All students who are on a single honours or a combined honours undergraduate degree programme with Modern Languages and Cultures are expected to go on a Modern Languages and Cultures Year Abroad. This includes Liberal Arts and Flexible Combined Honours students who are taking language modules in the Modern Languages and Cultures department (but not those students taking modules in the Language Centre).
However, students who are combining their degree with Arabic are expected to go on an Arabic Year Abroad, which takes place in the second year.
The Year Abroad is a very important part of the Modern Languages and Cultures degree as it provides students with a full language immersion and develops many of the intercultural skills that they have been studying for the previous two years. It also fully prepares students for the final year of assessment of their degree. Therefore, it's expected that all students on a Modern Langauges and Cultures degree (or combined honours with Modern Langauges and Cultures) will go on a Year Abroad. If a student does not want to go on a Year Abroad, they must discuss this with the Modern Languages and Cultures department to prove that they have exceptional circumstances which prevents them doing so.
The Modern Languages and Cultures Year Abroad is taken in the third year of a four-year programme and counts for 1/7 of your degree. The second year counts for 2/7 and the final year counts for 4/7.
Yes, and you are put on a Modern Languages and Cultures Year Abroad module here at Exeter to ensure that you remain registered. This means that you still have access to all of the Exeter online resources and can still use services such as the Guild Advice Unit or Wellbeing whilst away.
You must make sure you update your contact details and you continue to check your Exeter email mailbox.
Yes, as with any other Exeter student you will have a personal tutor available to you to contact if you wish. The contact details of your personal tutor are displayed on your MyExeter account.
Yes, insurance is absolutely mandatory for your Year Abroad.
Comprehensive travel insurance with emergency medical cover is essential for your time abroad and should be arranged before you depart. The University of Exeter has an Undergraduate Travel Insurance policy that you may wish to consider but also check if your family or bank account already has a policy. You are welcome to use any policy you wish but please check it is comprehensive and covers you for any unforeseen travel or emergency medical costs you could incur.
If you are going to Europe, we would also strongly recommend you apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), but you will still need comprehensive travel insurance as above, as the GHIC does not cover you for all costs.
Please also note that travel insurance with emergency medical cover will not cover routine doctor visits, medicines, vaccinations or tests. We strongly recommend that you also take out a personal health insurance policy for the duration of your placement in addition to the travel insurance policy (and GHIC). This is especially important for students with underlying health conditions.
Your host university might also request you take our their insurance policy. We would still recommend you take out a UK policy as your host university's policy might only cover you during your period of study and not the travel to and from your placement. It might not also cover any holiday period when you may choose to travel.
You will almost certainly be required to obtain the appropriate visa or permit to allow you to study as an international student, including in the European Union.
Please note that the University teams are not qualified to offer visa advice. You will need to visit the relevent embassy website to find out more information. Please be aware that immigration legislation changes frequently and without warning, so do check the relevant embassy and immigration website for the most up to date information.
You should be aware that taking the necessary steps to acquire your visa is your own responsibility and you may incur costs.
Students are able to apply for a visa when they have received a formal acceptance letter from their host university, and are encouraged to make prompt arrangements as soon as this has been received. Please bear in mind that the summer is an extremely busy time for processing visa applications and therefore you should make allowances for delays in processing. You are advised not to make travel arrangements until you have finalised your visa.
Finally, for legal reasons, please note that University teams are unable to advise on visas. You will need to contact the relevant embassy for advice and information.
It is very common for Year Abroad students at some point to feel generally fed up and want to come home. Exactly at what point this might happen during your Year Abroad can vary from person to person or may not happen at all. Often this is just a case of culture shock and you will be given a presentation at Exeter specifically about this during your Second Year. However, you could contact us and your personal tutor and for advice and support on how to manage your situation.
Unfortunately we cannot keep records of all the different types of accommodation offered at each university or work placement, as with so many students at so many different places, it would be impossible to keep track with what’s currently on offer.
Most of our partner universities have spaces in halls for students to stay in, which can be really handy and easy to sort out. Likewise some employers offer accommodation to students who work for them.
If these options are not available, it can be worth getting in contact with your host university or employer and asking them for any tips and advice on how to get accommodation whilst you’re there. We can also try and put you in contact with people who went to your university/country last year so you can ask them how they were able to find accommodation whilst they were abroad. You can also get in contact with students who have previously been abroad through the Study Abroad Buddy Scheme. The advice and information that they can provide is far more current and accurate than anything that we could realistically give you. The more research you can do, the easier you’ll find it to get sorted whilst you’re there.
We know that finding accommodation for your Year Abroad can be a daunting prospect; with a huge range of locations, prices and an array of possible housemates of all nationalities, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Finding accommodation yourself is an important step towards the independence you will need to complete a year abroad in another country. However, to keep this process as stress-free as possible, follow our top tips and use the links below as a starting point to finding yourself the perfect home…
Firstly, don’t worry! With the right amount of research and effort, everyone can find an accommodation option to suit them.
Plan ahead
The earlier the better: it is never too early to scour the web, speak to returning fourth years, and go onto online forums. Remember that first-hand and recent information is of paramount importance. Although we try to help you as much as possible, we cannot, by the ever changing nature of available accommodation all over the world, provide you with an exhaustive list of the best current accommodation possibilities.
