Contents What is Exchange?..3. The International Exchange Programme...3. Is the programme an option for me?...3. Direct Entry Students...

Transcription

1 International Exchange Programme Policy & Guidelines

2 Contents What is Exchange?..3 The International Exchange Programme...3 Is the programme an option for me?....3 Direct Entry Students...4 GIC- Glasgow International College Students.4 Honours-Not sure whether to study Joint or Single?.. 4 Academic Advice- Subject Coordinator(s)...4 How does International Exchange Work?... 5 Exchange Timeline..5 Does the Exchange count towards my degree?...6 Overseas Subjects/Courses/Classes What does it cost?...7 What funding is available?...7 Where can I go?...8,9,10 How do I apply?...10 The 4 Step Process...11&12 Online Application Form.3 &14 Compulsory Information Sessions..15 Academic Criteria...15 Allocation of Exchange Places Reserve List...16 What Happens Next?...16 Overseas Acceptance..17 Final Subject Approval Check at the end of the Academic year 18 Pre-Departure Event.18 2

3 What is Exchange? ex change /iksˈchānj/ noun a visit or visits in which two people or groups from different countries stay with each other or do each other s jobs or study: [as modifier]:an exchange visit to Canada an act of giving one thing and receiving another (especially of the same kind) in return: negotiations should lead to an exchange of land for peace [mass noun]:opportunities for the exchange of information verb Give something and receive something of the same kind in return Often referred to as going on exchange, exchange is the process where registered Glasgow students apply to study with one of our overseas partner institutions. Student's essentially swop/exchange places with a student coming to study in Glasgow from one of these partners. Partner institutions have been carefully selected to participate in the programme and have signed an exchange agreement with us. Students study overseas while earning credit for their Glasgow degree and paying tuition only to Glasgow. The International Exchange Programme For over 30 years the University of Glasgow has been offering students the opportunity to spend part of their degree abroad at one of our many International Exchange partners. The University now has 56 International Exchange agreements with leading institutions across the world, from Australia to Singapore, Chile to the USA - a whole world of opportunity! The purpose of this handbook is to guide you through your International Exchange application, from your first thoughts of where you might like to go through to the application process both to the University of Glasgow and, should your application be successful, to the partner institution as well. Is the programme an option for me? The programme is open to all students who are registered at the University of Glasgow, in the Colleges of Arts, Social Sciences, Science & Engineering, the School of Life Sciences, and the School of Nursing. 3

4 In this programme the students in the Schools of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and Dentistry are not eligible, but there are different international opportunities available to students in these Schools so please contact your College or School Office for more details. Language student are able to participate, but they must ensure that they study in a country relevant to their degree. Important Please note that the application process for International Exchange is extremely competitive and that no student is guaranteed a place. Direct Entry Students If you entered directly into second year it may still be possible for you to apply for an International Exchange, though the process may be different depending on which School you study in. Please ensure that you read the information below carefully and speak to your Subject Coordinator(s). GIC-Glasgow International College Students Students who have attended GIC and are now Glasgow registered students are eligible to apply with Subject Coordinator approval Honours- Not sure whether to study Joint or Single? All students are advised to apply to the Exchange Programme with the two subjects they are thinking of studying in Honours. This will mean that students must liaise with two Subject Coordinators and get approval from both. If you later decide to study single honours then this will be less of any issue as you will have already received full, double approval. If you apply with only one subject approval and then decide to study joint honours this becomes problematic and may jeopardise your Exchange. Always apply for joint subjects and seek approval form the two relevant Subject Coordinators. Academic advice- Subject Coordinator(s) Every Subject has a dedicated Subject Coordinator. This is a member of academic staff who will be a key contact for ALL academic matters. 4

