How to apply

Eligibility

To be eligible to study at the University of Surrey as an international or Erasmus+ exchange student or a fee-paying study abroad student under one of our inter-institutional agreements, you must

  • be a registered student at one of our partner institutions.
  • have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on the 4.0-point scale, 3.75 on the 5.0-point scale, 5.25 on the 7.0-point scale, or the equivalent.
  • meet the English language requirement for your main degree programme at Surrey if you are a non-native English speaker - requirements vary between courses and you will find the requirement for your course in the Entry Requirements section of the relevant undergraduate (Bachelor's) or postgraduate taught (Master's) course page. Students who need to apply for a Student visa (stays of over 6 months or working whilst studying for 6 months or less) must be able to submit with your Surrey exchange application one of our accepted English language qualifications at the required level for your Surrey course. Students applying for a Standard Visitor visa or entering the UK as a Visitor (stays of 6 months or less, study only) must submit one of our accepted English language qualifications or a letter from your home institution confirming that you meet the English language requirement of your chosen Surrey course and providing your CEFR level.
  • be studying in an appropriate subject area and at the level specified in our exchange agreement (undergraduate/postgraduate/doctorate). Some agreements are university-wide and open to students in most of our subject areas, and others are subject-specific. The exchange office at your home university will be able to provide guidance on eligible subject areas.
  • be able to identify a suitable, full-time study programme for the period of your exchange (30 ECTS credits - typically 4 modules of 7.5 ECTS each - per semester, though students who are soon to graduate and don't need a full study load may take 22.5 ECTS/typically 3 modules). For those following a taught programme at Surrey, please check our Programme/Module Catalogue (selecting the relevant academic year) to see whether we offer modules that fit with your study programme at your home institution and that they run when you will be at Surrey (Semester 1 runs mid-September to end January; Semester 2 runs early February to mid June - see dates). Discuss your module options with your home department. You must choose modules that have been approved for credit transfer back to your degree. If you need more information or advice, email the appropriate Surrey Academic Exchange Coordinator for your subject area. For those applying to do a research project only, please identify an appropriate academic to supervise your project with help from your home department and the relevant Academic Exchange Coordinator at Surrey. Email the academic to ask if they will supervise your work and agree the details of your project with them.

Nomination to Surrey

Most of our partner institutions have a formal student selection procedure for exchange and study abroad. Find out when your home institution’s application deadline is, and apply or register your interest with their Erasmus/Exchange/Study Abroad/International Office. There are usually a specific number of exchange or study abroad places available.

Your home institution must officially nominate you to us via our nomination form before you can apply to Surrey. The nomination includes your

  • full name
  • email address
  • subject area of your degree (or main subject area at Surrey if different)
  • level of study at Surrey (bachelor's/master's/doctoral)
  • period of your stay (semester 1/semester 2/full year/other dates).

Nomination deadlines           

  • For semester 1/autumn/September entry:     15 April
  • For semester 2/spring/February entry:          15 September

Applying for exchange

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

We would recommend that you check out our Frequently Asked Questions at this stage, if you haven't already.

You and your exchange/study abroad office will receive an email in April/September with information about applying to Surrey and a link to our online exchange application form. In the meantime, please note the supporting documents below that you must upload as part of your online application.