As always with any house-hunting, make sure you have spoken to a landlord, read the terms and conditions and feel confident in them before committing to any accommodation contract.
Consider who you want to live with
Remember that if you are going abroad to learn a language, native speakers of that language are ideal housemates. With your continued effort, it is almost a guarantee that your language will improve much quicker and further than if you were to live with other English people, or your friends. We know it is a scary prospect, but Study Abroad is all about pushing yourself!
Get out early
If you haven’t sorted accommodation before you leave, don’t panic. A lot of people choose to wait until they are actually in the country before they make a commitment. If you wish to do this, please make sure you get out to the country and start flat-hunting early. There are always peak periods for finding accommodation, particularly for those going to university or doing British Council, when everyone starts at the same time, so make sure you beat the rush.
Don’t be afraid to find somewhere cheap to lay your head whilst searching for an apartment. Hostels within Europe are usually of a good standard, and can be a chance to start making friends, or getting local advice.
There are also sites which give you the opportunity to spend a short amount of time living with a host, such as AirBnB. These are a great option as they are strictly controlled, cheaper than hotels, and could provide you with the opportunity to ask your host’s advice about local accommodation.
Finally
Finding accommodation relies on your proactivity, with the above designed to present to you some of the options available. We neither promote nor endorse individual accommodation providers.
This ultimately depends on where you go and what the conversion rate is at the time. Before you go, it’s worth weighing up the extra things you’ll have to pay for - flights, visas, insurance, travelling (which can end up costing more than you imagine) with the cost of things you already have to pay for - food, accommodation, day-to-day travel. These may well be cheaper in the country you’re going to, so it might be worth trying to get in contact with someone who has been to your university/country on exchange before to see how they found it. The Outbound team will try to help you contact them.
It’s worth remembering that some visas might allow you to work, so working abroad part time could also be an option for you. As a general rule, if the country you’re living in is more expensive, the minimum wage is going to be higher, so this can be worth researching before you go. If you're going to a country where English is not the first language, you might find casual work in teaching English. Either way, with any work, do check your visa status and make sure you abide to its regulations.
Bear in mind that you can still apply for Student Finance loans and potentially a Student Finance Travel Grant (see the separate FAQ sections for more information).
Yes, you will still be registered as a student at Exeter (which is why you are put onto a 120-credit module) and so are eligible to receive both a tuition fee loan (as necessary) and a maintenance loan. In some cases you may be able to receive extra funding from the Student Loans Company, due to the often added cost of studying abroad.
This can vary depending on the type of scholarship or bursary you receive. Please use the Student Funding pages to find out further information.
The Student Finance Travel Grant is a means-tested grant which you can apply for through Student Finance. If you qualify, you can get a reimbursement for up to 3 return flights, as well as for your visa and any necessary medical costs. Please note you must pay the first £303 of your costs and you must keep all your receipts as you apply for the reimbursement at the end of your placement abroad.
For Student Finace England you can visit https://www.gov.uk/travel-grants-students-england/overview for more information. For students from other home nations please check your respective Student Finance web pages.
You do not pay any tuition fees to the institution at which you're studying whilst away.
Instead, you pay a reduced fee to Exeter for the year you are abroad. This fee is capped at 15-20% of your normal tuition fee depending what you do and where you go.
More information about fees can be found here.
No. If you are following a normal exchange programme with one of our partner universities, then you will not have to pay any tuition fees to that host university. However, some universities charge a small registration or administration fee and this cost is met by the student.
Student Finance says that I need a letter confirming that I'm studying abroad. Where can I get this?
For most students, you won't need an actual letter. Around May-time, you will be asked by Registry at the University to fill in a Study Abroad section of your MyExeter with the details of your Study Abroad endeavours next year. This will include information like next of kin, passport number, dates of study, etc. Some of this information will then be used automatically to inform the Student Loans Company that you will be studying abroad next year. If you need your loan earlier (i.e. if you're going to Quebec or Mexico, whose terms are different), speak to the Outbound team.
Unfortunately, Student Finance can sometimes be difficult to deal with. The Outbound team and the Placements are not best placed to advise on Student Finance issues but we strongly recommend that you contact the Guild Advice Unit, who have a lot of experience in advising students about finance issues and who will be able to support you further.
This is actually a lot easier to do than it sounds. Though Exeter cannot offer halls to returning fourth years, this does not mean you’ll be homeless. The easiest thing to do is to try and arrange to live with people who are doing masters/third year when you’ll be back so they can look at houses and arrange everything whilst you’re abroad.
Alternatively, if you can find other people to live with who are also doing a Year Abroad, you can send a friend who is still in Exeter to go and check out houses for you, or try and arrange it when you are back in the UK for Christmas or the summer.
There are also loads of websites where you can find other students to live with. The most helpful of these is probably Exeter Studentpad which is run by the university and can only be accessed by Exeter students. http://www.exeterstudentpad.co.uk/Accommodation
If all else fails, there are always people posting on Facebook groups throughout the year looking for housemates, so it’s worth keeping your eyes on them whilst you’re abroad.
Finally, the Guild Advice Unit will be able to support you if you need any extra help.