement confirmed. Some visa applications will require you to make an appointment at the UK visa office/consulate or embassy of the country you are visiting once you have submitted the application. You will need to check where your nearest office is as sometimes you will need to travel to London if there is not a more local one to you.

The partner university will provide you with guidance on how to apply for your visa, please contact them directly with any questions about your visa requirements.

Please note: As the UK are no longer part of the EU, UK nationals now require a visa to study in EU countries.

You will study approximately the same number of credits as you would if you had stayed at Edge Hill University (1 year = 120credits, 1 semester = 60credits). You will still be registered as an EHU student whilst at the Partner University. Once you have returned from studying abroad, your results won’t count towards your final degree classification but you will be required to successfully complete your modules at the partner university.

The majority of our host institutions deliver in English and will not require you to know another language. However, you may find it useful to learn some basics. You may also wish to consider EHU Language Learning opportunities, where relevant, in preparation for your time abroad. More information can be found online. 

Once you have submitted your application to us we will check that we have everything we need from you such as:

• You have fully answered all application questions
• You have provided 3 different partner options for your Study Abroad placement
• You have attached an academic reference with you application
• you have passes your previous year with enough points to satisfy the minimum requirements of most partner universities. This is usually a GPA (Grade Point Average) of 2.75 which is equivalent to an overall average of 50-54 or a 2:2 here in the UK.
• Your department have agreed to you going on a Study Abroad placement

*Please be aware that we will not start looking at individual partner placements until after the application deadline.

Once our application deadline has passed the Study Abroad Team will start placing all applicants that have met all the above requirements with one of their 3 chosen partner options. Please note that it is not always possible to send you to your first choice of partner.

We will then contact you to let you know which partner you have been selected to go to and ask that you confirm if you would like to proceed.

If you choose to proceed we will then nominate you to the chosen partner university during the nomination period, this is usually February to March. After this it is then the partner university that will take over you application. The partner will contact you and ask you to complete a second application directly with them. They will also send you information on accommodation options, visa advise and information on selecting the modules you will study with them. You should also be given the contact details of someone you can contact to ask any questions to.

The whole Study Abroad application and placement process can take quite a long time to complete, please keep an eye on your student emails so that you don’t miss any information or requests from us or the partner Study Abroad Team.

You will be responsible for arranging your own travel.

The partner university will let you know what dates you are expected to arrive by and depart. If you require a visa to travel please make sure this has been granted before you book your flights.

Most partner universities will have specific arrival dates and they may arrange an airport pick-up for you. Please contact them to confirm this.

You may wish to book return flights to come home during holidays such as at Christmas or during the Easter break, it is recommended to do this in advance to get the best dates and prices.

If you are unsure of the best way to travel or the nearest airport or station to arrive into then please contact the partner study abroad or international Team to ask for advice.

There will be various things we will send you and need you to complete at different times prior to going out on your Study Aboard Programme:

• Turing Grant Letter (confirming your grant amount) – sent to you in May
• Sign your Turing Grant Agreement – sent to you in May
• Sign your Overseas Student Placement Agreement – sent to you in May
• Complete your Emergency Contact Form – sent to you in May
• Complete & Sign your Risk Assessment – sent to you in June
• Complete your Bank Details Form – sent to you in June
• Complete your Transfer Form for your student record – sent to you in June
• Receive your EHU Insurance certificate – sent to you in July
• Receive your Turing Grant Payment – paid to you in early August

Please note that we will not be able to pay your Turing Grant to you if any of the above list is outstanding.

You will also have various tasks to compete requested by the partner university, these may include:

• Application to study with them
• Accommodation application
• Financial guarantee/statement
• Visa application
• Health insurance form
• Course or module selection form

Please ensure you check your emails regularly and set aside time to complete the required forms or paperwork. Delays in completing some forms or applications can result in you not being able to go on your Study Abroad Programme.

It can be quite a daunting challenge going to study in another country so it is very normal to have some nerves.

If you change your mind about going on your Study Abroad Programme prior to it starting, you can usually continue with your original studies here at EHU. Depending on how close to the start date you withdrew the following may need to be considered:

• If you have already booked flights you will likely not get a refund unless it is due to medical issues
• If you have paid your accommodation costs at the partner university it would be at their discretion as to if you could be refunded or not.
• If you have paid for a visa application you will not be able to have this refunded.

If you decided to return home once you have already started your Study Abroad placement then it will depend on whether you are on a semester or full year placement as to what your options are:

Semester only placement: You will need to speak with your department here at EHU to see if it would be possible for you to complete enough credits to continue without needing to resit your 2nd year.
Full year placement: You would need to interrupt the year and return to complete your 3rd year the following September.

There is more flexibility and options for continuing with your studies as originally planned at EHU if you return before the transfer deadline which is approximately 4 weeks after the semester starts.

In the first instance, we would ask that you contact us at [email protected] to talk about how you are feeling. We would also advise you speak with the support team at the partner university if you are already there as they will be able to help you with issues such as overcoming home sickness, joining social activities and meeting other students.