Fees and Funding
Explore funding opportunities for your exchange abroad
Tuition fees
Students who complete a full year abroad pay a reduced tuition fee rate to Newcastle University. Find out more about Undergraduate placement year fees on our Tuition Fees page.
If you are completing a study exchange, you will not have to pay tuition fees to the host institution. This is due to the reciprocal nature of our exchange agreements.
Student loans and bursaries
You can still apply for your normal student loan or bursary for the time that you spend abroad.
You may also be able to claim money back on travel and other costs related to your placement through Student Finance England’s Travel Grant. Visit our Student Financial Support page to find out more.
Turing Scheme
The Turing Scheme is the UK Government's global funding programme for studying and working abroad. It provides students and recent graduates in the UK with funding to support international education opportunities across the globe.
Unfortunately, we do not receive enough support to fund opportunities for all Newcastle University students and not all students will be eligible for funding.
Conditions of the Turing Scheme
To be eligible for Turing Scheme, you must meet the below criteria:
- the duration of your placement must be at least 28 days and no longer than 12 months (depending on the activity)
- your placement must take place between 1 September and 31 August – study placements can start before and finish after these dates, but the funding will be limited to this period only.
- regrettably, work placements are not eligible for Turing Funding if they start before 1 September or finish after 31 August
How is the Turing grant calculated?
The grant rate you receive will be calculated based on the length of the placement, average cost of living at the destination and whether you meet the Turing Widening Participation Criteria.
Turing Widening Participation Criteria
The Turing Scheme provides additional financial support for students who come from under-represented groups. This may include a top-up of the standard cost of living stipend and a contribution towards your travel costs.
Additional Turing support applies to:
- students with an annual household income of £40,000 or less
- care leavers and students who are care experienced
- students who have caring responsibilities
- estranged students
- refugees and asylum seekers
- ethnic minority students who went to a UK state-funded school
Turing Scheme funding rates
There are two types of Turing grants: a cost-of-living grant and a travel grant.
All eligible students receive a cost-of-living grant. Students who meet our Widening Participation Criteria can also receive a travel grant.
If you are planning to go abroad during the 2025/26 academic year, it is essential to make financial arrangements based on your available funding sources and not to rely on the Turing Scheme. We will update this section once we have more information on funding for that year.
Cost-of-living grant
The cost-of-living grant is calculated differently depending on where you are going. All countries are split into two groups, depending on the general cost of living in that area. Group 1 is for a higher cost of living and group 2 is for a lower cost of living. You will find group information for each country on the UK government website.
The rate you will receive depends on the length of the placement - if you are going for less than 57 days or more. Students receive the amount indicated for each day of the placement (including days 1-27).
| Placement duration | Group 1 destinations | Group 2 destinations |
|---|---|---|
| 28 to 56 days | £19 per day | £17 per day |
| 57 to 365 days | £14 per day | £12 per day |
Students who meet our Widening Participation Criteria receive a higher rate:
| Placement duration | Group 1 destinations | Group 2 destinations |
|---|---|---|
| 28 to 56 days | £23 per day | £21 per day |
| 57 to 365 days | £18 per day | £16 per day |
Please note that placements must last at least 28 days and no more than 365 days.
Travel grant
Students who meet our Widening Participation Criteria will also receive a contribution towards travel costs. The maximum amount that can be claimed depends on your destination. You can find a list of destinations and travel grants on the UK government website.
To claim the travel grant, you must submit proof of your actual expenses. You will upload the required documents to a questionnaire called Turing Travel Grant - Evidence of Travel in Terra Dotta (our admissions system). The Global Opportunities Team will review the evidence and either approve your submission or request further information. The following documents will be accepted as evidence of travel:
- a booking email with a ticket attached
- an invoice or receipt for booking
- a booking email and proof of payment from your bank
Turing funding calculation and payment: a step-by-step guide for students
Following these steps ensures a smooth process when receiving Turing funding for your study or work abroad placement.
Step one: Global Opportunities assesses your eligibility
We will assess your eligibility for Turing funding when we receive your application to study or work abroad.
