Visiting undergraduate and master's-level research placements

• Students should be enrolled in studies leading to a recognised degree or other recognised tertiary level qualification, such as a bachelor or master, at a higher education institution overseas for the duration of their research placement.
• Your research placement must be relevant to your degree-related learning and personal development needs and, wherever possible, be integrated in your study programme
• Students need to fulfil the selection criteria defined by their higher education institution, which may include academic performance, previous mobility experience, motivation, etc.
• There is no age limit or nationality restriction.
• Research placements are open to people with special needs and disabilities, and the University aims to promote equity and inclusion for these learners.
• Students must have a suitable level of English for the research they will be undertaking and to cope with day-to-day life in the UK, ideally at minimum CEFR B2 level.

Non-native English speakers will need to show you have a suitable level of English to enable you to carry out your research successfully and to cope in an English-speaking environment.

Stays of more than 6 months

Students doing placements of over 6 months will need to submit one of the University’s accepted English language qualifications with your research placement application so that we can email you a sponsorship number for your Student visa application.

Our English language requirements for research placements of over 6 months are:

• in the Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (FEPS): a minimum of IELTS Academic 6.0 overall, with at least 5.5 in each of the components (reading, writing, listening and speaking), or an equivalent qualification from the University’s accepted English language qualifications.
• in the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences (FASS) and the Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences (FHMS): a minimum of IELTS Academic 6.5 overall, with 6.0 in Writing and 5.5 in each of the components (reading, listening and speaking), or an equivalent qualification from the University’s accepted English language qualifications.

Stays of 6 months or less

Students doing placements of 6 months or less and entering the UK as a Visitor (no work allowed outside your research placement) will need to submit evidence of your English language proficiency. We require your English to be at CEFR level B2, or ideally C1.

Evidence we can accept includes:

• a letter from your home institution confirming that your English language level is sufficient for a research placement and at least at CEFR B2 level.
• one of the University’s accepted English language qualifications at IELTS Academic 6.5 for FASS or FHMS and 6.0 for FEPS (see section above)
• another recent English language qualification or English exam result
• a formal CEFR assessment by your home institution's languages department.

English Language Testing

Your English language will not be tested by Surrey, though your Surrey supervisor may arrange an online chat to discuss potential research options and that will be an opportunity for them to check that you can communicate with each other effectively in English.

Students who are awarded an Erasmus grant may be invited by your home institution to undertake an Erasmus+ Online Linguistic Support assessment test (OLS) to make sure you meet the recommended level at Surrey and to identify any linguistic support needed. The results of this test will not prevent Erasmus students from undertaking the traineeship and we will not see the results, but your sending institution may grant you access to a free online English language course before and during your stay abroad in order to improve your language competency for your mobility abroad. Erasmus students will be asked to take a final OLS English language assessment on your return home to measure your progress.

Visiting researchers do not pay tuition fees to Surrey. Bench fees are at the discretion of the academic department concerned. There may be some costs associated with undertaking training or attendance at conferences. Any costs should be discussed and agreed in advance with you and your home institution.

You will need to cover any visa and visa sponsorship fees (if relevant), as well as your travel, accommodation and other living costs.

The average student living costs in the UK outside London, including accommodation, are around GB£1,023 per month. Student accommodation at Surrey costs around £75-200 per week.

Surrey does not unfortunately have any bursaries to offer visiting researchers and does not generally pay or provide payment in kind to trainees/interns. You should therefore explore potential sources of traineeship/internship funding through your home institution's international/study abroad/Erasmus office.

Erasmus traineeship grant - If you are studying in the EU or EEA and your home institution has an Erasmus charter, you may be able to apply to them for Erasmus traineeship funding towards your travel and living costs for the UK. Students can do an Erasmus+ traineeship abroad for a period of 2-12 months per study cycle (bachelor's/master's/doctorate) and can receive both an Erasmus+ study grant (for doing taught courses) and an Erasmus+ traineeship grant for a combined total of 12 months per study cycle.

