Applying for an exchange at BU

BU is proud to be part of a global education community and we love to welcome students from other institutions and countries, allowing you to enjoy the experience of living and studying in the UK.

Deadlines

For autumn exchange

Nominations: 30 April

Applications: 31 May

For spring exchange

Nominations: 30 September

Applications: 31 October

Different types of exchange

We have inter-institutional agreements with universities all over the world. Students who come to BU as part an exchange programme from one of our partner universities do not pay fees for tuition, registration, examinations or access to laboratory and library facilities. If you’d like to arrange an exchange with BU, check with your Exchange Co-ordinator at your home university about the opportunities available.

Please be aware that exchanges are normally only provided for specific courses that have been agreed between BU and your university.

Eligibility requirements

There are some eligibility requirements for participating in an exchange:

• You need to have successfully completed your first year of study
• You need to be studying an appropriate subject for the degree you’d like to study on during your exchange
• You can go on your exchange in your second or final year of study
• You must be nominated for the exchange by your university
• You must have achieved the appropriate level of English (pdf 982kb) for the majority of undergraduate courses.

How and when to apply

Once you’ve confirmed that your university has an exchange agreement with BU, and if you meet the eligibility criteria, you can start the application process.

The first step is to ask your International Exchange Co-ordinator to nominate you. We will email partners a link to our online nomination platform and nomination instructions ahead of each nomination period.

Once the nomination has been accepted we will send instructions on how to complete the application.

A complete application pack includes the following documents:

• BU Exchange Application Form (online)
• Erasmus+ Learning Agreement (for Erasmus+ exchanges) or International Learning Agreement (word 41kb) (for non-Erasmus exchanges) signed by you and your home university
• Evidence of English proficiency, if applicable. Check the English language requirements (pdf 982kb)
• PDF copy of your official transcript, in English – this needs to be the latest available copy of your records to date, including your home university grading scale.

How many credits can I achieve?

Under the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), you can achieve 60 ECTS credits for a year of full-time study at undergraduate or postgraduate level. At BU, this equates to 120 BU CATS. One full-time semester of study would carry 30 ECTS or 60 BU CATS.

You’ll be expected to take a full workload of 30 ECTS for each semester that you’re at BU. The units that you study will be agreed by your home institution and your BU Study Abroad Academic Coordinator.