Funding and finance

If you start your undergraduate degree in 2023-2024, the following fees will apply when you go abroad.

If you spend a full year abroad:

• you will pay 15% tuition fees to Essex for that year
• you won't pay any tuition fees to your host university

If you spend a term abroad:

• you will pay tuition fees to Essex
• you won't pay tuition fees to your host university

If you start your undergraduate degree in 2022-2023, the following fees will apply when you go abroad:

If you spend a full year abroad:

• you'll pay 15% of your tuition fee to Essex for that year

• you won't pay any tuition fees to your host university

If you spend a term abroad:

• you will pay tuition fees to Essex

• you won't pay tuition fees to your host university

View our Erasmus Policy Statement and Erasmus Charter for Higher Education 2014-20. 

The European Commission’s flagship programme, ERASMUS+, generously provides funding for students of any nationality, who are studying (3-12 months in duration) or undertaking a traineeship (2-12 months in duration) at Erasmus+ partner institutions within Europe. Students do not need to apply and Essex Abroad will contact you if you are eligible.

Erasmus+ is a European programme managed by the British Council, which provides funding opportunities for:

• study abroad for students

• work placements abroad for students

Find out about how the Erasmus+ online mobility management tool complies with the new General Data Protection Regulation requirements.

Erasmus+ may provide you with a financial grant if you study abroad at an eligible partner institution in the EU or a partner outside of the EU within the Erasmus+ outside of Europe programme.

The grant is a contribution towards the costs of living abroad, and is not intended to cover all costs whilst abroad.

An additional grant of €120 per month may apply for disadvantaged students including students with a disability and/or students from households with an annual income of £25,000 or less (as assessed by the SFE).

The European Commission have clarified that from 2020 any mobility undertaken in the participants’ home country (country of origin) will not be eligible for Erasmus+ funding.  Students must also be in the host country to access funding.

How to apply

You don’t have to apply for the Erasmus+ grant, Essex Abroad will contact you directly with all the necessary information if you are eligible. We'll provide detailed information about when you will be receiving your grant and what documents you will have to provide and when during the pre-departure conference.

Receiving your grant

If you're studying abroad for a full year, you'll receive your grant in two instalments. For 2022-2023 the instalments will be as follows:

• 80% will be paid at the start of your time abroad once you have signed your grant agreement.

• 20%* will be paid when we receive your certificate of departure.

*The Erasmus+ grant is calculated according to your specific dates of study. If these differ to the originally intended start and end date detailed in your grant agreement, your final instalment may no longer represent an equal 80-20 split.

The grant will be paid to your nominated bank account. When planning your budget, remember that the Erasmus+ grant is a contribution to the costs you’ll incur abroad and is not intended to cover your whole period of studying abroad. If you can only supply a non UK bank account, then they payment will take longer to reach you.

Terms and conditions

If you do not complete your year abroad, or withdraw from your year abroad, you will be asked to repay your grant in full.

Please note that students in receipt of an Erasmus+ grant will not be eligible to receive other funding such as Banco Santander, the Essex Abroad Bursary, or Turing Scheme funding.

Erasmus+ Update

Student mobility for 2022-2023 will only be funded until 31 May 2023 through Erasmus. This is the final date of funding and any additional mobility beyond this date will not be funded.

Erasmus+ funding is not guaranteed and is subject to the completion of these documents between all parties as above.

The Essex Abroad Bursary, of up to £1,000, is awarded to students going away for a full academic year, based on Year 1 mark average. No application is required, students will be notified if they qualify. 

We are pleased to confirm that this funding is available for students undertaking a year abroad in 2022-2023.

Please note that students in receipt of an Erasmus+ grant or Turing Scheme funding will not be eligible for the Essex Abroad Bursary.  We will reach out to eligible students by the end of the Autumn term once other funding has been allocated.

We are delighted that we've been award Turing Scheme funding for the second year running and will be able to support more students to gain an international experience during 2022-2023.

You can read more about this announcement in our recent blog post, as well as hearing how the Turing Scheme funding supported students on their year abroad in 2021-2022.

We have been awarded funding from the Turing Scheme to support students taking part in a year or term abroad, unfortunately this funding is limited and not all students taking part in a study abroad programme will be allocated funding.  The funding will be allocated using the below criteria and priority for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Eligibility criteria

• You must be registered as a current student here at the University of Essex and completing a term or year abroad through Essex Abroad.
• Funding can only be awarded for the period 01 September 2022 to 31 August 2022.
• If your term or year abroad takes place outside of this period, you will only be awarded funding for time abroad within these dates.
• You are not receiving funding through Erasmus+
• Your term or year abroad programme must take place in person, and you must travel to the host country.
• You must not be a national of the country that you are visiting.
• If you are awarded funding, you will be asked to sign a grant agreement, whereby you will formally accept your grant and acknowledge the obligations associated with its acceptance.
• If you are selected to receive the Turing Scheme funding, you will familiarise yourself with the Turing Scheme privacy policy.

