Please tell me if your child is taking a post Brexit degree that has a year abroad

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Please tell me if your child is taking a post Brexit degree that has a year abroad!

We are at the stage of thinking about options for DS2 who is about to take his GCSEs and will then do A-levels in maths geography chemistry and biology. Geography is his first love brackets as is history – long story about why he isn’t doing history A).

He’s very good at picking up languages too.

At this point I’d love to just hear lots of examples. Thanks very much!

Dd is at Edinburgh and spending next year in Canada , fingers crossed. Lancaster offer a year abroad across all subjects iirc. Friends dcs at Sheffield have both taken a year abroad - one studying as part of his degree, the other working.

DS is hopefully going to University of Sheffield in September to do business management with a year abroad. His friend has also applied to Sheffield to do Geography and that has a potential year abroad. He also looked at business management at Lancaster which had an optional year abroad.

DD is at Glasgow and is currently on a year abroad in Mexico.

I've got a DC who is taking a geography degree and is on a year abroad. Happy for you to PM me if you want more information

OP - I hope you don’t mind me asking a question on your thread? How do you fund them on a year abroad? We’re in Scotland where the fees get paid by the Government - would they pay the fees to the Host Uni instead for the year? And then I guess it’s just a matter of paying their rent and living expenses which you’ll be doing anyway regardless of where they are. I’d love my child to do a year abroad but only if they went somewhere cheap!

Like the OP I’m interested in how the year abroad works now we’ve left the EU. I know that the Erasmus scheme has ended but I believe there’s something called the Turing programme that’s targeted towards disadvantaged students.

Will be interested in hearing more from those in the know

DD (3rd year, IR with French) is currently on a year abroad in France. The fees side of things is between the home and the host university - the student takes their loan and tuition fees are paid to their home university in the usual way (15% of the full fee at Birmingham for the year abroad iirc).

She found accommodation privately, but did have the fall-back of student accommodation. The most stressful part, which delayed her arrival in France by a week, was getting her visa, but that was mainly due to the processing centre in Wandsworth being forced to close for a while just as she was applying.

Mexico!

What degree?

And thank you

DD in Mexico is doing Spanish but a friend doing business is there too.

OP - I hope you don’t mind me asking a question on your thread? How do you fund them on a year abroad? We’re in Scotland where the fees get paid by the Government - would they pay the fees to the Host Uni instead for the year?

If a student goes on a student exchange for a year to a university abroad, the student usually pays the fees at the home university.

For example, the University of Edinburgh could have an exchange agreement with the University of Toronto whereby 20 students from Edinburgh would go on a student exchange to Toronto and 20 students from Toronto would come to Edinburgh. All students would continue to pay fees at their home university and would not be liable for fees at the university abroad. The number of exchange places are limited and students apply for these places on a competitive basis.

Yes, just seconding what @JackieWeaver101 has said (she has the authority, after all). I was discussing this at the University of Aberdeen just this week - because it's a reciprocal exchange, each student pays their home university fees.

DD got a Turing grant which has covered a lot of her living expenses (which are tiny in Mexico) and flights.

DD2 is finally heading out to Japan this coming week, fingers crossed. She is studying Natural Sciences but her course allows for a year's study at one of various universities abroad, I think as a reciprocal exchange as @tribpot describes above. DD did the 1st term from student accommodation in her E Midlands uni city and the 2nd term from our home.

Her student loan covered the fees and she learned this week that she is getting a Turing scholarship which is the replacement for the Erasmus scheme. She thinks it will cover the majority of the cost of her accommodation out there. We have paid for her flights and visa, but her UK university has been really helpful about getting her out there as soon as possible. Japan is not yet open to tourists but students were allowed in from 1st March. The documentation arrived in mid-March and she has been to the embassy twice since then. We couldn't book flights until we knew the length of the visa she was granted - it's either a year or 15 months but as she starts the 3rd year of her degree in September, she'll be out there for 4 months.

She applied around 18 months ago. She had to complete a 500 word statement about why she wanted that particular country and university. Apparently, her 1st & 2nd year results were also taken into consideration, so had she dossed around, she would be placed lower down the pecking order. She was thrilled to get her 1st choice.

@Malbecfan How long did it take for your DD to get her visa after she'd had her appointment at the embassy? DS is also hoping to get out to Japan v soon as part of his degree.

@Japanopen she struggled to get a date with them for the interview but they kept releasing new ones and she was quite persistent. After the 1st interview they said it would be ready 3 days later. However, collections only start after 3pm. She booked one at 3.15 and said it was quick but her train back wasn't until 4.25 which meant she didn't get home until nearly 8pm.

Turing scholarships sound good

@Malbecfan Thank you.

Is there a process for Turing scholarships or other funding? Dd has not been given much guidance and the designated staff member was on strike for 3 weeks prior to last deadline

Can’t help with the Turing award, DD was just sent an email asking for bank details then it appeared, the university did everything.

Same as @Chemenger. I don't think DD did anything

My dd is also spending next year abroad, in Germany. I think the Erasmus funding is still in place until May 2023, but it is due to be replaced by Turing. She's not heard any details yet.

My child is doing languages and will spend 2024 in France and Spain

Thanks @Chemenger and @Malbecfan . I found this www.ucas.com/finance/scholarships-grants-and-bursaries/scholarships-grants-and-bursaries-funding-placement-abroad and have suggested dd contacts the departmental placement adviser for advice on available funding. As she is in Scotland I think she may pay reduced tuition fees next year.

Erasmus funding can still be used by UK universities (if they have any left!) until May 2023 and the Turing Scheme is running alongside Erasmus until that point, after which it will be the only funding scheme in place.

For both, the students’ university will contact the student directly if they are eligible for either funding scheme with further information; the student doesn’t need apply directly to the organisations/DfE who run the Erasmus/Turing schemes.

Universities usually submit their funding bid each year, so I believe it will be the summer before universities know if they have been allocated any Turing money for 22-23 (and how much).

Does anyone know whether students get funding (Erasmus/Turing) if they pay no tuition fees, as in Scotland?