5 Among other things your Subject Coordinator will be responsible for approving your application to the Exchange programme and approving your course choices & credit loads at the partner institution. They will also be responsible for your Honours place confirmation and final approval for progression overseas. Subject Coordinators can also advise on the grade transfer process, when this will happen and what the process involves. We recommend you ask for this information whilst applying for the programme. A full list of all Subject Coordinator(s) can be viewed on our website: europe/howtoapply/ How does International Exchange Work? In general students apply during second year, study abroad during in third year and returning to Glasgow for fourth year. Life Science and Science students will generally apply in first year to study abroad in second year. Engineering students can exchange in 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th year. Your Subject Coordinator(s) can advise when students in your subject go on Exchange. Exchange Timeline October Promotional events held including the annual Study Abroad Fair, Peer Advising appointments and the Compulsory Information Sessions Applications Open November Compulsory Information Sessions Appointments December Appointments Applications Close Mid-February Nominations offered by mid-end of February 24hrs given to accept or decline nomination Applications made by students to partner institutions (overseas deadlines apply) March to June Applications made by students to partner institutions (overseas deadlines apply) Students apply for visa Students apply for accommodation (overseas deadlines apply) Students book flights Students must attend compulsory Pre-Departure Event FINAL SUBJECT APPROVAL CHECK- end of year grades/next year progression June to October Depart for Exchange Notify Exchange Coordinator (Seonaid Dodds) you have arrived Confirm overseas classes with Subject Coordinator (s) when confirmed at overseas institution 5

6 Does the Exchange count towards my degree? Yes, providing that you successfully complete your time abroad with the courses and grades required for progression to your next year of study at Glasgow. This means that if you successfully complete your approved studies overseas then the work that you have undertaken at the Partner institution will be credited towards your Glasgow degree, and the grades you achieve will be converted into Glasgow equivalent marks. This grade transfer process takes place within each School and Subject Coordinator(s) can advise on this. If you are undertaking a study abroad period which is a compulsory part of your Glasgow degree programme, other arrangements may apply, and you should check these with your Subject Coordinator(s) Overseas Subjects/Courses/Classes While you are abroad you are expected to take equivalent courses to those you would have taken had you remained in Glasgow. Not all of our partners offer courses in all subject areas, or enough courses in one subject to meet your GU requirements. It is very important that you research the different options available to you through the information pages on our website. europe/wherecanyougo/ Important It is your responsibility to ensure that you select institutions where appropriate courses are available and ensure these are approved by your Subject Coordinator(s) The partners information pages clearly state if a subject is unavailable at that institution. However, just because courses are available does not mean that there are enough options available to meet your GU requirements, OR that they are available to Exchange students, OR that they are appropriate for your degree. It is vital that you research your choices carefully. All overseas pre-requisite requirements MUST be met. If the courses that interest you have pre-requisites that you do not meet and you then select those classes you will not be allowed to take them overseas. This could this could put your Exchange and Glasgow degree in jeopardy. It is vital to be aware that our International Exchange agreements DO NOT guarantee you entry to any particular course, so it is important that you select a partner that can provide you with a number of different alternatives. This is especially important for students studying on degrees with very specific requirements for progression into the next year. 6

7 What does it cost? Tuition Fees You will continue to pay tuition fees to the University of Glasgow and will not be expected to pay any tuition fees to the partner institution. For more information on your fees see the website: Exchange students continue to be registered at Glasgow and are therefore still eligible for any funding, grants or scholarships they normally receive. Other expenses You will also need to cover other associated costs such as: Travel Visa fees Accommodation Insurance Vaccinations Personal expenses Administrative fees at the partner institution (if applicable) It s also worth noting that some countries such as the USA or Canada require you to prove that you have sufficient funds for your year abroad in advance, often at the time of overseas application. The amount you need to show varies between institutions, but can be as high as $25,000. Evidence can include things like copies of either your own or your parents /guardians bank account; a notification letter of a scholarship/grant, and proof of accessible savings/investments. It often excludes things like your parents salary; as it has to be funds you have readily available. What funding is available? Unfortunately there is very little, if any, funding available for International Exchanges and no funds have been confirmed for other than the Study Abroad Student Ambassador (SASA) positions. These are application based scholarships. Students who accept an overseas nomination will be invited to apply in April There may be other funding available to you based on your personal circumstances. There is the University of Glasgow's Scholarships website and the Directory of Grant Making Trusts are good places to start. The Main Library will have a copy of the directory that you can look through. Students may also want to research what funding is available for incoming students at the Partner Institutions. This can be done via the Partner websites, the Returned Student Reports and SASA blogs. There may be other external funding bodies identified through websites like The British Council-UK Students Abroad, Third Year Abroad and Go International. and The Study Abroad and Exchange Office also keeps an eye out for new funding opportunities and will notify relevant students should any become available. 7

