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Opportunities for outgoing students – Bath Spa University

Why stay within your comfort zone, when venturing out of it could transform the way you see the world?

We offer all our current first year students the chance to apply for a study placement abroad.

Why study abroad?

  • Experience a new culture
  • Make friends from all over the world
  • Develop personally, professionally and academically
  • Boost your employability
  • Gain knowledge in new subjects or teaching methods
  • Improve and gain new language skills

What's on offer?

The Semester Abroad Programme

We have over 50 partner universities worldwide. During your second year as an undergraduate student, you could spend one semester studying at one of them. Doing a semester abroad is an excellent opportunity to experience education in a different country, immerse yourself in a new culture, and learn a new language.

To be eligible you need to:

  • achieve a 2:1 average grade in your first year of undergraduate studies
  • apply in your first year of studies to study abroad for one semester in the second year of your undergraduate degree
  • apply for the same or similar subject at our partner university as you’re studying at Bath Spa.
Funding through the Turing Scheme

Bath Spa participates in the Turing Scheme, the UK government’s scheme to provide funding for international opportunities in education and training across the world. A Turing Scheme grant is provided as a contribution towards the cost of living whilst undertaking a period of mobility abroad. It is not intended to cover all expenses. If you are eligible to receive the funding, you will be required to complete some essential Turing Scheme paperwork before you travel, including a Grant Agreement.

The amount you may be eligible to receive will depend on the destination country, the duration, and whether you meet the criteria under the scheme for additional support, if you are a student from a disadvantaged background. To see if you fall under this category, you can visit the Widening Access section of the Turing Scheme website.

To apply for the Turing Scheme funding, please complete the application form. Please note that we do not accept retrospective applications.

Other opportunities
  • Global Academy of Liberal Arts (GALA)
    The Global Academy of Liberal Arts (GALA) is an international community of diverse, innovative, and socially responsible universities and colleges whose aim is to transform lives and to enhance global understanding through interdisciplinary collaboration in teaching and research. The network, founded by Bath Spa University in 2014, has 19 partners in 14 countries. Students can apply to Bath Spa's GALA Outreach fund for support to visit any of the partner universities in the network. For more information, please contact gala@bathspa.ac.uk.
  • Certificate in Global Citizenship
    Our Certificate in Global Citizenship is an extracurricular course that runs alongside your undergraduate degree. Along with a lecture programme and other other fantastic elements, one key aspect of the certificate is that enrolled students receive a grant of up to £1000 to undertake a work or study placement abroad. To join the certificate you must apply in your first year.
  • Bath Sparks
    Got enterprenuerial spirit? Bath Sparks is a great way to get involved at the University and enter competitions - some of which have prizes of a placement abroad.
  • Summer schools
    Many of our international partners give you the opportunity to apply to study abroad during the summer.

Study Abroad FAQs

You can only apply to study abroad once you become a current Bath Spa student and have a Bath Spa student number. Students apply in their first year, to go abroad in their second year for one semester (either semester one or semester two). For some subjects, students may apply to go abroad for a full academic year which would add an additional year onto an undergraduate degree.

It is important to conduct research to understand where you can study for your subject area. You can find a full list of our partner universities on our website. Please note, you may only study at one of our approved partner universities.

Can any student apply to study abroad?

Yes! Students on any undergraduate degree programme at Bath Spa can apply to spend one semester studying abroad as part of their degree. This will not add any time to your overall degree and you'll study the same number of credits abroad as you would do if you were at Bath Spa. You'll not study the exact same modules, as these vary from university to university, but what you study abroad will be within your subject area.

You'll need to be enrolled as a full-time student and apply within your first year of studies. You must have good attendance and good academic standing to be eligible (achieving 2:1 or above).

How long would I study abroad for?

Your placement will be for one semester during the second year of your undergraduate degree. You'll study at your host institution on a full-time basis.

Some universities, especially in the US and Canada, start their semesters at the beginning of January. This means there might be a cross-over of dates if you're undertaking a semester 2 exchange. If this is the case, we encourage you to speak to your module tutors to ask how this may impact on your submission/participation in assessments.

Would I need to pay for a visa?

Depending on the country you go to, you may be required to apply for a residence permit or a visa. It is usual, as part of this process, to prove you have access to sufficient funds in a bank account. Your host university will support you throughout this process to ensure you're able to study in your host country.

Most universities in the US and Canada require students to purchase mandatory health insurance. If you're in receipt of student finance, then you may be able to be reimbursed for these costs through the Travel Grant.

How would I fund my study abroad experience?