Interested students should enquire about funding and apply to the international/Erasmus office of their sending higher education institution. The office will provide information about their funding application and selection process, the documents you need to prepare, which countries and institutions you can go to, how and when to apply for the grant, when you would receive it, and the requirements and responsibilities of your period abroad. This process can take a few months so be sure to make enquiries well in advance of your placement.

• For a research placement that is an integral part of your curriculum, the sending institution must give full academic recognition for the period spent abroad, by awarding ECTS credits or the equivalent. Recognition will be based on the internship agreement/research placement agreement/Erasmus traineeship agreement approved by all parties before the period of mobility.
• If the research placement is not part of your curriculum, the sending institution will provide recognition by recording this period in your Diploma Supplement or Europass Mobility Document, or your Surrey supervisor will provide a research placement completion letter or a traineeship certificate (Table D of the Erasmus learning agreement).

Visiting researchers may be able to attend up to three of the University’s free English Language Support Programme (ELSP) courses if you start your placement at the start of the first or second semester (early October/early February) and there is space in the class. Our courses - which include grammar, pronunciation, presentation skills, dissertation writing, etc. - typically last 4 or 9 weeks and consist of a weekly 1- or 2-hour class. There are no exams but you can download an attendance certificate at the end.

You can also learn and practise your English through our Language and Culture Exchange Scheme (LACES), through which you meet up for a chat in a coffee shop with an English native speaker who wants to practise speaking your language.

It may also be possible for you to use the English language resources and language laboratory in our language study area within the School of Languages.

You will probably need to find a research project and a Surrey supervisor before you can be awarded a traineeship grant by your home institution. The University of Surrey does not keep a list of research placement opportunities in each department, so you will need to find a suitable opportunity yourself by checking out the research currently being undertaken by each department and emailing appropriate academic staff directly.

The best way to identify researchers in your field/s of interest and to find out their contact details is to visit the ‘Research’ and ‘People’ pages on the relevant Surrey faculty or department webpages.

Students interested in a research traineeship in the School of Veterinary Medicine should email: vsmreception@surrey.ac.uk.

You may email staff at any time of year, but we recommend doing so at least 3 months before your proposed research placement, particularly if you are coming for more than 6 months, to allow time to get your visa (if relevant), and, if relevant, an ATAS Certificate to study in a sensitive subject area at postgraduate level (see ATAS Certificate section below).

When you email academic staff at Surrey, please provide:

• Your preferred mobility period / approximate dates
• Your official academic transcript of records in English or a certified English translation
• Your CV and your particular research interest/s
• Evidence of your English language proficiency (see Eligibility section above)

Potential supervisors may wish to arrange an online interview to assess your suitability and discuss project options.

We have exchange agreements with specific partner institutions overseas in the areas of nursing, midwifery and paramedic science through which we place a few students every year at a local hospital to do clinical or ambulance placements.

We are unfortunately unable to arrange clinical placements at local hospitals for visiting students or Erasmus trainees coming outside of an inter-institutional student exchange agreement with the University of Surrey. Hospital placements in the UK that involve hands-on treatment of patients require visa sponsorship and a temporary worker visa.

Our School of Veterinary Medicine does not have a companion animal clinic so our students carry out their practical training with private veterinary practices and we are not able to arrange work placements or traineeships at these for students from other institutions.

Visiting researchers are considered to be studying (rather than working) in the UK. You can check if you need a visa here. UK and Irish passport-holders do not need a visa to study in the UK.

Non-visa nationals staying for up to 6 months

Students who are not visa nationals (e.g. EU, EEA and Swiss passport-holders; see the visa national list of passport-holders who need a visa for the UK) do not need a visa to come and do a short piece of research at Surrey related to your degree course overseas for 6 months or less. You can enter the UK as a Visitor. Your Surrey supervisor will send you an acceptance/invitation letter and you should carry this letter, your internship/learning agreement and the other supporting documents listed in the visa checker in your hand luggage as you enter the UK in case you are asked the reason for your visit. Your supporting documents must include evidence that you can support yourself financially for the duration of your placement (approx. GB£1,023 for each month of your study, evidenced through your or your parents' bank statements, a support letter from your parents, a letter from your/your parents' bank, your Erasmus grant/other grant or scholarship agreement, etc. – for advice, see the ‘Study as a Visitor’ section on this page). EU and Swiss nationals can use the automatic e-passport gates through Border Control on arrival in the UK, but if you are asked the reason for your visit by a Border Force Officer, you must show them your supporting documents. Please keep your boarding pass or travel confirmation email, which has your date of entry to the UK, and bring it with your Confirmation of Pre-Registration and passport to show when you register at the University and collect your campus card.