8 Where can I go? There really is a whole world of opportunity available to you. The following table shows some of our partner institutions and the typical number of places we have available each year. Please note these may be subject to change. Important Partner specifications for are noted overleaf. Please read these carefully to see if these apply to your subject as this will help to guide your research and partner choices. Subject Coordinator(s) have this information and also lists of Partners where their students have had successful exchanges in previous years. Students should discuss these with their Subject Coordinator(s). The information below may be subject to change and if that happens the Subject Coordinator (s) will be notified and advise students accordingly. Any notes that are tbc will be confirmed with details passed to Subject Coordinators. Notes for This is information provided to us by Partners for this academic year and relates to subject availability for exchange students. While a Partner may offer classes in your subject of study, the full range of courses may not be available to visiting students. There are many reasons as to why specific Partners may not be suitable matches for your subject in a particular year including standard partner changes to course offerings, high local demand which may restrict class availability, and timetable clashes. When researching a partner, you will normally need to confirm which courses are available to exchange students in your subject, and will need to confirm that these are of a suitable level and frequency to meet your Glasgow course load requirements. Please see Partner Fact Files for more information on the Partner Institutions pe/wherecanyougo/ 8

9 Country University Notes for No. of Full Argentina Universidad del Salvador (USAL) Teaches in Spanish 0 Australia Macquarie University 3 Queensland Univ.of Technology (QUT) University of Adelaide 4 University of Melbourne (U21) 5 University of New South Wales (UNSW) Accepts Law 6 University of Queensland (U21) Accepts Law 8 University of Sydney Accepts Law 5 University of Western Australia (UWA) Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy (ADA) Politics and CEES only 2+ Brazil Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Teaches in Portuguese 4 Year Places (approx.) 2 & 2 Law 3 & 2 Law Canada Dalhousie University Not suitable for BusSchool students 7 May accept Economics only-tbc McGill University (U21) Not suitable for BusSchool students Will accept B&M only 3 4Bus&Mgt McMaster University PG Engineering only 1 Queen s University Arts & Science only 4 Simon Fraser University Not suitable for BusSchool students 2 University of Alberta - TBC University of British Columbia (U21) All student exchanges dependent upon agreement being finalised Not suitable for BusSchool students Not suitable for Politics students University of Calgary Not suitable for BusSchool students 5-9&0.5 law University of Quebec Teaches in French 4 & 2 Law University of Toronto BusSchool availability in Scarborough campus only 2 Not suitable for Maths & Stats Chile Pontificia Uni. Catolica de Chile (PUC) Teaches in Spanish 4-5 China University of Nottingham-Ningbo campus BusSchool availability tbc 3-4 (U21) HK University of Hong Kong (U21) Higher grade students only for BusSchool & Politics- 8 & 1 Law other schools as per usual Not suitable for Maths &Stats Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Higher grade students only for BusSchool &Politics - 3 other schools as per usual Accepts Law Japan Akita International University Bus & Mgmt. only 1 Teaches in Japanese with some teaching in English Hitotsubashi University Social Sciences only 2-3 Teaches in Japanese with some teaching in English Kyushu University Teaches in Japanese with some teaching in English 1 Joetsu University of Education Education only 1 Teaches in Japanese with some teaching in English Korea Korea University (U21) 2 Malaysia Mexico Uni. of Nottingham-Malaysia Campus (U21) Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico (U21) BusSchool availability tbc 2-3 Teaches in Spanish 3 9

