We do not normally fund students who are taking their entire course at a foreign institution. However, if you are taking a course in the UK and have to study on a compulsory basis at an educational institution outside the UK, or you choose to take a voluntary period of study abroad as part of an ERASMUS or similar exchange, funding is available.
Compulsory study is a period of time at an institution outside the UK which is an essential part of your course, and without completing this period of study you will not be able to graduate.
You are entitled to no more than one academic year's funding for study abroad. You can apply for an income-assessed loan payable at the rate of loan appropriate to the country you have to study in. We will also pay the cost of your journey abroad and medical insurance. See the list of countries in the table below.
If you choose to take a voluntary period of study abroad as part of your course that is not part of an ERASMUS or similar exchange, and it does not extend the minimum period needed to complete the course in the UK, you can apply for the same level of funding you would get if you were studying in the UK. You can receive the loan available for students living outside their parents' home. We will not pay the cost of your journey abroad, medical insurance, or any additional Disabled Students' Allowance relating to your study abroad.
Category of country
| Higher-cost countries | Japan and Switzerland |
|---|---|
| High-cost countries | Austria, Denmark, Finland, France (not including the Departements-d'outres of French Guyana, Guadeloupe, Reunion and Martinique), Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Ireland, countries of the former Soviet Union, Sweden, Taiwan and USA |
We pay the rate of loan for all other countries at the same rate as for those students living away from their parents' home during term-time.
The maximum amounts we pay for courses that last for 30 weeks are as follows.
- £6,550 for higher-cost countries.
- £5,510 for high-cost countries.
- £4,510 for all other countries.
We make extra loan payments for each week you have to study on the course over 30 weeks and three days. Any extra payments are income-assessed. The amounts that we pay are as follows.
- £146 for higher-cost countries.
- £112 for high-cost countries.
- £81 for all other countries.
The table below shows the loan amounts for students studying abroad who entered higher education at a Scottish institution in session 2001/2002 or later and students who entered higher education at a UK institution outside Scotland in 2006/2007or later.
|
Higher-cost countries |
High-cost countries |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maximum loan |
Income-assessed part £ |
Non income-assessed part £ |
Maximum loan £ |
Income-assessed part £ |
Non income-assessed part £ |
|
Full year |
6,550 |
5,365 |
1,185 |
5,510 |
4,445 |
1,065 |
The table below shows the loan amounts for students studying abroad who entered higher education at a UK institution outside Scotland in 2002/2003 to 2005/2006.
|
Higher-cost countries |
High-cost countries |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maximum loan |
Income-assessed part |
Non income-assessed part |
Maximum loan |
Income-assessed part |
Non income-assessed part |
|
Full year |
6,550 |
4,105 |
2,445 |
5,510 |
3,190 |
2,320 |
Find out what other funding is available to you in our student support section.