How to apply

You will need to commit time and effort to research universities, units and locations. You will need to consider your personal circumstances as well as preferences, including but not limited to financial situation and additional support needs.

You must apply to the Bristol Abroad team for a study abroad place. If you are awarded a place, you will then need to accept this before being nominated and submitting an application directly to the partner university abroad.

The steps are the same if you are applying to study abroad for a year or a semester:

• Step 1: before you apply
• Step 2: apply to Bristol Abroad at Bristol
• Step 3: apply to your host university

All steps, actions and deadlines.

Step 1: Before you apply

Deadline: complete all actions in Step 1 in October.
Dates and deadlines summary. 

1. Find out if you are eligible

Check the eligibility criteria.

This includes meeting your department's academic criteria to apply to study abroad.

2. Find out how places are allocated

Get an understanding of how we allocate study abroad places including how to earn engagement points, to make sure you know how to make your application as strong as possible. 

3. Research eligible degree programmes and whether you can go for a year or semester

We have exchange agreements with a range of universities of a similar calibre to Bristol. You can only apply to universities that have an agreement with your owning department. 

Check our list of eligible degree courses and owning departments to find out: 

• if your degree programme is eligible for study abroad
• if your degree programme has a year abroad or semester abroad option
• the correct owning department for your degree programme

4. Research destinations, universities and units

You can include up to 5 universities on your application form. You will rank your choices in order of preference.

For each university you will need to research:

• level of competitiveness (places are limited and some universities attract more applicants than others)
• living costs (these vary from country to country and city to city)
• fees, funding and budgeting 
• academic semester dates (these may be very different from Bristol)
• if classes are taught in English or a modern language
• distance from home
• overall student experience of living in the location
• whether you can study abroad for a year or a semester, and if the semester is in teaching block 1 (TB1) or teaching block 2 (TB2).

Once you have identified your preferred universities, check the partner university's website to find what units are usually available. You do not need to choose units at this stage, but researching the academic offering is an important part of the application process. Please note that units are subject to change each year. 

Research universities where we have study abroad places. 

Read guidance on university choices for the application form. 

5. Check tips and destination guides

Enroll onto Bristol Abroad 2025/26 Blackboard organisation for student tips and destination guides. 

There is information here from partner universities, as well as feedback from Bristol students who have studied abroad in previous years.  

6. Get information from your department

Your department may offer additional study abroad information sessions in Teaching Block 1.

7. Get advice from Bristol Abroad

We can offer you advice and support. You can email us directly via: bristol-abroad@bristol.ac.uk. Or come and see us for a drop in appointment at Global Lounge, 1st floor Senate House (Monday, Wednesday, Friday. 10am - 4pm). 

8. Consider your additional support requirements

If you need additional support for any physical, mental health or learning conditions, contact Disability Services.

Your circumstances are unique to you, and you will need an individual assessment to identify what support you need before, during and after you go abroad.

Step 2. Apply to Bristol Abroad at Bristol

Deadline: you must complete all actions in Step 2 by 4 November 2024. 
View dates and deadlines summary. 

Some of the activities in Step 2 contribute to your engagement points score. Having a high engagement points score will strengthen your application to Bristol Abroad. See how places are allocated. 

1. "Destinations and Applications" online information session (worth 5 engagement points)

• Monday 14 October 2024, 12pm to 1 pm (UK time).
• A recording of this session will be made available on the Bristol Abroad 2025/26 Blackboard Organisation.

2. "Fees, finances and budgeting" online information session (worth 5 engagement points)

• Monday 14 October 2024, 2pm to 3pm (UK time).
• A recording of this session will be made available on the Bristol Abroad 2025/26 Blackboard Organisation. 

3. Study abroad forum (in-person) (worth 10 engagement points)

Learn more about destinations in different regions at our in person Study Abroad Forums. Listen to a panel of Bristol students who have studied abroad recently. Ask the questions that matter to you.

All sessions will be held in the Global Lounge, 1st floor, Senate House.

You must attend one forum. There is no need to attend more than one forum.

• Tuesday 15 October, 10am to 11.30pm (UK time)
• Tuesday 16 October, 10am to 11.30pm (UK time)
• Thursday 17 October, 10am to 11.30pm (UK time)
• Thursday 18 October, 10am to 11.30pm (UK time)

4. Complete the application form

You must complete an application form to apply to the Bristol Abroad team for a study abroad place. 

Read guidance on completing the application form. This includes information about how your application is assessed. 

You may also want to check how places are allocated. 

Complete your application form on Blackboard.

The form will be available from Monday 21 October 2024. The deadline to submit the form is 11:59pm (UK time) on Monday 4 November 2024. 

6. Find out if you have a place and respond to your offer 

We will aim to email you with the outcome of your application 20 November 2024. If this is going to be delayed beyond this date for any reason, we will email you. There is no need for you to contact us for updates regarding the status of your allocation. 

If your application is successful: 

• You will be offered a place to study abroad by the Bristol Abroad team.

You must either:

• accept your place
  • the next step is to apply to your host university directly - we will support you with this.

• decline your place
  • your allocated place will be offered to another student 
  • you will have the option to be put on the waiting list. We are likely to only be able to offer a very small number of  spaces from the waiting list. You will not be guaranteed a place. If you are not offered a place from the waiting list, you will need to transfer to the version of your degree programme without study abroad. 
  • if you choose not to you will need to transfer to the version of your degree programme without study abroad. 

You must tell us your decision on the Bristol Abroad portal by 11:59 pm (UK time), 29 November 2024. If you do not respond to your offer by the deadline, we will assume that you have declined your place. 

If your application is unsuccessful:

• You will be given the option to be placed on a waiting list. Before the Christmas break, we will reallocate any places that have become available and will email all students on the waiting list with the outcome of this process.
• If you are not offered a place from the waiting list, you will need to transfer to the version of your degree programme without study abroad. 

Step 3. Apply to your host university

You must: 

• attend one of our ‘Next steps’ meetings in teaching block 2. This will give you more information about your host university and the country you're going to.
• gather the supporting documents for your application
• complete the application to your host university by their given deadline. We are not able to provide extensions. 

It is your responsibility to note and adhere to your host univeristy's application deadline. 

Year abroad application deadlines

If you are applying for a year abroad in 2025/26, the deadlines for applying to your host university are from mid-January to June 2025. We will confirm with you the relevant deadline(s) for your host university. 

Semester abroad application deadlines

If you are applying to study abroad for a semester, the deadlines are:

• for studying abroad during Teaching Block 1 Semester (September 2025 to December 2025): apply to your host university from mid-January to June 2025.
• for studying abroad during Teaching Block 2 Semester (January 2026 to May 2026): apply to your host university from August to November 2026.

We will tell you the relevant deadline(s) for your host university.

3. Await notification of application

Your host university will tell you if you have been offered a place to study, and any further steps you may need to take to formally accept an offer. Admissions decisions are often sent on a rolling basis, so do not panic if other student's have heard before you. As a general rule we ask you to get in touch with the Bristol Abroad team if you have not heard back for over one month after submitting your application. 

Your department at Bristol may also have academic requirements you need to meet: 

• in your second year for a year abroad in your third year, or
• in your first year for a semester abroad in your second year.

If you are unsure of your department's academic requirements, check with your Study Abroad Academic Director. 

Find out what you need to do pre-departure. 

Dates and deadlines summary