Visa nationals staying for up to 6 months

Students who are visa nationals (nationals of certain countries who require a visa to enter the UK) will need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa (GB£115) before coming to the UK. You will be sent a visa support letter for your visa application. You may need to book an appointment at your nearest UK visa application centre to provide your photo, fingerprints, passport and supporting documents, including evidence that you can support yourself financially for your entire stay (you will need to show you have approximately GB£1,023 for each month of your stay, so provide bank statements showing your or your parents’ income or savings, a letter from you parents confirming they will support you financially, your scholarship letter/Erasmus or other grant agreement, etc). The visa processing time is 3-5 weeks after your appointment. Your passport will be returned to you with a Standard Visitor visa vignette on one of the pages – please check that the start and end dates on it are correct for your placement. You should carry your visa support letter and learning agreement in your hand luggage in case you are asked the reason for your visit as you enter the UK. You must queue to see a Border Force Officer at passport control as you arrive in the UK so that you can get a stamp in your passport with your date of entry. Please note, you cannot do your research placement without the stamp in your passport, so you must make sure you get it. If you don't, you will need to leave and re-enter the UK to get it! On your first day or two at Surrey, you must take your Confirmation of Pre-Registration form, passport and your visa vignette with the entry stamp to complete your registration at the University and to collect your campus card.

Any stays of more than 6 months

Any students coming for between 6-12 months must apply for a Student visa, which includes a visa fee (GB£490) and a healthcare surcharge, the cost of which depends on your length of stay and where you apply from (check how much you will need to pay here). As part of your application, you will need to book an appointment at your nearest UK visa application centre to provide your photo, fingerprints, passport and supporting documents. The visa processing time is around 3 weeks after your appointment. Your passport will be returned to you with a Student visa vignette in it – please check that the start and end dates on it are correct for your placement.

Postgraduate (master's and doctoral) students from certain countries applying to study or research in the UK in certain sensitive subjects, knowledge of which could be used to develop Advanced Conventional Military Technology (ACMT), weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) or their means of delivery, will need to apply for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate before they can study in the UK.

Undergraduate students do not need to apply for an ATAS certificate, except for some integrated master's degree students who may need ATAS clearance.

Postgraduate (master's and doctoral) and integrated master's students and researchers who are nationals of an EU or European Economic Area (EEA) country, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, the UK or the United States of America do not need to apply for an ATAS certificate.

Your Surrey supervisor should provide you with a CAH3 code relating to your course or research and confirm whether you require an ATAS certificate. You can use the code to check here whether you need an ATAS certificate. 

You do not need to have your ATAS certificate before applying for your visa but you must have it before you enter the UK, as you will need to show it at UK passport control. The processing time is around 6 weeks.

Once you have found a supervisor and agreed the details of your research placement:

1. INVITATION LETTER - Your Surrey supervisor will send you an invitation letter or, if preferred, complete your home institution's acceptance form. You can use this to support your application for one of your home institution's Erasmus traineeship grants or another grant or scholarship. You should also carry it in your hand luggage as one of your supporting documents when you travel to the UK. Your supervisor will not sign general letters of intent or set up inter-institutional agreements to host trainees from your home institution on an ongoing basis.

