Year Abroad

[ValseTriste]

DS is in Yr 11 so about to sit GCSEs. He doesn't know what he wants to study at degree level yet, which is fine, early days BUT one clear idea that he does have is that he'd like to do a degree with a year abroad (ideally in North America) and I wanted to know if there are any specific resources for me to find out info on this.

I have browsed the UCAS site and found some examples of courses that are 4 year courses, but what I'm not clear on is if a year abroad is an option for other courses, even if they aren't "set up" as a 4 year course with 1 year abroad.

He's planning on studying Economics, Geography and History at A Level

Any tips gratefully received

I would get your DS to look at the websites of any university he might be interested in applying to and look at the different courses on offer.Most courses should give a breakdown of what is taught in each year of the course and if it is possible to study abroad.At least that's what my DC did when researching universities (they are now in their 20s and 30s).DD had a compulsory year abroad in 3rd year and chose to go to a university in the USA and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Good luck to your DS

Should have added DD was at a Scottish university

if you are looking at large research unis and traditional subjects then I think many if not most 3 year arts and humanities degrees can encompass a year abroad, and many science degrees also can, but you need to check in each case. i think the best way to do it is pick a subject, pick a long list of unis which fit his preferences and likely grades, and then use year abroad as one way of culling the long list down to a short list. That will require checking all the uni websites.

For each uni that can accommodate a YA, then look at where your DC can go. He will need to look at the uni’s partner unis abroad (which are available for basically all year abroad students irrespective of the subject they are studying), but also the departmental partners abroad (where individual departments have made their own reciprocal arrangements with unis abroad that specialise in their subjects). So eg at Birmingham, a partner uni for all subjects may be University of Virginia, but the politics department may have a special arrangement with George Washington Uni which is only available to politics students.

Thise lists do change, but they give an idea of the possibilities. Some unis have surprisingly short lists, and it can be a struggle to get placed as it is very competitive. Others have masses of options. Birmingham has about 40 US unis and my son is at one now. Generally the longer established and bigger unis have more partnerships.

Also think about cost. If your DC is at an English uni doing a 3 year course, which extends to 4 years by the addition of a year abroad, then they pay £9250 x 3 years in fees, and £1350 in fees for the year abroad. They do not pay tuition to the host uni, but will need to pay eg halls of residence fees (in the US usually also meal plan charges). Health insurance adds another £600-£800 per year for the US as well.

if your DC will be an English kid at a Scottish uni, where he would be paying £9,250 x 4 years (at Edinburgh and St A, but not Glasgow where they only charge the English for 3 of the 4 years), then you need to look at it very carefully. Edinburgh will charge you 9,250 fees for the year abroad. St A seems to only do a semester abroad of 4 years, and if you want a year abroad your four year course takes FIVE years (4 x 9250, 1 x 1350 fees). Glasgow will charge you £9250 x 3 plus 1350 for the Year Abroad.

You will need a spreadsheet!!

In other words the year abroad costs no more than it otherwise would at Edinburgh, costs an extra 1350 at Glasgow but still less than Edinburgh, and St A costs 1350 more than Edinburgh, £9250 more than Glasgow and English unis, AND extends the degree to 5 years.

That's REALLY helpful - thank you both. I have started looking at various Uni websites at their undergraduate courses. I wasn't sure if there was a shorter route, but it sounds like that is the best way to proceed. I will do it more thoroughly once he's in Year 12 and he has an idea of what he might want to study.

So @fairtrauchled - do you mean that your dc did a degree with an integrated year abroad then, or that they were able to add on the opportunity to study abroad onto a degree?

@Delphigirl DS is an English kid and likely to be at an English university, but who knows. That's interesting to hear re the various fees. Isn't the £1,350 for Scottish students? In any event, we are in an incredibly privileged position in that his grandparents will pay for his university fees, at least for 3 years anyway, so at most we'll have to pay the additional costs, but they may be covered too. Lucky sod (and lucky us actually!)

Great that your son has had that opportunity through Birmingham University. That's exactly the kid of university that I would hope that DS goes to and should aim for.

Actually I think I misunderstood re the £1,350!

No the 1350 is fees to the host university to keep his place for an extra year. So if there is no extra year because they were always going to be there for 4 years even without a year abroad, it is paid at the full 9250. I think that’s how it works.