10 NZ University of Auckland (U21) 2 &1.5 Law University of Otago Accepts Law 3 Singapore National University of Singapore (U21) Arts, Science, Engineering & Law only 3 & 1 Law Not suitable for Soc Sciences Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Not suitable for BusSchool students 5 Not suitable for Economics students Not suitable for single Hons Mathematics S Africa University of Cape Town with Arcadia BusSchool availability tbc 2 University USA Boston College Joint honours students only-all subjects 8 Not suitable for BusSchool students Miami University, Ohio Not suitable for BusSchool students 4 Radford University, Virginia Not suitable for BusSchool students 2 State University of New York-Albany Not suitable for BusSchool students 5-6 (SUNY) University of Alabama BusSchool availability-acc/fin only 2 University of Alaska, Fairbanks Not suitable for BusSchool students 3-4 University of California Suitable for BusSchool students 12 University of Connecticut Not suitable for BusSchool students 2 Economics-tbc University of Illinois- Urbana Champaign Not suitable for BusSchool students 2 University of Maryland Not suitable for BusSchool students 2 University of Massachusetts-Amherst Not suitable for BusSchool students 5-6 University of Miami, Florida Not suitable for BusSchool students 3 University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Not suitable for BusSchool students 2-3 Not suitable for Politics students University of Oklahoma Not suitable for BusSchool students 5 University of Virginia (U21) Not suitable for BusSchool students 2 Politics only available in College Arts&Science University of Wisconsin Eau Claire Not suitable for BusSchool students 4 University of Wisconsin La Crosse Not suitable for BusSchool students 1 University of Wisconsin Stout Not suitable for BusSchool students 1 University of Wisconsin Greenbay Not suitable for BusSchool students 1 Studying abroad at an institution the University of Glasgow does not have a formal agreement with is strictly prohibited and students are not able to create new exchange agreements. How do I apply? All applications should be made through our online application system, at the following address: europe/howtoapply/ Deadline for applications to be submitted online Thursday 18 th December, 2014, 5pm. 10

11 The 4 Step Process Step 1 Consult your Subject Areas Consult your Subject Coordinator(s) here in Glasgow to obtain approval in principle for your participation. Find out what courses you will need to take on your year/semester abroad. It is crucial that you have obtained approval to study abroad from your Subject Co-ordinator(s) here in Glasgow. You must confirm what courses you will be required to study overseas, the number of overseas credits you must study and how (if) your grades will be transferred Step 2 Do your Research and find out about the student experience It is up to you to research your chosen exchange universities and ensure that they offer courses that appear to be the equivalent of what your Subject Co-ordinator(s) have advised that you would need to study abroad Read the Exchange webpages carefully all essential programme information and FAQS are here: Speak to other Exchange Students; no one can offer you better advice than those who have been or are currently on exchange. We therefore highly recommend you research the following resources. Study Abroad Student Ambassadors Blogs check out the blogs of current study abroad students and also contact them with any questions you may have (be sure to also check out the blogroll from as these are by the students who have recently returned - Study Abroad Flickr and Photo Gallery Study Abroad Facebook - this is a great forum to interact with other students. Simply search for Glasgow University Students Abroad on Facebook to join! Returned Student Reports- information from the returned students on their experiences and what you need to know about the Partners they were at. Other good online resources we recommend to all students are; British Council- UK Students Abroad Third Year Abroad Third Year Abroad is written by returned students (and supported by the British Council) to provide information on everything you need to know from deciding where to go, getting Insurance to coping with Health Issues and making the most of your time overseas. Go International- All that you need to know about Study and Work Abroad' is a new website that aims to support UK HE by providing the latest policy and information including case studies and opportunities for study and work abroad. It also contains information on the benefits of international experience, as well as guidance on sources of funding and pages for parents to find out more about Study Abroad. Partner Fact Files on the Where can you go web pages link to the Partner web sites which contain the overseas course catalogues. You should use these to research and select the courses that appear to be the equivalents of what your Subject Coordinators have advised you would need to study abroad (the equivalent of what you would normally be studying here in second or third year). sideeurope/wherecanyougo/ 11

