How much will it cost?

In most cases you will spend a semester abroad, which is a replacement for a semester at Manchester. The advantage of this is that you will still graduate at the same time as the rest of your year group, and will not need to fund an extra year of study.

Tuition fees

One of the big advantages of going abroad on a study abroad exchange programme is that you won't need to pay any tuition fees to the overseas university, only to The University of Manchester.

Tuition fees payable to The University of Manchester may be reduced depending on the programme in which you participate, the duration of the period abroad, and your fees status (home/overseas). Students commencing their studies at the University of Manchester in 2012-13 can find out more about tuition fees for a full year abroad at: 

Students undertaking a single semester abroad pay the standard tuition fees to Manchester

Erasmus grant

If you are going on an Erasmus exchange to Europe, you will be entitled to an Erasmus grant.

The amount you receive will depend on how long you are away for and which country you go to, but, as an indication, students will receive around €200 per month assistance towards their living expenses in Europe. You do not need to repay this money.

For 2011/12 extra funding was also available where the student’s assessed household income was below £25,000. This took the form of a one-off extra payment of €500.

Student Finance England funding

Student Finance England (or the equivalent bodies in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales) will increase the maintenance loan allowance for students studying abroad as it will be calculated at an overseas rate. (Students working abroad will receive a reduced loan rate).

It is also possible that Student Finance England may agree to reimburse you for some of the costs incurred in your period abroad (eg air fares, insurance costs, visa fees for non-European countries). However, this is means-tested and students are always expected to pay around the first £300 of their travel costs themselves.

Additional funding in the form of a 'long course loan' is available for students who are required to attend courses for a period in excess of 30 weeks and three days in an academic year. This is particularly likely to affect students abroad for a full academic year in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Germany and some Scandinavian countries. Please check the term dates for your own particular host university to check if you will be eligible for this.