Birmingham is delighted to welcome a large number of students from all over the world who have chosen Birmingham as their study abroad or exchange destination.
We offer a range of different study abroad and exchange programmes.
Information for both prospective and accepted Erasmus and International Exchange students can be found below.
Prospective Students
Exchange agreements are set up for specific number of students who will initially be selected by the university they are currently studying at, or 'home institution'.
You will usually have to go through a selection process at your home university before submitting an application to Birmingham. Exchanges are only available for specific academic subject areas so we welcome applications from students studying within these areas.
Once you have been nominated by your home university you will need to complete the online application
Application deadlines
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International Exchange: 30th April
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Erasmus Exchange: 31st May
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For January entry: 1st November
We aim to make an offer within 4 weeks of receipt of the application.
Accepted Students
Once you have been made an offer of a place you will receive your offer pack with a welcome brochure and instructions for how to apply for accommodation and register for your courses. You can also visit the Welcome pages on the University's website which contain useful information for students starting at Birmingham.
You can also view our brochure for Exchange students in pdf format.
Areas to consider before choosing your programme of study
One of the distinctive features of academic life in the UK is the specialised nature of the study which students undertake in higher education. Students will usually 'belong' to one and, at most, two schools or departments and will take the majority of their modules here.
As far as possible exchange students should try to choose the majority of their modules from one specific department as this will help to give them a better 'identity' during their time at Birmingham. We will allocate all students a 'host department' on the basis of the module choices in the application form.
Module information for all Erasmus and International Exchange students
The University of Birmingham has made a strategic decision to open almost all of its undergraduate programmes to incoming study abroad and exchange students. This means that students coming to Birmingham will now have access to one of the widest ranges of courses available at any UK institution. Providing you meet the pre-requisite entry requirements, you’ll be able to select courses across disciplines to develop an academic programme that is suitable for your level, interests and subject requirements.
Visit our online module catalogue to access the complete range of modules on offer in each semester www.birmingham.ac.uk/studyabroad-courses
Special information for Erasmus students (from Europe)
Erasmus students should note that the exchange agreements that Birmingham has negotiated with their home institutions are based on department-to-department links, and for this reason module restrictions apply.
For administrative reasons, if you are attending Birmingham through a languages exchange, your 'host department' will be one of the foreign language departments. You will, however, in principle, be eligible to register for modules in the group of Departments within the College of Arts and Law, subject to normal restrictions such as academic suitability and space availability on modules. It will usually not be possible for students on languages exchanges to take courses in the College of Social Science or the Business School unless a specific arrangement has been negotiated with your home institution.
If you are an Erasmus student in all other subject areas you must choose the majority of your modules from the department or School with which your home university has established an exchange. In exceptional circumstances, you may be allowed to select one or two modules outside the exchange department in order to fulfil the requirements of your home institution. For example, if you are coming to the University through a Physics exchange we would expect that your major subject is Physics at your home institution and that you will study the majority of your modules in the School of Physics and Astronomy during your time at Birmingham.
The University does offer a wide selection of what we call 'modules outside the main discipline' (MOMD) which will enable students to enrol for a limited number of modules outside the main area of the exchange agreement. A 'module fair' is usually held at the start of the academic year to enable students to find out about these options.
Accommodation
Unfortunately the University is unable to guarantee accommodation for all the students participating on the Incoming Student Exchange Programme. We will endeavour to secure University accommodation for the International Exchange students who request it.
We also set aside a specific allocation of rooms for Erasmus students, so there is a good chance that you will be able to secure a room on campus if you apply before the deadline.
For students arriving in Birmingham for Learning Period II (January) we are usually able to provide University accommodation.
More information on the different accommodation options available at the University can be found in the undergraduate accommodation pages of the website
Special information for students from Brazil
The University of Birmingham is delighted to be one of the UK institutions selected to participate in the Science without Borders (Ciencia sem Fronteiras) scheme.
The Brazilian government is providing funding for both undergraduate and PhD students in certain subject areas to spend 12 months in the UK as part of their degree at a Brazilian university. Students will spend 9 months studying in the UK followed by a 3 month laboratory placement. There is also funding for Brazilian students to undertake an entire PhD in the UK.
Please visit our Science without Borders page to find out more.