Our Partner Institutions

Erasmus European Partners

University of Copenhagen (Denmark)

Aarhus University (Denmark)

University of Cyprus (Cyprus)

University of Łódź (Poland)

Maastricht University (the Netherlands)

Sciences Po Aix (France – for politics/French students only)

Universidad Pontificia Comillas (Madrid, Spain – currently for politics/Spanish students only)

International Partners

North Carolina State University, USA

*The University of Surrey's Global Partnership Network is expected to offer future exchange opportunities to USA, South Korea and Brazil.

Study Exchange FAQs

Who organises the Study placements?

The Senior Placement Tutor is responsible for all study placements. Additionally the International Relations Office assists all outgoing students.

What is the duration of an ERASMUS/international exchange?

A full year exchange lasts for two semesters which is about nine months. You can only do an ERASMUS exchange on the 50/50 programme which lasts for one semester.

Will I have to learn Danish/Greek/Polish/Dutch?

Our ERASMUS study exchanges for our single honours politics students have no language requirements as you will be working in English. However it is a good idea if you learn the language at least to a basic level. This is useful when living in the country and language skills are also in demand in the UK.

Courses at Sciences Po Aix and Comillas are primarily in the target language (i.e. French or Spanish). There are some modules which are held in English however we do not allow Politics/Language students to do more than one or two of these modules.

How do I apply for an ERASMUS/ international exchange?

You need to inform the Senior Placement Tutor if you are interested in an ERASMUS/ international exchange as soon as possible. This is because we can only nominate a certain number of students to our ERASMUS partners (which the School of Politics has set up) and it operates on a first come, first served basis. International study exchanges are University wide and therefore you will be competing for places with students from other departments. Please note that for all exchanges the final decision concerning whether to accept you onto a study exchange lies with the host institution and not the University of Surrey.

Will I be taking undergraduate or postgraduate modules?

In the majority of cases you will take undergraduate modules. However students going to Copenhagen will take postgraduate modules as these are the only ones to run in English. Students have yet to find any problems in passing their submitted assignments.

Are there restrictions on the courses I can choose?

Yes you cannot chose courses which duplicate any module which you have taken or will take this. This is because we cannot count credits for the same type of module twice. Additionally the courses should be connected to your University degree.

Is there any funding available for a study exchange?

For ERASMUS study exchanges you will be eligible for an ERASMUS study grant and if you go for one year you will not currently pay tuition fees if you are a home/EU student. For international study exchanges there is currently no funding available.

Do the marks I obtain on my study exchange count towards my degree classification?

No – they do not count towards your degree classification although for your degree to be awarded you need to pass all the modules you take. For students who are on a Politics/Language degree if you fail your ERASMUS year you will have to re-take your study exchange.