Studying Abroad
Studying abroad can be a great option if it's available to you. Here we will list some of the benefits and key things to consider.
What is studying abroad?
Studying abroad is going to a university outside of the UK for the either the full or part duration of your degree studies. These universities can be anywhere in the world – each offering a unique way to study and travel!
Why study abroad?
- Tuition fees can be lower than in the UK
- UK universities are more competitive and may have higher entry requirements. EU courses may have lower entry requirements and graduates can still be accepted by UK job firms and employers
- Cultural experiences
- Languages – There are 3722 undergraduate courses that are taught in English outside of the UK. It can be beneficial to learn another language alongside English when studying abroad.
What are the different ways of studying abroad?
- Applying to international universities as an undergraduate (for example, at 18)
- Summer Schools or Summer Programmes between years of study (e.g. After finishing school but before starting university)
- Some degree courses offer a sandwich year or placements with opportunities to study abroad
- Postgraduate study abroad
Costs and financial support
- UK students used to be able to access studying abroad through Erasmus however since Brexit the UK has come away from this
- The UK now offers the Turing scheme to support UK students who want to travel abroad
- The Turing Scheme is a new UK Government programme to promote international opportunities for students. Announced after Brexit as a replacement for the Erasmus programme, it will fund work or study abroad placements for more than 40,000 students from September 2021 onwards. Over 120 universities plus further education colleges and schools from across the UK have successfully bid for grants from the Turing Scheme. University students benefitted from 28,000 placements in 2021/22 compared to 18,300 under Erasmus+ in 2018/19, although placement lengths may be shorter. A key aim of the government is to open up international experience to a wider range of students, with around 48% of places expected to go to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
- No Student Finance from Student Finance England (however some grants may be available and EU tuition fees are often lower than UK)
Applications and research
It’s important to research:
- Countries and universities (including the country’s culture, cost of study in that country, reputation of the university, accommodation, courses taught in English)
- Courses (what do you want to study, what is the course like, how hard is the course, what is the drop out rate like, how are they tested, course length) (entry requirements might be lower than UK universities, but pressure on the course could be more)
- Application process (differs in each country, might be direct to university, finding university contacts, checking application dates)
- What universities are looking for (grades, merit, test scores, other evidence, letters from teachers)
- Costs (cost abroad has increased since Brexit, Turing scheme, tuition fees, student finance, VISAs, accommodation, VISA restrictions on work)
