Erasmus+ study and international exchange

Undergraduate exchange students can choose modules from our undergraduate degree programmes and Master's-level students from our postgraduate degree programmes.

Alternatively, our online Programme/Module Catalogue provides detailed descriptions of all of the modules offered at Surrey, including the module content, the semester in which it is available and the method of assessment - please ensure you have selected the appropriate academic year. 

On the Catalogue, modules are grouped within programmes by department and level:

• Undergraduate/Bachelor’s degree - Level HE1 (1st year), Level HE2 (2nd year), and Level HE3 (3rd year)
• Postgraduate/Master’s degree - Level M
• As we have a range of integrated Master’s degrees –  eg. MMaths, MEng, MChem – if you are an advanced-level undergraduate student in your own system, we may be able to consider you for certain M-level modules – please consult your our Departmental Exchange Coordinator before listing these on your learning agreement. You must have a subject-specific cumulative GPA of 3.0 or equivalent and a minimum of 3 years of subject-specific study.

As far as possible, you should try to select modules from one department, one-degree programme and one study level/year, as this will reduce the risk of timetable clashes. Timetables are not published until a month before the start of each semester so some students may need to choose one or two replacement modules just before or after their arrival.

Students wishing to take electives at Surrey and who have little or no background in the subject should select 1st-year modules. For electives in more technical subjects and modern languages, students will need to provide evidence of previous study in the subject, even for 1st-year modules, and may be tested in their first week at Surrey to ascertain the appropriate level for them.

Module availability

Most modules are only available once a year, in either the first or second semester. You will need to be careful to only select modules that will be running in the semester in which you will be at Surrey.

On the Programme descriptions, the semester is indicated next to each module title, and on the Module descriptions, it is indicated towards the top under ‘Module Availability’.

Some modules are not available to exchange students or require prior study of another module (prerequisite) or must be taken alongside a related module (co-requisite) or have restricted numbers of students in the class and so may not be available. This will normally be indicated under 'Prerequisites/Co-requisites' in the module description.

The academic year at Surrey is divided into two semesters:

• Semester one (autumn) - starts in late September, with a break for the winter vacation and final exams from the middle to the end of January. 
• Semester two (spring) - starts in early February, with a four week spring vacation in April (many exchange students take the opportunity to do some travelling), and final exams from late May to mid/late June.

All of our semester and vacation dates throughout each academic year are available on our Key dates page.

Taught courses are normally assessed by a mix of examinations and coursework - check out the module descriptions in the Programme and Module Catalogue for details.

You will be assessed at the same time and in the same way as the other students on their course, so if assessment is by examination, you must be able to stay at Surrey until the end of our exam period in January and June (see our key dates). Surrey exams can not be taken at a student's home institution.

Students who have a January semester start date at their home institution are advised to come to Surrey either for the full year or for semester 2.

Students on taught courses receive a formal Surrey transcript of results at the end of their stay, which their home institution uses to transfer their credits.

We run English Language Support Programme (ELSP) courses completely free of charge and you can register online for up to 3 courses per semester.

Courses include grammar and oral skills courses and English language courses specifically for students of management, economics, engineering and computing.

We also offer courses for native speakers who wish to improve their academic writing or presentation skills.

Classes last between 50 minutes and 2 hours. There is no homework or exams - at the end of each course and you can download an attendance certificate as evidence that you have completed the course.

Find out more about ELSP 

If you wish to learn a modern language, other than English, the University provides:

• Evening Classes (fees apply)
• The Global Graduate Award Scheme (GGA) –The free GGA language courses are open to full-year students, who are awarded 7.5 ECTS credits for successful completion of the course. We offer 11 modern languages at different levels.
• The Language and Culture Exchange Scheme (LACES) – LACES enables students and staff to practice their oral language skills with a native speaker in a relaxed setting.

As an Erasmus+ or exchange student, you won’t need to pay tuition fees to Surrey, but you will need to cover all your living costs, including accommodation, clothes, transport, books, food and entertainment, plus your travel to the UK.

