Studying abroad is a great opportunity to broaden your horizons, enhance your academic experience and increase your chances of gaining a successful future career.
Depending on which undergraduate course you are studying, we offer a number of exciting ways in which you can incorporate international study within your degree – and therefore enhance your study experience while at university:
Go on an Overseas Exchange Year
If you achieve good grades in the first year of your degree, you may have the opportunity to study at an overseas university for a full academic year.
A year spent at a university abroad will give you the chance to add complementary modules to your University of Chester degree, and gain credit towards your degree from your overseas host institution. We will help you tailor your programme to meet your academic needs, and the international experience you gain will enhance your CV, as well as give you an amazing chance to travel far afield with lots of support.
There are two ways in which you can undertake an exchange year:
1. Apply directly to one of the University’s partner institutions
Our Study Abroad team can endorse you, so that you can apply directly to one of Chester’s overseas partner institutions. If you opt for this type of full-year academic exchange, known as a Bilateral Exchange, you will apply directly to the partner university and are very likely to be accepted at the university of your choice. Our bilateral partner universities include institutions in the USA and Australia.
2. Participate in the International Student Exchange Programme
We are a member of the International Student Exchange Programme (ISEP), which offers a wide variety of host universities across every continent (except the Arctic and Antarctica!). See ISEP’s website for more details about available exchange opportunities. Our Study Abroad team can help you apply to up to 10 universities of your choice, and then the ISEP team will decide on your destination.
Please note that, while overseas, you will still pay your tuition fees to the University of Chester. Depending on which exchange scheme you undertake, you will either pay accommodation and food costs directly to your host institution (Bilateral) or to the University of Chester (ISEP).
Discover the adventures of University of Chester student Lucy Cunnington, as she enjoys life at Northern Arizona University.
Participate in an Experiential Learning Opportunity Overseas
Another option is to apply in the spring of your first year to pursue a single-term experiential placement overseas during the third term of Year 2 (Level 5) through the Experiential Learning in the Wider World module. You may have the opportunity to go to Africa, China, Europe or South America. Our students have participated in areas such as agriculture; animal rescue and rehabilitation; building; community health; HIV awareness; UNICEF; film and media production; nursery, primary and early secondary teaching; sports coaching and event planning; teaching English as a foreign language; business practices; journalism; marketing; advertising; ICT skills; and much more.
Some funding may be available for this through student finance and some scholarships and bursaries may be offered. You will be encouraged to fund raise for the trip yourself, through sponsorship and other charity fundraising activities, with all of the money raised going to the destination charity and towards their travel costs.
Note that early application is vital; for more information, please contact the Study Abroad Office.
Undertake a European Placement
Alternatively, you may have the chance to go on one of a range of study and work-based learning opportunities in continental Europe, including year-long and shorter placements.
Placements in French, German and Hispanic speaking countries, and Spain are usually for students of Modern Languages. However, there are also opportunities to study and/or work at our partner institutions if you are studying another subject where knowledge of another language is not a requirement. The European Exchange Office will provide information about study/work-based learning opportunities and discuss arrangements with our partner institutions. You may also be able to receive a European grant in support of your exchange as part of the EU Erasmus+ programme.
Ready to get travelling?
So what are you waiting for? With placements available around the globe, a study placement abroad during your time at university will not only enable you to get involved with an overseas student experience, but may also make your future CV stand out from the crowd.
Visit Us
To learn more about the opportunities you can have to study abroad whilst at the University of Chester, visit us on an Applicant Day or Open Day.
