For a year abroad, you must:

• be a current second-year undergraduate student at the University of Bristol;
• meet your departments' academic criteria to study abroad (please check directly with your Study Abroad Academic Director / admin contact);
• be currently enrolled onto one of the programmes listed on the Eligibility criteria - Year Abroad 2021/22 (PDF, 170kB)

For a semester abroad, you must:

• be a first-year undergraduate student;
• meet your departments' academic criteria to study abroad (please check directly with your Study Abroad Academic Director / admin contact);
• be currently enrolled onto one of the programmes listed on the Eligibility criteria - Semester Abroad 2021/22 (PDF, 786kB)

Studying abroad is a rewarding, but challenging experience for any student. You will need to commit time and effort to research all your options and consider your personal circumstances before you apply.

• Enrol onto our Global Opportunities 2021/22 blackboard organisation via the link below. 

• Research all the host university options available to your owning subject on the options table. 
• Explore the student feedback and additional resources on our blackboard. 
• Consider for each destination the:
  • level of competitiveness;
  • cost of living and fees, funding and budgeting information;
  • academic dates of the university abroad;
  • units usually on offer (subject to change year-on-year);
  • distance from home;
  • overall student experience of living in the host country and city. 
• Attend our virtual study abroad information sessions hosted on blackboard in October to learn more about the process and hear from Bristol students who have already studied abroad. 

Your department may offer study abroad information sessions in TB1 for further information. You can also get in touch with Global Opportunities for advice and support. 

Attend our virtual information sessions either live or on catch up on our Global Opportunities 2021/22 blackboard organisation. An attendance record will be taken for each session which will contribute to your application score.

Sessions are as follows:

• Application process and choosing your destinations 
  Tuesday, 2-3pm (UK time), 20 October 2020
• Fees, funding and budgeting
  Tuesday, 4-5pm (UK time), 20 October 2020
• Studying abroad in Asia and the Middle East
  Wednesday, 2-3pm (UK time), 21 October 2020
• Studying abroad in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
  Wednesday, 4-5pm (UK time), 21 October 2020
• Studying abroad in Europe (in English)
  Thursday, 2-3pm (UK time), 22 October 2020
• Studying abroad in North America
  Thursday, 4-5pm (UK time), 22 October 2020

We encourage you to attend the sessions at the time listed. However, if this is not possible, recordings will be made available on our blackboard. You can still be allocated attendance points by wathcing the recordings in full before the application deadline. 

Deadline
You must attend or access the recordings of the information sessions before 18 November 2020, 11:59PM (UK time).

In addition to attending/accessing the sessions, you must also ensure you complete steps 1d. and 1e. before 18 November 2020, 11:59PM (UK time).

To assess your engagement and understanding of the content presented at the virutal information sessions, you must complete a multiple-choice quiz. Your first attempt score will contribute to your application. You can access the quiz between the 4-18 November on our blackboard. 

Deadline
You must complete the quiz by 18 November 2020, 11:59PM (UK time).

In addition to the quiz, you must also ensure you complete steps 1c. and 1e. before 18 November 2020, 11:59PM (UK time).

Apply online to study abroad in English via our blackboard 

• List up to five (5) host universities available to your owning subject. Rank these in order of preference. We strongly recommend not listing more than two very competitive *** or compettive ** universities.
• Answer the following three (3) motivation questions which will contribute to your application score. These are included in the online application form:
  1. Why do you want to study abroad? (max 250 words)
  2. Why have you chosen the universities abroad noted in your application?
     • University choice 1 (max 150 words)
     • University choice 2 (max 150 words)
     • University choice 3 (max 150 words)
     • University choice 4 (max 150 words)
     • University choice 5 (max 150 words)
  3. Describe a time you felt outside of your comfort zone. (max 250 words)
     Please consider the following points:
     • What was the situation?
     • How did you manage the situation?
     • What did you learn? And how could you apply this to study abroad?

• Note any additional support requirements you may have whilst abroad. This includes any physical, mental health and learning condition(s). Any condition(s) noted will NOT affect your allocation.

Deadline
You must submit your completed application online before 18 November 2020, 11:59PM (UK time).

Allocations are NOT made on a first come first served basis. However, applications submitted after the deadline will NOT be considered. 

In addition to the online application, you must also ensure you complete steps 1c. and 1d. before 18 November 2020, 11:59PM (UK time).

How your allocation to a university abroad is decided

You can download our Allocation process - Year and Semester abroad 2021/22 (PDF, 250kB) ‌for further details. 

Please note: We cannot guarantee any destination for any student. We also reserve the right to make small adjustments to the allocation process, to maximise the number of study abroad spaces offered to students. 

We aim to e-mail you with your application outcome by the 7 December 2020. 

If your application is successful, you will be offered an allocated exchange place at one (1) university only. If you reject your offer, your allocated space will be offered to another student on the waiting list. You can then request to be placed on a waiting list but with no guarantee that you will be offered an alternative destination. 

Should there be any delays in the allocation process, we will notify you in advance by e-mail. 

If you would like to accept your offer, you must do so via the Global Opportunities portal by the 14 December 2020 (23:59 GMT).

If you do NOT respond to your offer by the deadline, we will assume that you have declined your offer of a study abroad place. 

Each university abroad has their own specific application procedures and deadlines starting as early as mid-January until the end of May.

Global Opportunities will inform and advise you of the application process and relevant deadline(s). You must attend an application meeting for your specific university abroad if you due to study abroad outside of the EU. 

It remains your responsibility to complete the application to your university abroad on time and as instructed. 

Below are common documents required to submit as part of the application to universities abroad. Be prepared to have these documents available when requested.

• Provisional study plan
  This is an initial outline of what units you hope to study at your host university abroad. Be aware that study plans may not be finalised until you arrive at your host university abroad.   
• Your University of Bristol transcript
  This document lists the units you have studied, and the grades you have achieved so far during your time at Bristol. Request this directly from your faculty office.
• Copy of your passport page
  Check that your passport will be valid until at least 6 months after the end of your intended study abroad period.
• Proof of finances
  Be prepared to supply proof of finances as part of your application to your host university abroad for visa purposes. This is most common for host universities located outside of the EU. See our ‘Fees, Funding and budgeting’ section for more information.
• Copy of your A-level / IB certificate(s)
  If you are applying for a semester abroad in TB1, you may be required to supply copies of your pre-university qualifications.

All study abroad places depend on you being accepted by the host university abroad, as well as meeting the minimum academic requirements set by your academic department in your first year and/or your second year.

Following acceptance, you will receive further information on next steps eg. accommodation, unit enrolment from your host university abroad leading up to departure. Global Opportunities will contact you about pre-departure requirements eg. insurance, student finance.