Incoming Study Abroad

Academic Requirements

You should have completed at least the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject area to the course delivered at UCA. You will need to supply your transcript on application to UCA. 

English Language Requirements

If English is not your first language, a qualification is required as evidence that you have the necessary level of English language to succeed in your chosen course. We can accept the following qualifications:

• IELTS: 6.0 or above (with a minimum of 5.5 in each individual component).
• Pearson PTE Academic: 59 or above.
• TOEFL:  80 or above (with at least 17 in Listening, 18 in Reading, 20 in Speaking and 17 in Writing).
• Cambridge English: Proficiency or Advanced - 169 (with a minimum of 162 in each component).

For more information visit UCA Language Requirements.

Please note your English language qualification must be no more than two years old at the beginning of your exchange period. We expect you to submit your English language qualification with your application by the deadline given.

As an Exchange Student you can choose to study the second year of a UCA course for either the Autumn or Spring Semester, or the full academic year. 

To find a complete list of courses and units available please go to our Course Catalogue.

UCA courses have specific academic entry requirements, so make sure you check these before you apply. We also recommend you discuss your choices with your home university and make sure they are relevant to your degree.

Exchange Programme

To apply for the UCA Exchange Programme you must be studying with a partner university and be nominated by your home university. Approved students will be invited by UCA to apply, and sent a link to a formal application, where you will be asked to provide:

• A scanned copy of your passport (front cover and photo page).
• Your first-year university results transcript.
• Your English language qualification certificate.
• Portfolio of work on request.

Fee-Paying Study Abroad

Apply directly to UCA. Please contact the UCA Study Abroad team at [email protected] to check your eligibility.

Exchange students

You will continue to pay your tuition fees to your home university, and you will not be asked to pay any fees to UCA. You will be responsible for your own living expenses, including travel costs, accommodation, insurance etc.

Fee Paying Study Abroad students

You will be required to pay all UCA application and tuition fees for the duration of your study at UCA, as well as your own living expenses. Please see Incoming Study Abroad fees for more details.

It’s very important that you find the right accommodation to suit your needs while you are in the UK. Choose from campus halls of residence, privately rented flats and houses or local lodgings.

Find out more about our accommodation at your campus, including how to apply here or contact our accommodation team at [email protected].

Depending on the country of origin and the length of study, the student may require a visa to enter and study in the UK.

Visitor Visa – Exchange placements for up to 6 months

For exchange periods less than 6 months, students can come to the UK on a visitor visa. Students are not permitted to work on this visa including unpaid internships.

If you are a national of the EU/EEA, you will need an ETA from 2 April 2025 and you can apply online from 5 March 2025.

If you are a non-visa national from outside the EU/EAA you will need an ETA from 8 January 2025 and can apply ETA online from 27 November 2024.

Before these dates, non-visa nationals will be issued a visa on entry to the UK.

Important: If you enter the UK on a visitor visa, you will not be permitted to work in the UK. This means you will not be able to enrol in UCA work placement modules, unpaid internships, or paid or unpaid work.  The study rights to this visa cannot be extended. If a student wishes to extend their study at UCA for a period over six months, the student will be required to depart the UK and apply for a student route visa before returning.

Student Route Visa – Exchange placement over six months

Students coming to the UK for more than six months will need to apply for a Student Route visa, which will be issued by the UCA International Admissions team and must be granted before arrival in the UK.  If at any time, students decide to reduce their period of study. In that case, the University will notify the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) Department of the Home Office of a course’s alternation and earlier departure date. The UKVI would then curtail (shorten) students' visas to be in line with the new study period.

On a Student Route visa, students would be permitted to work 20 hours per week in the UK during term time and full time during official vacation periods. Please note that there are several restrictions on the types of work that you could do on a Student Route visa; for more information, please see the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website for more information.

More information:

For up-to-date visa information please consult the GOV.UK website which can help to determine whether students need to obtain a visa before they travel to the UK and will provide official information about the rules and requirements: www.gov.uk/student-visa.

For further information on visas email [email protected] or visit uca.ac.uk/international/visas-and-immigration/.

Please note visa information provided in this document is general in nature, and correct at the time of drafting. The UK government and/or UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) may change visa requirements and regulations at any time.

We recommend that you take out travel and health insurance prior to departing your home country and arriving in the UK.

If you are studying for a period of less than six months, you will not be eligible for free UK health care under the NHS and will be consider a private patient. This means you will need to pay for any NHS care at point of us. We advise that you take out private health insurance cover during your stay.

If your are studying at UCA for 6 months or more you will be eligible for NHS health care (excluding dental treatment eye test, prescriptions). You will be required to pay a  immigration health surcharge as part of your visa application. For more information, including surcharge costs please visit - www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application.

You‘re never alone at UCA – whether it’s help settling in, assistance with your studies, counselling or even advice on your finances, our student services department is here to support you.

We also offer specialist support services to help our international students, those who are young carers or are care leavers and to our students who have disabilities, medical conditions and specific learning differences.

For more information on our services can be found here.

You can contact the UCA Global Mobility team via [email protected].