12 Step 3 Attend one of the Compulsory Information Sessions europe/#tabs=1 Step 4 Complete your Application and Get Academic Approval Complete your application and take details of the course matches you have made to the relevant Subject Coordinator(s) to obtain their approval. Ask the Subject Coordinator(s) to complete the academic approval section of the online application. Submit your application! Please note changes cannot be made after this point. Please take as much researched overseas course information as possible with you to ensure a productive meeting with your Subject Coordinator. Submission and afterwards Once submitted all applications are assessed and ranked based on the Assessment Criteria. The Assessment Criteria will be used by the selection committee and can provide a guideline for application completion. Assessment Criteria Academic Performance (0-5 points) Assessment criteria: A grade average (5 points) B grade average (4 points) C grade average (3 points) Less than C grade average, any fails or re-sits (automatic rejection unless extenuating circumstances i.e. medical issues etc.) (0-2 points) Personal Statement (0-8 points) Assessment criteria: Demonstrates understanding of the programme, motivation to participate & the requirements of an exchange student including the personal attributes thought necessary for studying overseas. (3 points) Demonstrates research into Partners including the resources used for this (2 points) Ability to represent the University as demonstrated by extracurricular activity & interests (2 points) Prior relevant experience, travel or other (1 point) Budget Planning and Financial Commitment (0-5 points) Assessment criteria: Evidence of detailed budget planning with funding identified (5 points) Evidence of some budget planning with funding identified (4 points) No/minimal appropriate budgeting, no funding identified (0-3 points) Application Completion- Readiness to Participate in International Exchange (0-2 points) Assessment criteria: Appropriate selection of chosen Institutions(1point) GU subjects have been matched with equivalents at Partner Universities/Colleges (1point) 12

13 Online Application Form The application form is very straight forward and contains the following sections: Personal Details This is the basic personal information required for your application. Please always use your student address. Study in Glasgow Detail your planned future subjects and their Subject Coordinator(s) noting that all students studying on an Honours programme should apply to the Exchange programme as if they are going on to study Joint honours overseas, thus seeking the approval of both Subject Coordinators. If a student then decides to study single honours then there is less of an issue as it is easier to drop a subject that has been approved than try and seek approval for a new subject at a time of year when overseas deadlines may not allow time for this. Requested Partner Institutions Important You MUST detail your three partner institutions and specify your preference with an optional fourth choice You MUST check that the institutions you select offer a full range of courses in your subject area(s) You MUST check that your Subject Coordinators approve each of these matches and then complete the online Subject Coordinator Approval. If no subject approval is given your application cannot be submitted. Please only list institutions you would actually like to attend. If you are offered a place at any of your three choices and decline that offer, you will not be added to the reserve list for any other and your application will be withdrawn. Students with a fourth choice will automatically be considered for this if their three choices are already full. If there is no fourth choice students will be added to the reserve list and allocated a place if any are available. (See Reserve List section) Please note: If you are thinking of applying to University of California it is ONE partner choice, but you must research, get subject approval and apply for three of the UC campuses. Also the University of California have very specific pre-requisites which you must make sure you meet. Personal Statement This section is more subjective and gives students the opportunity to explain why they are a good applicant and should be offered an overseas nomination. Particular consideration will be given to applicants who may be expected to benefit most significantly from the opportunities provided by an exchange experience and who evidence the most research. Understanding, Motivation and Requirements (100 words) Tell us what you know about the Exchange Programme and why you want to participate. Detail what personal attributes you think are required by a student participating in the Exchange and if you have these. 13