It does mean that my son is getting a year at an excellent private US uni for 1350 in fees which the us students are paying $70,000 for (before scholarships and financial aid)!! So it is super-good value

DDs course was a 4yrs honours course(normal in Scotland for most courses).The 3rd year was a compulsory year studying abroad so was part of the course.The grades she achieved at the US university did not count towards the overall grade of degree awarded at the end of 4th year but she did have to pass all her subjects.It meant that at the end of 4th year the level of degree awarded was based purely on the grades she achieved in her final year.

@ValseTriste

Please read up about tuition fees and how they are "paid" before committing grandparents to paying for fees upfront. Martin Lewis on MoneySavingExpert here is best.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/students/student-loans-tuition-fees-changes/

grandparents paying fees upfront is a very tax efficient way of passing on money free of inheritance tax to the next generation.

Thank you - that's a useful link. My Dad has set up a trust specifically for the grandkids education etc and has already been through the process for my 2 nephews. He's actually paid for their accommodation too, so all they've (/my sister) have had to cover is living expenses. We are incredible grateful. I'm very keen to stress to DS how lucky he is to be in this position!

Brilliant. What a lovely man!

He is a total gem. Working class boy made good. With 7 very lucky grandchildren!

My daughter did American studies at Leicester University with a year abroad - she spent her 3rd year at the University of Florida and had the best time of her life. She is actually in Gainesville at the moment seeing all her friends. It cost us quite a lot in accommodation (she had to live in a dorm and have a meal plan) and a monthly amount for living expenses. She could have got a job on campus but we decided to support her so she could enjoy every minute and don't regret that. The only thing is that she is sad that she can't easily get a job out there or do more studying.

He's is one of the cleverest people I know, and widely read and knowledgeable. Left school at 15 without any qualifications but rose to be Chairman and CEO of a major worldwide company, and was based in the US for several years. He wishes he'd had the opportunity to go to university and is happy to spend his money on paying for the grandkids to go. I keep suggesting to him that he should do a degree himself in his retirement!

@Fantasmic143 that sounds wonderful - your lucky daughter.

DS was originally considering going to a North American university for the entirety of his degree but has gone off that idea now I think and is leaning towards one year abroad. That might have been pushing our luck on the grandparent fund anyway!

It will depend on where the uk uni/faculty has a link as there needs to be compatibility on courses. Dd has done one in NA from a Scottish uni where degrees are four years as standard. It is an option for all to apply to study abroad for one year. Tuition fees are lower, however living costs are high, especially accommodation which was not straightforward to book. Whether just due to post Covid or the norm, she has found few organised events to try to meet other overseas students readily or support with queries at her host uni. She has finally qualified for Turing funding, which was initially prioritised to those whose degree required a year abroad ie mfl or on low incomes. Hopefully she will receive most of it before she returns to UK, then rest on the host uni certifying she has completed the year.

@LIZS - thanks, that's really interesting that it's an option for all in Scotland. I'd LOVE DS to study in Scotland!

To clarify Dd is from England but studies in Scotland.

I’m sorry to hear that @lizs. It does seem as though the experience can be quite different depending on the type of uni you go to. Some (not all) of the really big state unis can be a bit difficult to navigate administratively, and lack an organisational structure for those on years abroad. Quiet sink or swim. Some (not all) of the small liberal arts colleges can do much better on that, organising masses of free get to know you events and outings for internationals, lots of drop in sessions with personal tutors and v small classes so you really get to know your professors, but may not give you the big school spirit/cheerleaders/homecoming games/fraternity stuff lots of people are looking for. My DS has spent a lot of timing saying “Well THAT would never happen at Birmingham” - some good some bad!!! But frankly that’s what the year abroad is all about, hurtling you out of your comfort zone and learning resilience, and also providing fabulous opportunities which may change the path of their life.

I think the best advice is to really investigate the unis you are interested in and then try to find someone from your home uni who has recently returned from there, and ask lots of questions. But to a certain extent you just have to chose somewhere and jump in - the only guarantee is that it won’t be exactly as you were expecting.

So Many Typos (on phone, walking) 😱

He sounds wonderful. He should! Or at least one of the excellent continuing education courses so many unis do - that might give him the confidence to get going on a degree…!