We will email you to let you know if you are eligible for funding. If our assessment found you ineligible, but you feel you meet our Widening Participation Criteria, you can submit evidence in the Mobility Funding and Widening Participation Criteria questionnaire in Terra Dotta.
Step two: Submitting essential information
If you’re eligible for funding, you’ll need to provide the following details in Terra Dotta:
- planned placement dates
- UK bank account details
- placement information (length, placement provider, etc.)
The deadline to provide these documents is:
- 31 August if you are abroad for Semester 1 or a full academic year
- 30 November if you are abroad for Semester 2 only
We are unable to calculate your grant without these details.
Step three: Global Opportunities issues your Grant Agreement
A Grant Agreement is a contract between you and your funding provider that outlines your obligations and your provisional grant entitlement.
Once we have received the information outlined in Step 2, we will issue your Grant Agreement. The amount in your Grant Agreement is calculated based on your planned placement dates.
We will send the Grant Agreement to your Newcastle University email address via Adobe Sign.
Please note, students participating in work placements/traineeships will also have to provide a fully signed Learning Agreement (Before Mobility) before we can issue their grant agreement.
Step five: Global Opportunities issues your initial grant payment
Once you have digitally signed the Grant Agreement, we will issue 70% of your grant to your provided bank details and send a payment notification email to your Newcastle University email address. It could take up to 15 working days from the payment notification for the grant to reach your bank account.
Step six: Submitting a Learning Agreement
You must submit a completed Learning Agreement (Before Mobility) document within two weeks of the start of your placement.
This must be signed by Newcastle University, your host institution/placement provider and yourself. You can download a template of this agreement from the Documents section of Terra Dotta.
Step seven: Submitting a Certificate of Attendance to confirm your actual placement dates
After completing your placement, you must upload a Certificate of Attendance to Terra Dotta. The deadline to submit your Certificate of Attendance is 25 August. You can find a template of this certificate in the Documents section of your profile.
The Certificate of Attendance verifies your actual placement dates.
Step eight: Global Opportunities recalculates your grant entitlement
Once your Certificate of Attendance has been approved by our team, we recalculate your grant entitlement based on your actual placement dates.
Grants are only payable for the actual dates of your placement. Placements can sometimes be longer or shorter than planned, so your overall grant entitlement may be different from what was included in your grant agreement.
- if your duration is shorter, your grant entitlement will also be reduced, and you may: (a) not receive a further payment, or (b) be asked to make a partial repayment to us
- if your duration is longer, you will only receive the remaining 30% of your expected grant entitlement, unless we have previously approved an extension request
Don't rely exclusively on a Turing grant to fund your time abroad
You must consider the grant a contribution to your overall funds. Travelling and living abroad often involves unexpected costs. If you need a visa, you will likely need to prove you have a certain amount of funds in your bank account.
Budget for your time abroad without relying on Turing funding. You must consider that you may not receive your grant when planning flights and selecting accommodation. Students who receive support from Student Finance will usually remain eligible for loans and grants during their time abroad.
The Turing Scheme encourages students to go abroad by making the experience more affordable, but their grants are not designed to pay for everything. If you are relying on this funding to go abroad, you should start a conversation with the Student Financial Support team to discuss how you can best manage your finances during your placement.
Wait to book flights and accommodation
We recommend that you wait until you have your acceptance, your visa and confirmation of your Turing grant before making financial commitments. Make sure you plan carefully if you do make financial commitments, such as choosing accommodation, before you have more information about your grant.
Bear in mind that if you change your placement, it will likely not be funded
Turing funding is limited each year and the University now has less flexibility than in previous years. If you choose to change an approved placement - for example changing a study placement to a work placement, or extending from one semester to a full academic year - we cannot guarantee you will receive Turing funding.
If circumstances beyond your control force you to make a change, we will support you as much as we can.
Students going abroad through the School of Modern Languages must contact year.abroad@newcastle.ac.uk before making any changes.
Other students may contact global.opportunities@newcastle.ac.uk for assistance.