    

2. INTERNSHIP/LEARNING AGREEMENT - You, your home institution and your Surrey supervisor must also complete either Surrey's learning agreement for research placements or your home institution's own internship agreement. Students applying for an Erasmus+ grant will also need their home institution's Erasmus+ learning agreement for traineeships to be completed by all three parties. These are effectively the study contract between you, your home institution and your department at the University of Surrey. Your home institution should provide you with their internship agreement and, if appropriate, their Erasmus+ learning agreement. Alternatively, Surrey's International Engagement Office can provide you with our Learning Agreement for Research Placements form on request (ieo.incoming@surrey.ac.uk).

The internship agreement or learning agreement should outline:

• The practical details such as the main contact details, the hours of work, and the start and end dates, the student's English language level
• The aims and nature of the work or research and the learning outcomes or skills to be acquired
• How the internship/traineeship will be recognised by the home institution (credits, an entry in a document, etc)
• Details of any pay or payment in kind from the host institution
• Who is providing the accident, public/civil liability, travel and health insurance cover.

The process for completing internship/learning agreements is as follows:

1. The student, with help from their home institution, completes their personal details, contact details, academic recognition, insurance cover and any other sections relating to them and their sending institution.

2. They email the semi-completed agreement to their Surrey supervisor to complete the host/receiving institution sections with their contact details, details of the proposed research project (title, working hours, activities, outcomes/skills to be acquired, monitoring plan, evaluation plan), details of any payments/payments in kind and any insurance cover (we do not generally provide these).

2. Each of the three parties signs and dates the agreement in the signature section and a fully signed pdf copy is emailed to all three parties.

3. The student completes Surrey's research placement application form and uploads their supporting documents, including a fully signed pdf copy of their internship agreement and/or learning agreement.

4. After the student’s arrival at Surrey, if any changes need to be made to the details or terms of the Erasmus+ learning agreement (if relevant), the parties must complete and sign the ‘During the Mobility’/’Changes to learning agreement’ section and email an updated pdf copy to each party. The student uploads a revised and fully signed pdf copy to their placement application.

5. At the end of the visiting researcher/trainee’s stay, their Surrey supervisor should provide a letter on headed paper or, in the case of Erasmus trainees, complete the final section of the learning agreement (Table D) to confirm the outcomes and that the research placement has been completed satisfactorily. A pdf copy should be sent to the student and the home institution contact.

Your home institution should ensure that you are covered adequately for liability to third parties as a result of your own negligent acts or omissions, and by personal accident and health insurance for the duration of your placement.

The University of Surrey will not provide insurance.

The courts of England and Wales will have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim.

You will need:

• if required by your home institution, an invitation letter from your Surrey supervisor or the head of department
• a fully signed copy of your internship agreement/learning agreement
• if relevant, a visa or, if not relevant, your visa support letter/formal acceptance letter from Surrey
• if relevant, an ATAS certificate
• documentation relating to any grant or scholarship you will be receiving for your placement - if you have been awarded an Erasmus grant, your sending institution should provide you with:
  • a grant agreement covering the mobility period, stating your grant rate (the monthly amount of money you will receive), and signed between you and your sending institution.
  • the Erasmus+ Student Charter which sets out your rights and obligations with respect to your period of research abroad.
• your and/or your parents’ bank statements or a letter from your and/or your parents' bank as evidence that you can support yourself financially for the duration of your stay (together with any scholarship or internship/traineeship grant you have been awarded)
• a formal document with the address where you will be living in the UK (a rental contract or university accommodation confirmation email)
• evidence of your home address
• a copy of your liability insurance, accident insurance, travel and health insurance, and if you are from the EU, your EHIC (European Health Insurance Card)
• if you will still be enrolled as a student at your home institution during your placement, a printed or downloaded Confirmation of Pre-Registration form from your initial online registration with the University of Surrey (see the link to this form on Surrey's Welcome website - you will need to complete your registration in person after your arrival).
• confirmation that you have activated your Surrey IT/email account (see the link to this form on Surrey's Welcome website).

Once you have finalised your learning agreement, please complete our undergraduate and master's-level research placement and traineeship application form.

You will need to register your email address and a password of your choice in order to access the application form and save and return to it later.