Further information can be found on our additional costs page.

You are eligible to apply for University of Surrey accommodation and we can usually offer accommodation to all or most students, but it is not guaranteed. Successful exchange applicants will be sent their Surrey Student Number and a link to our online accommodation application form in July/November.

For full details see our accommodation page.

Your home institution must officially nominate you by email before you can apply to Surrey. 

Most of our partner institutions have a formal student selection procedure for exchanges. Find out when your home institution’s application deadline is, and apply or register your interest with the Departmental or Institutional Exchange Coordinator if you are in Europe, or the Study Abroad or International Office if you are outside Europe.

You must make your application in conjunction with your university as there are usually a specific number of exchange places available.

The nomination should be emailed to our Incoming Exchange team (ieo.incoming@surrey.ac.uk) and include your:

• Full name
• Email address
• Subject area of study at Surrey (or, if taking electives, your main subject area in which you will take at least 2 modules per semester)
• Subject area at home institution
• Level of study at Surrey (bachelor's/master's/doctoral)
• Exchange period either:
  • Semester 1
  • Semester 2
  • Semesters 1 and  2
  • Other specified dates - for project and nursing/midwifery/paramedic students only.

Once we have received your nomination, we will email your home exchange coordinator to let them know that your nomination has been approved.

Your exchange/study abroad office will receive an email in April/September with information for you about applying to Surrey and a link to our online exchange application form.

Supporting documents

In the meantime, please note the supporting documents below that you must upload as part of your online application. 

Please note: Please submit all supporting documents as a PDF file. 

• Transcript of Records for each year of your degree so far, in English
• Copy of your passport photo page
  • NB. We no longer accept EU national identity cards
• Surrey Learning Agreement form (will be sent to nominees). 
  • Students taking taught courses should list 6 module choices per semester if taking modules from one degree programme and level, or up to 10 choices if taking modules from more than one programme or level. This is in case of timetable clashes (you will actually take just 30 ECTS credits worth - typically 4 modules).
  • These should be listed in order of preference and by semester. 
• A list of your current modules and of modules you have taken that meet any Surrey prerequisites 
• Non-native English speakers only:
  • Full-year students requiring a points-based Student visa must submit one of our accepted English language qualifications at the required level for your main Surrey programme (see our undergraduate or postgraduate taught course pages for the English language requirements of each).
  • Students coming to Surrey for 6 months or less may submit one of our accepted English language qualifications or else other evidence at the required level, such as a formal CEFR assessment by their university languages department (most courses require a high CEFR level B2 or else a C1), or another English qualification/university English exam results, plus evidence of 1 or 2 years of study in English at higher education level
• Postgraduate/doctoral students only: Bachelor’s/Master’s degree certificate, as appropriate.
• Nursing/Midwifery/Paramedic Science students only: police check certificate - you will also be required to provide evidence at a later stage of certain immunisations.

Submit your online application and supporting documents

All of the supporting documents should be uploaded and submitted with the online application. Incomplete applications cannot be considered. On submission, students will receive an automatic application receipt acknowledgement email.

Once your Surrey Department has approved your application and provisional study programme, we will send you a formal acceptance email in late May-end June for autumn entry or late October-late November for spring entry. If there are any issues with your application or module choices, we will contact you before then.

There are new UK visa rules for study in the UK after 2020. All non-UK/non-Irish students will either need to obtain a visa before travelling or enter the UK as a Visitor, depending on their nationality and length of stay - check if you need a visa here. 

• Students coming to study in the UK for more than 6 months or wishing to work as well as study require a Student visa - we will email you a Confirmation of Studies (CAS) number for your visa application once you have been accepted.
• Students studying in the UK for 6 months or less either require a Standard Visitor visa (visa nationals) or can enter the UK as a Visitor without applying for a visa (non-visa nationals), depending on your nationality - we will either email you a visa sponsor letter for your visa application or a formal acceptance letter to show at the UK border.

For visa advice, contact our International Student Support team: Email: internationalsupport@surrey.ac.uk.