14 Research and Resources (300 words) Demonstrate why you have chosen these Partners detailing what you have discovered in your research about studying in a new education system, what an overseas workload entails, how will you be assessed and why is this is good choice for your subject. We are looking for students to demonstrate thorough research and reasoning for partner selection, for details of how they have been preparing to study overseas and how you will cope with the hard times as well as the good times. Representing the University of Glasgow (100 words) Provide details on when you have represented a school, club, organisation (or something similar) and what skills this has given you that will benefit you on Exchange. Prior Relevant Experience (100 words) If you have spent time overseas please tell us more about what you were doing, how you prepared for this, how you overcame any hardships and what your time overseas taught you. If you have not spent time overseas please provide an example of when you have been in a difficult situation and how you resolved the issues you were faced with. How you went about this, who did you ask for help, how was the situation resolved and what did you learn from it? In addition to this please feel free to provide details of other experiences you have had that you feel are relevant to your participation in the Exchange. These do not need to be exclusively travel related. For example have you lived or worked away from home or have you always wanted to, do you have friends or family who are on/have been on Exchange or live abroad. Financial Planning Students must demonstrate budget plans for each of your chosen destinations. Please note: This section plays an important part in the selection process. Applicants who demonstrate careful and thorough planning increase their chances of being selected. Areas that should be addressed in your budget include: Accommodation Living Expenses; food, utilities, books etc. Insurance and Visa costs Flights and Travel/Trips Other expenditure not listed above You should enter the amount calculated for each section, a quick justification of each amount that reflects your research and a total of funds needed for each partner. Readiness to Participate Students can demonstrate this by fully completing the appropriate selection of chosen partners and showing that all UG required subjects have been matched with equivalents at partners. 14

15 Compulsory Information Sessions All students must attend ONE Compulsory Information Session to have their application considered. Registration will be taken and students cannot apply online until you have attended a session. europe/#tabs=1 Academic Criteria For participation in the International Exchange programme students must have at least a C grade average across all subjects. Some Exchange Partners and Subject areas at Glasgow will require a minimum of a B average. Students with any failure in their record (even with successful resit) can normally not be considered, however if they have Subject Coordinator (s) approval they may be considered but should be aware they will rank lower than students with no re-sits/fails. All grades on MyCampus at the end of January 2015 will be taken into consideration for academic assessment. Allocation of Exchange Places Each student application is ranked by the Study Abroad & Exchange Office and the College Mobility Coordinator. When both parties have ranked their students, the Study Abroad & Exchange Office will allocate exchange places. Students, who have been successful, will receive an when allocations are complete which will offer them a place at a partner institution. This will usually take place from the middle to end of February and students will have 24hours to accept or decline the nomination. If students are not nominated for any of partner choices, but have confirmed during nomination communications that they would consider other options, they will be added to the reserve list and offered a place at another institution, should any places be or become available. Please note: Once you have been made an offer you will not be considered for any other places, even if a place becomes available at one of your choices later on. Students whose applications were declined will be notified. Important Once you accept a place and an overseas nomination is made this place is yours and cannot be used by any other student. You should think carefully before accepting an offer of a place on the programme. If you accept and then change your mind another student will lose out, the place will be lost and the Exchange balance affected. This can have repercussions on UoG s reputation and may impact the number of Exchange places offered in future years. 15

