Year abroad

The year abroad is a fundamental part of our degree programmes, offering you the chance to study or work in one or two countries related to your degree during your third year.

You will have the chance to perfect your spoken and written language(s) through the immersive experiences of living in, and becoming a part of, exciting societies and cultures around the globe, thereby developing your autonomy and heightening your employability – indeed, the year abroad experience and all that you will learn from it is central to what makes our graduates such fantastic ‘global citizens’ who stand out in the job marketplace.

There are three options for your year abroad: you can choose to study at up to two of our partner universities either within the EU or further afield in French-speaking Canada or Latin America; you can choose to apply to work for a year as a British Council language-teaching assistant; or you can choose to take up an approved work placement for either one or both semesters of your time away.

We provide an extensive preparation period in the lead up to your year abroad, to provide advice, support and help with your planning for year abroad experience. And when you are abroad you will be supported by our dedicated year abroad tutors, as well as by relevant staff at our partner universities.

Find out more about studying abroad on the International Office website.

Study Abroad partner universities

We are partners with many universities in France, Belgium, Spain, Italy and Switzerland, grouped here by the applicable language:

French

France

• Avignon
• Besançon
• Bordeaux
• Le Mans
• Lyon
• Paris
• Pau

Switzerland

• Geneva

Belgium

• Brussels
• Liège
• Louvain-la-Neuve

Canada

• Laval
• Sherbrooke
• Trois-Rivieres, Quebec

Italian

• Bologna
• Chieti-Pescara
• Padua
• Pavia
• Pisa
• Salerno
• Verona

Spanish

Spain

• Alcalá
• Barcelona
• Extremadura
• Granada
• Salamanca
• Santiago de Compostela
• Seville
• Valencia
• Valladolid
• Zaragoza

Latin America

• Bogotá (Colombia)
• Mexico City
• Puebla

If you are travelling to Latin America, help may be available in the form of a Santander Travel Award worth up to £650.