You will be required to upload to your application the following documents in pdf format before submitting it:

• your fully signed learning agreement
• a copy of your passport photo page
• your university transcript of records (in English or a certified translation)
• any previous degree certificates
• evidence that you meet our English language requirements

You should receive a submission confirmation email after submitting your application. If you need to upload any further documents after submitting your application, please email ieo.incoming@surrey.ac.uk so that we can set your application to 'In Progress' again.

If you require a Student visa or a Standard Visitor visa, carefully read the visa details and requirements (our Apply for a Visa page also gives useful guidance on the supporting documents you need to provide as part of your visa application or carry with you when you travel to the UK if you don't need a visa).

Stays of 6 months or less - Standard Visitor visas and entry as a Visitor without a visa

Visa nationals, who must apply for a Standard Visitor visa, can apply up to 3 months before your placement. You will need to wait for a visa support letter from the University's International Engagement Office. Once you have received this, complete the online Standard Visitor visa application, pay your visa fee (GB£100), and fix an appointment at your nearest visa application centre in your country to provide your fingerprints, photo, supporting documents and passport. Your passport will be returned with a visa vignette (a sticker) in it with the earliest date you can enter the UK (usually 7 days before your study start date). When you arrive in the UK, you must queue at passport control to see a border force officer and get an entry date stamp on your vignette - if you do not get this stamp, you will need to leave and re-enter the UK to get the date stamp before you can start your research!

EEA, Swiss and other non-visa nationals coming to Surrey as a Visitor without a visa do not need to attend a visa appointment but will be required to upload a passport-type photo to the UK ID Check app. You should carry your formal acceptance letter from the International Engagement Office and the other supporting documents required for the Standard Visitor visa in your hand luggage each time you travel to the UK during your placement to show at UK border control. Nationals of the countries listed on this page may use the faster automatic e-passport gates at Border Control on arrival in the UK, rather than queueing to see a border force officer. EEA/Swiss nationals should keep your boarding pass or travel confirmation email as proof of your date of entry to the UK to show when you complete your university registration on your first day at the University. If you plan to leave and re-enter the UK more than a couple of times during your placement, we recommend you apply for the Standard Visitor visa (see above) before you come to Surrey.

Stays of more than 6 months - Student visas

Students applying for a Student visa will need to wait for an email with your CAS number from our CAS team before you can apply for your visa. You can apply for your visa up to 6 months before your placement.

To apply, complete the online visa application, pay your visa fee (GB£363), and fix an appointment at your nearest visa application centre in your country if required. EU/EEA and Swiss students do not need to attend a visa appointment but will be required to upload a passport-type photo to the UK ID Check app.

Student visa applicants from most countries will also need to pay the immigration healthcare surcharge (GB£470) as part of your visa application. This entitles you to free National Health Service (NHS) hospital/doctor's appointments and necessary treatment and initial emergency medical cover. However, you will also need to purchase travel insurance with some additional health insurance to cover any repatriation, medical prescription costs, eye tests, glasses and dentistry. Some sending institutions provide some insurance so check with them first. Check here whether you need to pay the health surcharge and how much.

Applicants who are required to attend a visa appointment will need to provide your supporting documents, fingerprints, photo and passport at the appointment. The visa processing time is around 3 weeks after your visa appointment (if you are required to have one), after which you will be posted or be able to collect your passport from the visa application centre. Please check that the dates on your vignette are correct. You should be able to arrive in the UK up to 30 days before your study start date. Students who get a Student visa vignette (sticker) in your passport will need to collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) from the central Guildford post office within 10 days of when you indicated you would arrive in the UK.

EU/EEA/Swiss nationals who have applied for a Student visa do not get a visa vignette in your passport. Instead your immigration permission will be entirely digital and you should follow instructions in your visa decision letter about how to prove your immigration status.

The University of Surrey does not provide travel, health or medical insurance for incoming research placement students.

Stays for 6 months or less

Trainees staying for 6 months or less may book an appointment to see a doctor or nurse as a temporary patient if you need treatment at any point during your stay. There will normally be an appointment charge which you may be able to reclaim in your country if you have a European Health Insurance Card, on presentation of any receipts. EU/EEA and Swiss students should apply in your country for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) before you come to Surrey - for details of the EHIC and to apply in your country, see here. Even with an EHIC, for stays of 6 months or less, you will need to take out travel insurance with some health cover before coming to Surrey as the EHIC doesn't cover everything. Medical prescriptions in the UK cost around GB£9.50 per item.