Regardless of where you study abroad, you'll continue to pay your tuition fees to Bath Spa University. No tuition fees are paid to your host institution.

You'll need to do some research about your financial position and the cost of living in your destination of choice to work out if you can afford to do the placement that you're interested in. Costs will vary depending on where you are going, as well as your own lifestyle. As a budget starting point, you should factor in the cost of:

  • Travel (airfare; train/bus/taxi within host country to university)
  • Fees for passport and visas
  • Health insurance
  • Local daily transportation
  • Accommodation costs in host country (including refundable deposits and utility fees)
  • Accessories for housing if not provided (linens, kitchen supplies)
  • The cost of meals
  • Additional course fees, books and supplies (not tuition fees)
  • Additional living expenses (travel around the country, shopping and going out)

Most of our partner universities offer help and guidance in estimating your living expenses prior to your departure, but we also encourage you to do your own research to ensure that you'll be able to fund your period spent abroad.

Please be aware that whilst the Bath Spa can provide you with free travel insurance, there are some countries where you will also need to purchase additional health insurance, such as Australia, USA and Canada where specific health insurance is needed as part of the visa application.

We'll let you know how much money you may be eligible to receive through the Turing Scheme, which is additional grant money that you can be paid, in addition to the money you receive through Student Finance. We also recommend looking at the External Scholarships and Awards for Current Students sections on our Scholarships and Bursaries page to see what you may be eligible to apply for.

You'll need to notify Student Finance of any changes in your circumstances. This includes spending a semester studying abroad. If you're in receipt of a student loan, this will usually be adjusted to help facilitate the placement financially. Depending on your household income, you may also be able to apply for the Travel Grant to help towards your travel costs.

How will studying abroad impact my degree at Bath Spa?

Your studies abroad will be a continuation of your degree at Bath Spa. You'll return with the equivalent number of academic credits that you would have achieved if you’d stayed in the UK. You need to acquire the equivalent of 60 BSU credits per semester. Different universities have different credit systems. If you're going to Europe, for example, 60 Bath Spa credits is equivalent to 30 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credit points.

The modules you study abroad will be graded on a pass/fail basis. This means the final classification for your degree only be based upon the modules you take at Bath Spa, in second and final year.

Do I need to learn another language?

The vast majority of our partner universities teach in English. There are some partner universities that teach in their native language but we can inform you of these before you apply.

If you're going to live in a country where English isn't the official language, then we would highly recommend that you learn the basics. There may be funding available for you to take language lessons too.

What about accommodation?

In the host country:

Your host university will provide accommodation options for you. This varies from university to university. You could be offered on-campus accommodation, a shared student flat or house in private rented accommodation, or living with a host family. You'll receive further information from your host university once you have received an official acceptance letter.

At Bath Spa University:

Most students on the Semester Abroad Programme choose to live with friends in private rented accommodation in Bath during second year. You could either try to get a short-term contract, or sub-let your room whilst you're abroad. However, if you decide to sub-let, you must have written confirmation from your landlord. There might be the option of a short-term contract with Bath Spa-managed accommodation, but this is not guaranteed, and it'll depend on which semester you're in Bath.

"Don't worry about funding, don't worry about your loved ones back home, don't worry about anything. And don't let anything stop you from taking this opportunity by the horns. Just go for it!"

Cody Moir, BA (Hons) Creative Writing, Study Abroad Placement to the University of Stockholm

Apply to study abroad

How do I apply?

You must speak to your tutors at Bath Spa who will be able to talk you through the academic requirements of a placement abroad. For example, depending on your course, there may be assignments that you will need to complete before or after you go on placement. We recommend that you stay in regular communication with your personal tutor to update them of your progress.

To apply, please download this application form, and once completed, send it to BSUexchange@bathspa.ac.uk by 23 February 2024 at midday

After we've received your application, you'll be invited to attend a short interview (approximately 15 minutes) with members of the Go Global Team to discuss your application further. Meeting each applicant individually will help us to allocate students to our partner institutions.

If your application has been successful, we'll inform you of your host university. And once we have nominated you, the host university will be likely to communicate directly with you from this point on. The application process differs from institution to institution but the host will usually provide you with full guidance notes.

There will be paperwork to complete, and a pre-departure session to attend before you go abroad. The Go Global Team will be on hand to support you from beginning, middle and end of your study placement abroad, and we hope that you will have a fantastic time.

Contact us at BSUexchange@bathspa.ac.uk if you have any questions.

Contact us

International Exchange enquiries: bsuexchange@bathspa.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1225 875777

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