16 International and Erasmus+ applications You can receive an offer for both an International Exchange and an Erasmus Exchange; however YOU CAN ONLY ACCEPT ONE OFFER. Once you accept one offer, your other application will be cancelled. If you accept both an International and an Erasmus offer both applications may be cancelled. Reserve List Once the deadline to accept or decline offers has passed, any places which have not been accepted or have been declined will be reallocated to students on the reserve list. If you have not accepted your offer within 24hours of receiving it your place is automatically forfeited and you will not be placed on the reserve list. Any students declining a place at one of their three choices will not be placed on the reserve list. Students placed on the reserve list cannot change their requested partner institutions or request to wait for a specific institution. Timescales for allocating reserve places can be very tight. It is essential that you keep a close eye on your s during the period of Mid February to early March as we often require a decision and subject approval for the new partner within hours. If you do not accept an offer by the deadline the place will be reallocated. All students still on the reserve list will be notified by early April at the very latest that allocations have finished and that they were unsuccessful. What Happens Next? Overseas Nomination Students are officially nominated to International partner institutions. Application Overseas Students then apply directly to the partner institution. All students will be sent full information about how to apply to their host institution from February onwards. This application process will usually include a request for a place in University accommodation (for which students pay directly). Some institutions have later deadlines than others so don t panic if your friends receive information before you. All overseas nominations are made by end of March, however partner Institution deadlines run for several months and this will dictate when the partners get back to you with acceptance letters. Students are required to hand hard copies of overseas applications to the Study Abroad & Exchange Office before overseas deadlines. In many instances this is required as an authorisation step that MUST take place before the partner institutions will process your application. 16

17 Important To secure the overseas subjects you need and accommodation (there will be competition for both) APPLY AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE, ideally as soon as you receive instructions. We strongly advise you do not wait until the overseas deadline. Late applications will not normally be accepted overseas Incomplete applications to the partner institution means there will be a delay in your application consideration which may have knock on effects with subject and accommodation allocation Due to volumes and individual overseas processes the Study Abroad & Exchange team are not able to check overseas application documents or advise on overseas admissions processing. The Partner Institutions should be the main point of contact for these enquiries Exchange Sessions Exchange sessions will be run directly after nominations to give students a chance to meet each other, find out more about their overseas application process and the specifics of preparing to study in their nominated country. Overseas Acceptance Between April and June you should expect to receive confirmation from the partner institution that your application has been accepted. While it would be unusual for an exchange application to be declined (the partners are aware of the rigorous selection process to join the programme), they do reserve the right to turn down any applications they deem unsuitable, so you should not book flights etc. until you have received this confirmation. You will then need to arrange your Flights Visa Insurance Accommodation Travel Arrangements If a student is accepted they will receive an acceptance/offer. When this is received students can then apply for their overseas visa and start planning their departure. We do not recommend students make travel plans until they have received an acceptance/offer from the partner. Visa Information Each Glasgow student has an individual visa status and will be required to apply for a student visa for the country they are nominated to. All students should contact the Embassy/Consulates of the country they are travelling to and follow all instructions. The partner institution will also advise on the incoming student visa and immigration requirements. Please note: the Study Abroad & Exchange office cannot advise on any visa related matters and recommend students contact the relevant experts overseas or at the Embassy/Consulates. 17

18 IMPORTANT-Tier 4 Visa Students All Tier 4 visa students must identify themselves to the International Exchange Coordinator post nomination. Instructions will be provided as to how to do this. If you have Tier 4 status to study at Glasgow you will also be subject to the same checks overseas and are expected to be fully registered at both Glasgow and the overseas partner institution, ensuring you are enrolled and attending all classes. Final Subject Approval Check at the end of the Academic year To proceed with your Exchange you must pass all your courses and end of year exams. If you are studying an Honours Subject you must correctly apply for an Honours place (as directed by your School(s)) and keep confirmation of this with your personal exchange documents. If you are not in an Honours Subject or in 1 st year you must have subject approval that you are on track to progress to second year and permission to continue with the Exchange. Keep confirmation of this with your personal exchange documents. Pre-Departure Event All students who go on an International exchange MUST attend one of the Compulsory Pre-Departure Event which takes place on or around 1 st May. The Pre-Departure Event is designed to fully prepare you for your year abroad and it is at this event that you will receive a copy of the Pre-Departure Guide. 18