Financial considerations

Your tuition fees will be reduced if you are undertaking a placement (study or work) overseas for a full year as part of your degree.

If you are undertaking a semester abroad or a summer placement your tuition fees to the University will not change.

Studying abroad
If you’re studying abroad for a full year your tuition fees will be reduced to 15% of your standard fees.

Working abroad
If you’re working abroad for a full year you’ll normally pay 15% of your standard fees if your placement is within the EU or 20% of your standard fees if your placement is outside the EU.

Tuition Fee Loan
All students from the UK and EU are entitled to the full tuition fee loan for the time they are abroad, if they are undertaking an overseas placement as part of their degree.

Maintenance Loan
If you’re a UK student undertaking a placement overseas as part of your degree you'll still be eligible for a maintenance loan from Student Finance. The amount you’ll receive will differ depending on whether you’re studying or working abroad and where your placement is based.

If you’re a UK student undertaking a study placement overseas or through the Turing programme and your household income is less than £39,796 per annum you may be eligible for a Travel Grant from Student Finance. Students undertaking work placements outside of the Erasmus+ scheme are not eligible for the Travel Grant.

The Travel Grant could help you with:

• Up to 3 return journeys between your home and chosen university abroad.
• Necessary daily travel costs while abroad.
• Necessary medical insurance, vaccinations and visas

You’ll be expected to cover the first £303 and submit receipts to Student Finance for any reimbursements beyond this amount. Students with a household income higher than £39,796 may still be eligible for the travel grant, but the amount you’d be expected to cover yourself would be higher than £303 to align with your household income.

How is it paid?

• You pay the upfront costs of your travel and then submit a claim form for these costs.
• You must provide evidence to support each claim you make for travel expenses. You’ll only get paid a Travel Grant if you send in all your receipts.
• The Travel Grant is paid directly into your bank account and you won’t have to wait until your next instalment of student finance to get your money. If when you apply for student finance your eligible to apply for a Travel Grant you’ll automatically be sent the correct forms to complete.

Where can I find further information?

For further information about Travel Grants check:
Student Finance England
Student Finance Wales
Student Awards Agency Scotland
Student Finance Northern Ireland

Flights and transport are one of the biggest costs you’ll incur. It’s important you shop around when booking travel and always check the small print. If you’d like to be flexible with your travel plans make sure your ticket allows for changes and/or flexibility.

If you’re going abroad you should always have the appropriate travel and health insurance. If you’re going on an academic led trip or placement organised by the University it’s important you check with your placement coordinator whether your insurance is covered.

Please note you may be required to purchase additional insurance to meet the requirements of your host country or institution/company.

If you’re ordinarily a resident in the UK but are travelling to another EEA country or Switzerland, you’ll need a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This entitles you to access the same state-provided healthcare as a resident of that country.

Find out more on the NHS website.

Depending on the length and type of activity you undertake you may need to apply for a visa. Typical visa costs can vary from £50 - £350. Some visa applications may require you to demonstrate you’ve sufficient funding to support yourself during your visit. You should always obtain visa advice directly from the relevant Consulate or Embassy.

Visit GoAbroad.com for the largest online directory of Embassies and Consulates.

You’ll normally be expected to pay for your accommodation. Some academic led trips and university placements, however, may include accommodation so please check this with your placement coordinator before booking.

When planning any overseas activity, you should always allow some flexibility in your budget for exchange rate fluctuations.

You can check the current exchange rate online here.