  • Official transcript of records - covering each year of your degree so far, in English (pdf)
  • Copy of your passport photo page (pdf)
  • Surrey Learning Agreement form. Students taking taught courses should list 4 preferred modules (totalling 30 ECTS credits), plus at least one alternative (back-up) module for each in case any modules aren't possible or, if taking modules from more than one degree programme and level/year, in case you have timetable clashes. It is only possible to take 30 ECTS per semester, unless you are coming for both semesters and wish to take one of our full-year extracurricular Global Graduate Award modules (7.5 ECTS). At least 2 of your modules must be from the same programme and year/level. Modules should be listed on your learning agreement in order of preference and by semester. For full descriptions of each degree programme and module, visit our searchable online Programme/Module Catalogue and select the appropriate academic year of study. NB. Please only select modules appropriate to your level of study - undergraduate module codes have 1, 2 or 3 after the first three letters to denote the year of study (e.g. SOC3044 is a 3rd year Sociology module) and postgraduate/Master's module codes have an M after the first 3 letters (e.g. PHYM053 is a Master's-level Physics module). Take care also to only select modules running in the semester/s in which you will be at Surrey (1 or 2) - this is clearly indicated in the programme and module descriptions.
  • Further Information form (pdf) - please list a) the modules you are currently taking this semester; b) if your Surrey module choices have prerequisites (required previous study), list any modules you have taken that meet those prerequisites, c) if any of your Surrey module choices are capped (have a limited class size), give your reason for selecting those modules.
  • Non-native English speakers onlya) Students coming for longer than 6 months or coming for 6 months or less but wanting to work as well as study will require a points-based Student visa and must submit with their exchange application one of Surrey's accepted English language qualifications at the required level for your main Surrey programme (see your chosen undergraduate or postgraduate course page for the course's English language requirement). NB. We can not accept qualifications which do not meet the minimum requirement for your course and can only accept your most recent test results. Please ensure you get your English language qualification in good time to apply to Surrey. If you already have a language qualification, make sure it has not expired - IELTS, TOEFL and a few other certificates must be no more than 2 years old when you start your Surrey course. b) Students coming to Surrey as Visitors for 6 months or less and only studying may submit either one of our accepted English language qualifications or a letter from your home institution confirming that you meet the requirements of your chosen Surrey course and giving your CEFR level.
  • Postgraduate/doctoral students only: Bachelor’s/Master’s degree certificate, as appropriate (pdf)
  • Nursing/Midwifery/Paramedic Science students only: police check certificate (pdf) - you will also be required to provide evidence at a later stage of certain immunisations.

All of these supporting documents should be uploaded and submitted with your online exchange application to Surrey by the application deadline. Missing documents will result in delays. On submission, students will receive an automatic application receipt acknowledgement email.

Application deadlines

  • For semester 1/autumn/September entry: 15 May
  • For semester 2/spring/February entry: 15 October

Confirmation of Acceptance

Once the IEO and your Surrey academic department have approved your application and provisional study programme, we will send you a formal acceptance email in June for autumn entry or November for spring entry. If there are any issues with your application or module choices, we will contact you before then.

Visas

All non-UK/non-Irish students will either need to obtain a visa before travelling or enter the UK as a Visitor without a visa, depending on your nationality and length of stay - check if you need a visa here. In summary:

  • Students coming to study in the UK for more than 6 months or coming for 6 months or less but wishing to work as well as study will need to apply for a Student visa. We will email you a Confirmation of Studies (CAS) number for your visa application once we have your English language certificate at the required level and you have been accepted. Visa processing time: around 3-4 weeks.
  • Students coming to study in the UK for 6 months or less and not working, and whose passport is issued by a visa-national country, will need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa. We will email you a visa support letter for your visa application once you have been accepted. Visa processing time: usually up to 3 weeks but may be up to 5 weeks in August/September.
  • Students coming to study in the UK for 6 months or less and not working, and whose passport is NOT issued by a visa-national country, can enter the UK as a Visitor without applying for a visa. We will email you a formal acceptance letter to show, if requested, at UK border control as you arrive.
  • Erasmus trainees coming to do a clinical placement in a hospital will need to apply for a Government Authorised Exchange - temporary work visa.

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

Accommodation

As an exchange student, you are eligible to apply for university accommodation. We can usually accommodate all of our incoming exchange and study abroad students. We will email you in early June/early November with information about applying for university accommodation and about finding a room to rent privately nearby if you prefer. The email will contain your Surrey Student Number, which you will need in order to apply online for university accommodation. Application deadline: around mid-July.

Room offers emailed to students:

  • mid-end August for September entry
  • late November-early December for February entry.

Preparing for your exchange

Once you have been accepted, you should take a look at our Welcome website for the next steps and important international pre-arrival information and checklists. This includes important dates, travel information, visas, insurance, banking and money, doctors and health care, our campus welcome, our buddy scheme, accommodation, your exchange orientation programme, completing online pre-registration, setting up your Surrey email account, and what to pack.

Enquiries

If you have any queries, please email our Incoming Exchange & Study Abroad Team (ieo.incoming@surrey.ac.uk) in the International Engagement Office.