Stays of more than 6 months

Most trainees applying for a Student visa to stay over 6 months will be required to pay an immigration healthcare surcharge (GB£470) with your visa application. This covers essential and emergency medical treatment in public National Health Service (NHS) hospitals, clinics or GPs (doctors surgeries). Check here how much you need to pay for the healthcare surcharge, if anything. The healthcare surcharge does not provide comprehensive health cover (e.g. it does not include prescriptions, dental care, sight tests or glasses). You should therefore take out some additional health cover with your travel insurance before coming to Surrey, unless these are provided by your sending institution. Medical prescriptions in the UK cost around GB£9.50 per item. Trainees who have paid the healthcare surcharge should register online at the nearest GP to your accommodation.

Pre-existing medical conditions

If you have an ongoing medical condition that requires treatment, you will need to purchase appropriate medical insurance, arrange to see your doctor before your come to Surrey and ensure you bring your medical documentation (in English) and at least a month's supply of any medicine you need. We recommend you fix an appointment with your nearest doctors' surgery (also called a 'GP') in Guildford in your first week at Surrey.

Some healthcare is provided for free for everyone on the UK's National Health Service (NHS) - this includes initial emergency hospital treatment (but not ongoing treatment or repatriation), family planning, and treatment for sexually transmitted and some highly contagious diseases (including initial treatment for Covid-19).

Healthcare facilities

The University has a health centre (Guildowns) on campus and there are several local doctors' surgeries ('GPs') near the main campus where students can book an initial phone appointment with a doctor online. Where necessary, this will be followed by a face-to-face appointment. It is important therefore that you purchase a UK SIM card when you arrive so that you have a UK telephone number, as GPs are not able to ring international numbers.

We also have a Centre for Wellbeing next to the Student Health Centre, which has trained counsellors who can support students with emotional issues such as homesickness or bereavement, as well as mental health conditions through one-to-one appointments, drop-ins and group sessions. They also provide a family planning service.

The Royal Surrey County Hospital, just up the road from the main campus, is the main hospital for the area and has an Accident & Emergency service open 24/7.

Students doing a short piece of research at Surrey relevant to their overseas degree for up to 12 months are considered to be studying in the UK, rather than working, and as such, will be registered on the University's student records system and will have a student number. You will also continue to have student status at your sending institution.

As a visiting student at Surrey, you will be sent a student number. With this, you will be eligible to apply for University student accommodation, although availability for short stays outside the normal semester dates is not guaranteed.

You can also apply for monthly paying student membership of the Surrey Sports Park, our state-of-the-art multi-sports centre at our Manor Park campus, 15 minutes' walk or 5 minutes by bus from the main Stag Hill campus.

You will also be able to access all of the University's student services and facilities.

With a student card, you will also have automatic membership of the University of Surrey Students’ Union (USSU), our association of students run by students for students. The Students' Union puts on extracurricular activities, organises volunteering opportunities on campus and in the local community, and runs the 180+ sports clubs and societies, as well as the student nightclub and bar on the main Stag Hill campus. They can also act as student mentors and advocates.

University Accommodation

Visiting researchers are eligible to apply for University accommodation. Our accommodation can normally only be rented for the whole semester and is typically full during teaching periods. We would therefore encourage students doing a short research placement to come, if possible, during the University's summer break (late June – early September) when there may be some student rooms available and there is more choice in the private sector. University rooms must be vacated by early September, when the residences are closed for cleaning, so if you need to stay a little longer, you will probably need to move to a local guest house or bed & breakfast for the last part of your stay. University rooms for the summer break can be booked from late April. 'Guest rooms' are only available for up to 28 days so are not available to visiting researchers.

