How to Apply

Follow our guide to discover how to research your options and what to expect from the application process.

Step one: Choose your five exchange programmes

First, read our guide to choosing the right opportunity for you.

Next, explore the opportunities available and research the universities on your shortlist. Make sure you are happy with your choices before moving forward.

Step two: Make an appointment with your School Exchange Coordinator

Once you have decided on which partner universities to apply to, make an appointment to see your School Exchange Coordinator.

Discuss the available modules to make sure they meet the requirements of your degree programme. This is particularly important if you are going abroad for a single semester, since your credits will transfer back to Newcastle University.

If you are doing a full year abroad, you may have more flexibility in your module choices.

Step three: Prepare your personal statement

As part of your application to go abroad, you'll be asked to write a personal statement. It will need to outline your motivations for applying to your chosen exchange partners.

It's important that you take the time to write the best application you can. Many of our exchange partners are very popular and, with limited places available, competition can be high.

We will score your personal statement based on our Assessment Criteria. We rank all the applications we receive and use this score to allocate students to our exchange partners. The higher your score, the more likely you are to get one of your top choices.

Step four: Apply to Global Opportunities

You must submit an internal application to the Global Opportunities team the year before you plan to go abroad.

Students hoping to go abroad during the 2026/27 academic year must submit an application by 23:59 on Monday 5 January 2026. Applications will open on Tuesday 22 October 2025. Please note that late applications are not usually accepted.

Different deadlines apply to students studying a language as part of their degree in the School of Modern Languages and the Business School. Please contact your School Exchange Coordinator for more information.

Your application will include several sections. You'll be asked to:

• read important information and confirm you understand it
• list your five chosen exchange partner universities, ordered by preference (make sure you've checked where you can apply)
• provide a personal statement, outlining your motivations for choosing these exchange partners
• indicate modules you're interested in at each exchange partner
• request a reference from your School Exchange Coordinator

Recommendations and advice

• research your chosen destinations to make sure the university and location will suit you
• take the time to write the best application you can
• check the exchange partner and modules you have chosen are right for you
• some of our exchange partners have strict academic requirements, so you should check that your choices are viable for you
• be aware that your School Exchange Coordinator may be asked to comment on your suitability

What happens next?

Once you have submitted your application, it will be reviewed by your School Exchange Coordinator and the Global Opportunities team.

We aim to email you with the outcome of your application around the start of February. If you are an Modern Languages student, allocations are made by your School. For further information please contact the Modern Languages Year Abroad team on year.abroad@ncl.ac.uk

If you have been successful, we will allocate you one of your chosen exchange partner universities. Allocations are based on:

• the quality of your personal statement
• your preference order
• the number of exchange places available at each of our partners

If your application has been unsuccessful, we may discuss alternative placement options with you.

Step five: Apply to your exchange partner university

If your application to Global Opportunities is successful, we will nominate you to your allocated exchange partner university. You will then need to complete an application directly with that partner. This is just an administrative process to make sure that both you and your host have all the information needed for your placement.

We will send you instructions on how to apply to your allocated partner. This will usually happen between March and June, depending on the partner’s deadlines. Each university will have a different application process and deadline. You will usually be asked to submit a transcript, a personal statement and a list of courses you would like to study.

You should start preparing for your placement straight away since some processes, such as applying for a visa, can take a very long time.

Most non-EU institutions will ask you to provide evidence of financial support during your exchange. In some cases, you may also need to provide health certificates and other supporting materials or documents. The Global Opportunities team will help you to complete this process.

The partner university will notify you once your application has been accepted.

Step six: Prepare to go abroad!

Once you have received confirmation of your acceptance, you can start preparing to go abroad.