Funding will be prioritised in the following way

Priority 1

Students from the following groups will be considered for funding as the first priority.

1. Students with an annual household income of £25,000 or less (as assessed and verified by Student Finance England or other UK student funding provider).
2. Students receiving Universal Credit or income-related benefits because they are financially supporting themselves or financially supporting themselves and someone who is dependent on them and living with them, such as a child or partner.
3. Care leavers and students who are care-experienced. This refers to anyone who has been or is currently in care or from a looked after background at any stage of their life, no matter how short, including adopted children who were previously looked after or those who access the Care Experienced Bursary in Scotland.
4. Students who have caring responsibilities. A carer is anyone who has a commitment to providing unpaid care to a family member or friend who could not cope without their support.
5. Estranged Students - those who are irreconcilably estranged from their parent(s). To be considered irreconcilably estranged, the student won’t have had any written or verbal contact with either parent – usually for 12 months or more - and this is unlikely to change.
6. Refugees and asylum seekers.

Please note as part of the group 2 - 6 above you will be asked to provide official proof of your circumstances.

Remaining funding will then be allocated to students in priority 2.

Priority 2

Students with an annual household income of £35,000 or less (as assessed and verified by Student Finance England or other UK student funding provider).

Priority 3

Any remaining funding will then be allocated based on students first year mark (highest grade).

If you do not receive funding through the Turing Scheme you may wish to look at our country specific funding – you can find this information at the bottom of this webpage.

Grant rates

Standard grant rates 2022-2023

Grant rates are a support towards the cost of living for each participant, they will vary based on destination.

2022-2023 Enhanced grant rates

Students from priority group 1 will be eligible for an enhanced grant rate based on destination.

Additional funding for students from priority group 1

Students from this group may also receive the following:

• Travel grants of up to £1360, depending on distance between home and destination
• Additional travel expenses may also be claimed, including costs of visas, passports, and health insurance (students will need to provide receipts against the above costs in order to be reimbursed).

*For details of countries in each group please visit the Turing Scheme website.

What if I don’t meet the criteria for additional support?

For HE students who do not meet the above criteria for additional support, there may be other grants available to cover some travel expenses, relevant to the student finance system relevant to the participant:

• England – Studying abroad: travel grants for students (England)
• Scotland – Guide to undergraduate funding – SAAS
• Wales – What financial support is available?
• Northern Ireland – Spending part of your degree course abroad
• Participants from British Overseas Territories should check with their government’s education department for the details of support available to them.

How to apply

You do not need to apply for funding for the Turing Scheme for your term or year abroad. Essex Abroad will be in touch with eligible students in order of priority groups as outlined above.  We will contact you using your University of Essex email account.

Turing Scheme funding for summer abroad programmes

You may also be interested in a summer abroad – you can read more about these opportunities and funding through the Turing Scheme on our dedicated summer abroad webpages.

It's important to apply for Student Finance as early as possible if you're planning on studying abroad.

Tuition Fee Loan

You're entitled to receive your Tuition Fee Loan during the year or term you study abroad.

Maintenance Loan

You're entitled to receive your Maintenance Loan during the year or term you study abroad.

Travel Grant

You may get a grant to cover some of your travel expenses if you normally live in England and you're:

• Studying abroad
• Studying abroad or attending a placement as part of ERASMUS scheme
• Attending an unpaid placement at an overseas institution and undertaking research

You don’t have to pay back a travel grant. There are rules on eligibility and how much you’ll get. You must pay the first £303 of your travel costs - and your travel grant will be reduced by £1 for each £8.73 of household income over £39,796.

You can apply for:

• up to 3 return journeys between your home and the overseas institution during a full academic year abroad
• help with essential expenses, medical insurance and travel visas

You may be able to apply for your children’s travel costs if you’re a single parent.  You can find out more about the travel grant in this handy FAQ guide provided by Student Finance England.

BUTEX

BUTEX awards a number of scholarships to students studying abroad for either a semester or for a whole academic year at any location. Check the BUTEX website for more details - you can also read more about previous winners to help you to prepare to apply for the scholarship.

ISEP Scholarships

ISEP have a number of scholarships that you can apply for directly.  To find out more and apply visit the ISEP scholarships webpage.

Jack's Flight Club Study Abroad Grant

The Jack’s Flight Club study abroad grant is open to any citizen and/or resident of the UK & Ireland, who is enrolled full time in an accredited University and will be studying abroad. Grants of over £500 are awarded to two successful applicants. We're not sure if this will be offered in the future, so do check the website for more details.

John Speak Language Trust

Awards of up to £1870 are open to natural born British citizens over the age of 18 who have a basic knowledge of a foreign language (GCSE minimum) and would like to study or work abroad to gain deeper understanding and knowledge of that language and culture to enhance their career prospects.  Visit the John Speak Language Trust website to find out more and apply 

Sir Philip Reckitt Educational Grant

The Sir Philip Reckitt Educational Trust (SPRET) aims to help people in the East Riding of Yorkshire and Norfolk expand their educational horizons. The Trust pays grants towards travel & subsistence and helps to fund projects abroad & in the UK. The amount awarded varies.