Our university accommodation is very reasonably priced and is in groups of small housing blocks or houses called 'residences', containing flats for 4-10 people, each with a shared kitchen and either shared bathrooms or private ensuite bathrooms in each room. We have different price bands to suit different budgets.

Our accommodation is on 3 sites in the pretty and lively provincial town of Guildford:

• The main Stag Hill campus, where most academic buildings and the university library are located, 10 minutes' walk from the centre of Guildford and from Tesco superstore - it offers budget accommodation through to more expensive ensuite rooms.
• Manor Park residential village, 20 minutes' walk/5 minutes by bus (Stagecoach No. 1 bus timetable) from the main campus, and 5 minutes' walk from the Surrey Sports Park and Tesco superstore
• Hazel Farm, 30 minutes from central Guildford by bus, in a residential area of north Guildford - monthly student bus pass for Guildford area costs around GB£45. See Stagecoach No. 2 bus timetable.

Private Rentals

Many research placement students may need to look for privately rented accommodation nearby Rental contracts in the UK are for a minimum of 6 or 12 months by law, so if you are coming for a shorter period, it might be best to rent a room with a resident landlord, which involves sharing facilities with them as their lodger, and the rental can be for any period, by agreement with the landlord.

A couple of weeks after you have applied to Surrey, please visit the International Pre-Departure Checklist on our Welcome website. You must:

• complete the initial online Pre-Registration form, accept the Terms & Conditions, upload your photo and then print off or download to your mobile phone the Confirmation of Pre-Registration document.
• after 24 hours, follow the link in the checklist to activate your Surrey IT/email account.

Visa nationals with a Student visa must collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) within 10 days of the date you said you would arrive at the University of Surrey. You must collect it from central Guildford post office in the WHSmith shop in Guildford High Street. Be sure to take your passport and visa.

On your first day at the University, complete your University registration and collect your campus card by going to the MySurrey Hive (student helpdesk) in the centre of the main Stag Hill campus (or the University Hall if you arrive during Orientation/Welcome Week just before the start of the semester).

Take with you your:

• Passport and any visa vignette/email
• Your Confirmation of Pre-Registration document (downloaded previously on your phone or printed)
• Biometric Residence Permit if you have one for your Student visa (collected previously from the central Guildford post office)
• A document confirming your Surrey accommodation address
• If you are a Visitor without a visa, your boarding pass or travel confirmation email confirming your date of entry to the UK.

If you didn't upload a photo to your initial online registration form, you will need to go to the IT Helpdesk at the 1st floor entrance to the Library to get your photo taken. Your campus card will be printed while you wait.

Your Surrey campus card (student card) gives you access to the university library and its resources, as well as to IT rooms and relevant academic buildings on campus. It also gives you access to University of Surrey Students' Union extracurricular activities and events, student sports clubs and societies, and Surrey Sports Park membership. In addition, you can use it to get student discounts in many shops, on public transport and at entertainment venues and visitor attractions across the UK.

Your Surrey supervisor will give you a full introduction at the start of your traineeship to your academic department and the facilities you will be using. Make sure you email your supervisor in good time to agree your start date and get an induction programme for your first few days at the University.

We recommend you build in an hour in your first day or two for a more general half-hour orientation by the International Engagement Office - email us on ieo.incoming@surrey.ac.uk before your arrival to book a suitable time.

We also recommend you book yourself onto one of our free campus tours to familiarise yourself with our wider facilities and the layout of the campus - these tend to be on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1-2.30pm - or watch our virtual campus tour.

Besides the Students' Union sports clubs and societies, events, nightclub and bar, the University’s International Engagement Office (IEO) organises a number of social and cultural activities for our group of incoming exchange and study abroad students during both semesters (e.g. visits to historic properties and towns, bowling, ice-skating, board game evenings, quiz night, etc). Visiting researchers are welcome to take part in these.

The Exchange and Study Abroad students also have a WhatsApp page where they discuss queries and arrange their own social activities, visits and trips.

If you would like to hear about the IEO-organised activities or to join the current WhatsApp group, just drop the International Engagement Office team an email to register your interest on ieo.incoming@surrey.ac.uk.