Students of Chinese

The current Chinese Study Abroad liaison is Dr Yue Zhuang, who can be contacted by email ay Y.Zhuang@exeter.ac.uk.

Because the processes for going abroad to China are so different to going abroad in Europe, the Chinese Year Abroad is dealt with slightly differently to the rest of the Modern Languages and Cultures department. Please note that students going to China only have the opportunity of studying at one of our partner institutions, as work placements are not currently approved for China.

Who goes to China?

All students who have started learning Chinese as a beginner (ab initio) in their first year will be required to spend the Study Abroad year in China. Those who have studied Chinese post-A-level and another language ab initio will spend the year in the country of the ab initio language. Students who study more than one post-A-level language and no ab initio languages will be able to choose to which country they go to study.

Where can you go?

Students going to China are only allowed to study on their Year Abroad and Exeter currently has 5 partner universities which you can choose from. They are:

It's really important you research these universities before you make your application. To do so, we suggest you speak to as many people as possible, including final year Chinese students, your Chinese tutors, inbound exchange students from China, the Global Opportunities Outbound team, and also follow the research suggestions on our webpages. 

What do you study?

Our students who go to these universities take modules designed for international students in Chinese language and culture.

Students are expected to study up to 720 hours worth of modules over the academic year. If your host university requires you to take more hours than this, then you are expected to fulfil their requirement.

The marks from your highest-scoring 360 hours of modules will then be converted upon your return to Exeter. This will contribute 50% to your Year Abroad mark. See Assessment below for more details.

Application process

Students applying to study at our partner institutions abroad have to apply via our online application system. (Please note that Modern Languages students do not need to obtain the mimimum 60% that is stated on the above webpage). 

The application process is open in November-December. Do not miss the deadline!

You will need to list the Chinese universities in order of your preference. We then allocate these places based on students' first-year grade average. The students with the highest grades from the first year will get their first choices and we then try to give students their preferred choices as we work down our list of students. 

It's really important that you do not put all your hopes on being allocated one particular university as we have limited places at each so we cannot guarantee all students their top choice. We also cannot allocate places based on friendships, family ties, etc. The Year Abroad is a very individual experience and it really is less about the place and much more about what you make of it. However, wherever you are allocated, just be aware that it will be very different to Exeter!

Once your placement has been allocated and confirmed by the Outbound team (by February), you will need to complete some paperwork for your host institutions. The Study Abroad team will contact you with details of how to do this in the second semester and we will support you through the process.

Accommodation

The host university will help you to organise your accommodation on your Year Abroad and they will contact you about this once you have been allocated your placement. 

Visas

The Outbound team is prohibited from advising on visas so it's imperative that you contact the Chinese embassy to ensure you have the correct visa for your studies. You must ensure that the visa is appropriate for full time study and will cover the duration of your placement in China.

Insurance

Travel insurance with emergency medical cover is compulsory for all Exeter students on Study Abroad. You will need to make sure you are covered for the entirety of the time you are away and we will ask for proof of this in the forms you need to complete for us. You can use any insurance company you wish, but you may want to consider the University of Exeter Undergraduate Travel Insurance, as we know this is comprehensive. If you are going via a European country, we would also recommend getting the GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card), but this will be in addition to an insurance policy.

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.

Fees and funding

Students of Chinese going to study abroad in China are subject to the same processes for fees and funding as any other undergraduate studying abroad. Please see the Go Abroad's Fees and Funding page for more information.

Please note that you do not pay any tuition fee to your host university.

If there are any administrative or registration costs, then you will be expected to cover this expenditure. Similarly, the cost of travel and accommodation, as for all other students, is down to you.

As for any other University of Exeter student, you are able to apply for maintenance loans and grants as usual. Furthermore, Student Finance pay means-tested travel grants, and the information can be found on their pages. For example, Student Finance England have their information here.

There are also scholarships available, which students are encouraged to research. For example, students might want to start their research with the following links:

Assessment

Students on the Chinese Year Abroad are enrolled on SML3020. For more information on this module and the assessment undertaken, please see the Modern Languages Year Abroad ELE page.

It is the students' responsibility to ensure that their transcripts are sent by their host university to us for the conversion of their Chinese marks into Exeter marks. The conversion scales approved by the College of Humanities can be found in the Assessment and Feedback section of the College of Humanities Taught Handbook.

Wellbeing

If you have any requirements regarding Physical or Mental Health and Wellbeing or Acessability, it's essential that you prepare in advance. We strongly urge you to reach out for advice and support and we recommend that you inform your host university of any extra support you need. There is no guarantee that your host university will be able to provide the same support that you might be able to get here at Exeter, but it's still very important that you raise these questions as early as you can. 

For more support here, do not hesitate to contact the Outbound team or our dedicated Wellbeing team. Do also remember that when you are on your Year Abroad, you will still be an Exeter student, so you will still have access to all the same services that we have here.

More information

For more support on the Chinese Year Abroad, please contact the Outbound team, but also take a look at the MLM2052 ELE page. This page is hosted by Thomas Burnham, who updates it with any useful information for preparing for the Chinese Year Abroad.

Timeline

  • First Year: Work hard towards your first-year grade average (this will help your Year Abroad application in the second year). Get as informed as possible about your Year Abroad choices
  • Second Year, October: Attend the Year Abroad talks
  • Second Year, October-December: Talk with as many people as possible about your Year Abroad plans. Consider discussing your ideas with your family and friends, your personal tutor, your Chinese tutor, fourth year Chinese students, and the Outbound team.
  • Second Year, 1st November-22nd December: The Online Application is open
  • Second Year, January-February: You will be informed of your allocated host university
  • Second Year, March-May: Attend the Pre-Departure meetings
  • Second Year, Summer: Final preparations
  • Third Year, August: Travel to China to start Year Abroad
  • Third Year, Summer: End of Chinese Year Abroad - don't forget to get a copy of your transcript
  • Fourth Year, September: Chinese Oral Exam and welcome back to Exeter
  • Fourth Year, November-December: Study Abroad Exam Board and release of Year Abroad marks