Study overseas
Discover a world of opportunities
Whether you’re an undergraduate, honours or postgraduate coursework student, you can study, live and travel abroad while gaining credit towards your degree. Studying abroad enhances your skills and employment prospects by showing you can adapt to different environments and that you’re a flexible self-starter.
Academic benefits
- Enhance the value of your degree
- Learn a new language or improve your language skills
- Connect with leading universities worldwide
Employment benefits
- Gain networking opportunities and a competitive edge
- Take on a unique subject at another university
- Enhance your cross-cultural and communication skills
Personal benefits
- See the world and foster relationships overseas
- Learn more about yourself and another culture
- Gain independence and confidence
Which program is right for me?
Student Exchange
Spend a few weeks, a semester or a year at one of our partner universities.
Study Abroad
If your chosen university isn’t on our partner list, you can still apply for overseas study.
Short term
If you can’t commit to a full semester overseas, choose from some short-term options.
Online programs
Enhance your digital literacy, global network and cross-cultural communication skills through a virtual overseas study program.
Student Exchange
Study at one of our partner universities for a few weeks, a semester or a year and pay your tuition fees to UWA while remaining enrolled with us. We recommend planning your exchange during your first year to ensure you’re fully prepared to undertake it in year two or three of your degree.
Exchange provided me with greater clarity as to where I’d like my future to take me as I was able to explore my options of working and living overseas after uni.
Stella DucharUniversity of Bristol, United Kingdom
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Eligibility
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Applying
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Study load requirements
You are eligible if you:
- Are on track to complete 18 points (equivalent to three 6-credit point units) at UWA by the end of the current semester (36 by the time you go on exchange).
- Have a status of 'Good Standing' (i.e. passed at least half of your enrolled units) - check this in StudentConnect.
- Have enough points remaining in your course to allow for full-time enrolment during exchange (24 points if applying for one semester, 48 points if applying for two semesters). Completion of 18 points in your final semester may be approved.
You'll be allocated an exchange university based on the weighted average mark (WAM) of your current degree and the viability of your proposed study plan. If you’re applying for postgraduate exchange in the last year of your undergraduate degree, we’ll assess your application using your undergraduate WAM.
Some exchange institutions may have specific WAM or points-completed requirements. Check our website for full details; for example, you can filter the options by programs that consider students with a WAM under 65, or those that accept students who've completed 18 points (therefore, 36 points by the time you go on exchange).
When to apply
The Student Exchange program has two application deadlines per year:
- 1 July for study in Semester 1 the following year
- 1 December for study in Semester 2 the following year
Some universities have only one application per year so be sure to begin your research early.
How to apply
- Attend an information session.
- Discuss the structure of your study plan with your Student Advising Office and find out the units you’ll need to take during your exchange. At this stage of the application, your study plan will not be pre-approved. Unit approvals happen once your application has been submitted.
- Use our Student Exchange database to check academic restrictions and access host universities' handbooks to view units.
- Start an application. Don't worry if you can't complete your application in one go - you can save your progress and come back to it.
What's next?
You’ll be notified about your application outcome for the Student Exchange program in February for applications submitted in December, and in August for applications submitted in July.
Once accepted, we’ll prompt you to seek approval from your Student Advising Office for all units to be undertaken overseas. If units selected in your original study plan change, are no longer available or are no longer suitable for your course, you’ll need to gain approval from your Student Advising Office.
While on exchange, you need to enrol in the recommended full load required at the host university, which is equivalent to a full-time load at UWA. Study load varies depending on the contact hours, assessment method and workload required at each individual university.
Consult the Accepted Full Load Equivalents document below.
- Recommended Full Academic Load at Exchange Universities MS
- Recommended Full Academic Load at Exchange Universities PDF
Specific exchange conditions
Your school may have certain exchange conditions you’ll be required to meet regarding when you can go on exchange or the units you undertake. For more information, enquire with your Student Advising Office via askUWA.
Study Abroad
If you’ve dreamt of going overseas but your chosen university isn’t on our partner list, you can still arrange to study abroad with your Student Advising Office. There’s no formal exchange agreement in place, but you can still apply for the UWA Overseas Study Grant, provided your study is approved for credit towards your degree.
Some of the most rewarding aspects of exchange are the personal developments that you will experience yourself.
Lucas KeaneUniversity of Calgary, Canada
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Eligibility
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Applying
Before applying to study abroad, you should consider the following:
- Students who study abroad independently will not be enrolled at UWA during that period, so it’s important to understand the implications on your HECS/HELP liability or tuition fees
- Students who are not enrolled at UWA may not be eligible for Centrelink
- In some cases, students are required to apply for approved leave
- Investigate your finance options
- Submit an application for an Overseas Study Grant by the deadline – you can apply for this before being accepted by your host institution
Conduct some research to find a program you’re interested in and check the application deadlines of the host university.
To check out the programs we have partnerships with, visit our website and select 'Short term programs', then 'Advanced search', and select 'yes' under 'Short term independent study abroad'.
Applications run on a rolling basis.
How to apply
- Take your preferred program to your Student Advising Office to discuss your plans and seek academic approval.
- Select your units and gain approval via askUWA.
- Apply to the host university as per their instructions.
Short-term programs
Can't commit to a full semester overseas, or don’t have enough room in your degree? Not all overseas programs are for a semester or year. There are a range of short-term options to choose from.
If you’re interested and you have the chance, go for it! You never know who you might meet or what you might experience when you get out of your comfort zone.
Gillian Hackwill,Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea
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Applying
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Options
Short-term program applications run on a rolling basis so application deadlines will vary.
To apply:
- Contact your Student Advising Office to discuss your preferred program and seek academic approval
- Select your units and gain approval from your Student Advising Office via askUWA
- Apply to the host university
- UWA overseas units are UWA-taught units that either have a component of overseas study or are taught entirely overseas. These are usually run in semester breaks.
- Short-term exchange programs are run by the Global Learning Office through overseas universities that have an exchange agreement with UWA. These programs have tuition fees waived but can include other fees.
- Short-term study abroad programs are administered by the host university and require tuition fees to be paid to the overseas institution.
Funding your overseas study
Heading overseas doesn't need to break the bank. You could be eligible for a loan, grant or scholarship to help you get there. One example is the UWA Overseas Study Grant.
Costs can vary greatly depending on location and lifestyle; when you study overseas, you should budget enough funds to cover:
- accommodation and daily living expenses
- travel expenses
- passport and visa fees
- any other incidental costs
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Insurance
Our Corporate Travel Insurance Policy covers all UWA students who are approved for overseas study prior to departing for their program.
For students going on exchange, this policy may not be accepted by some overseas exchange partners and you may need to take out additional health cover at your host institution.
Also be sure to arrange additional travel and health insurance for travel occurring outside your formal exchange study period.
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Loans, GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
Heading overseas doesn’t need to break the bank. You could be eligible for a loan, grant or scholarship to help you get there. Just one example is the UWA Overseas Study Grant, which is available every year and can fund more than 600 students.
This grant can be applied for if you’re undertaking overseas study, practicum, internships or research that counts towards your current UWA course requirements.
OS-HELP loans are available to Commonwealth-supported students who want to undertake faculty-approved study overseas.
If you’re currently receiving Centrelink subsidies, you may continue to receive these while on exchange. After you’ve been accepted into your exchange university, you can request a letter to notify Centrelink of your exchange.