The Anglo-Tefl Scholarship

Get 120 hours of accredited TEFL English language teacher training and then spend 3 weeks abroad gaining practical experience. Not only is this paid for but it then qualifies you to go and work abroad anywhere in the world. Find out more and apply now.

The Global Study Awards

The Global Study Awards are supported by the International Student Identity Card Association (ISIC), British Council IELTS and StudyPortals – and aim to encourage more students to study overseas in order to further intercultural understanding and exchange. There is a £10,000 award.

Gerald Frank Brown Scholarship

The Gerald Frank Brown Scholarship aims to financially support students from a qualifying university in the European Union to study on exchange at the University of Western Australia.

University of Nottingham Ningbo China – exchange scholarships

The University of Nottingham Ningbo China offer several scholarships for exchange students:

• (UNNC) Mobility Scholarships - 6,000 RMB, approximately £712

• Ningbo International Student Government Scholarships for Exchange Students - 3,000 RMB per semester,  approximately £356

• The Global Ambassador Scholarship for incoming exchange students - 5000 RMB, approximately £550

Entente Cordiale Scholarship

The Entente Cordiale Scholarship Scheme is a prestigious bi-lateral award scheme that funds British postgraduate students who want to study in France and French students who want to study in the UK for a period of one year, or between three to six months.

Applications usually close in Mid April.

DAAD  - German Academic Exchange Service

DAAD offer various scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

JASSO

JASSO offers scholarships for international students who are accepted by a Japanese university under a student exchange agreement. Successful students can receive a monthly scholarship of 80,000 JPY, approximately £617. Your host university in Japan will contact you if you are eligible to receive the scholarship and provide details on how to apply.

Daiwa Foundation

The Daiwa Scholarship is a unique 19-month programme of language study, work placement and homestay in Japan, following a month of Japanese language tuition in the UK. No experience of Japanese is required.  The application usually closes in December.

Japanese Government MEXT Scholarships

Applicants must by UK citizens and be under the age of 21 in April of the year they wish to depart. You must have completed 12 years of education. Find out more and apply.

Merit Award for International Students

On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID) invites foreign citizens who are interested in studying for a specialization, master’s degree or doctorate, conducting graduate or postdoctoral research, or taking part in an undergraduate or graduate-level academic mobility program, to participate in the Mexican Government Scholarship Program for International Students.

DUO-Singapore

The DUO-Singapore Fellowship Programme is awarded by the Singapore government to promote academic exchanges between full-time undergraduate students who are Singapore(or ASEAN citizens) and students from universities in European ASEM member countries. Students spending a year at Nanyang Technological University may be eligible.

DUO-Korea

DUO-Korea Fellowship Programme aims to promote exchanges of people between Korea and European countries. The host university in South Korea will contact you if you are eligible to apply.

SEMP

SEMP is the Swiss Programme for Erasmus+ for higher education. As a SEMP incoming student, you will receive a mobility grant from the Swiss government. This ranges from CHF 380-440 a month (approximately £318-£368) depending on your country of origin.

DUO-Thailand

DUO-Thailand Fellowship Programme aims to enhance a balanced mobility of students between Thailand and 30 ASEM member states in Europe by supporting paired-based and two-way study abroad exchanges. A scholarship of up to €800 per month, for four months. Your host university in Thailand will be in touch if you're eligible to apply.

BEST (BUNAC Educational Scholarship Trust) Scholarships

The BEST (BUNAC Educational Scholarship Trust) scholarships offer financial assistance to eligible applicants who are looking to undertake postgraduate study in the USA or Canada. They are funded by the BEST Scholarship Trust which is an independent trust administered by BUNAC on behalf of the BEST trustees.

Fullbright

As part of the Fulbright Foreign Student programme, our Postgraduate Awards provide the only scholarships available for academic work in any graduate programme at any accredited US university.

Thouron Award

Applications now open for fully-funded postgraduate scholarship programme in the US 

UUKi are delighted to be working with the Thouron Award for a fourth year to promote the generous scholarship opportunity it provides in the US for British graduates. Full funding is available for up to 10 British graduates of UK universities to study at one of the 12 graduate schools at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania.

The Thouron Award pays full tuition fees and health insurance for up to two years of postgraduate study as well as an annual stipend to cover living costs, entertainment and travel. For 2022-23, the stipend will be $44,520. Graduates join an active alumni network of over 700 around the world.

How students can apply

The deadline for applications is 1 November 2022, for study starting in the autumn of 2023. It is recommended that students look into the application process early, to ensure time to research the programme they wish to study at the University of Pennsylvania and prepare the relevant materials. You can contact the Thouron team at info@thouronaward.org if you have any questions about the Award or application process. Find out more about the award and the application process.