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How much will it cost?
McNeil Scholarship

McNeil Scholarship

A chance for students from Scotland to spend a year at Drexel University in Philadelphia, USA

Researching the cost of studying or working abroad is a vital step in planning your international experience. While we strive to ensure that we have opportunities to suit all budgets, knowing more about the costs involved allows you to save the money you need to make the most of your time abroad.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees for those spending one or two semesters abroad are usually paid to the University of Aberdeen as normal, though the exact method of payment will depend on your fee status (see table below). No tuition fees would be due to your host university for those on study exchange.

Exact tuition fee arrangements will depend on when students commenced their degree.

Students commencing their degree in 2021/22 onwards

STUDY EXCHANGE Single semester Full academic year
Scottish (SAAS-funded) Full fee paid by SAAS Full fee paid by SAAS
Scottish (self-funded) Full fee paid by student Full fee paid by student
Rest of UK Full fee paid by student 15% of fee paid by student
(£1380 for 2021/22)
International / EU Full fee paid by student Full fee paid by student

TRAINEESHIPS Single semester Full academic year
Scottish (SAAS-funded) Full fee paid by SAAS 50% fee paid by SAAS
50% fee waiver
Scottish (self-funded) Full fee paid by student 50% fee paid by student
50% fee waiver
Rest of UK Full fee paid by student 15% of fee paid by student
(£1380 for 2021/22)
International / EU Full fee paid by student Full fee paid by student

Students commencing their degree in 2020/21

STUDY EXCHANGE Single semester Full academic year
Scottish/EU (SAAS-funded) Full fee paid by SAAS Full fee paid by SAAS
Scottish/EU (self-funded) Full fee paid by student Full fee paid by student
Rest of UK Full fee paid by student Fee waiver**
International / EU Full fee paid by student Full fee paid by student

TRAINEESHIPS Single semester Full academic year
Scottish/EU (SAAS-funded) Full fee paid by SAAS 50% fee paid by SAAS
50% fee waiver
Scottish/EU (self-funded) Full fee paid by student 50% fee paid by student
50% fee waiver
Rest of UK Full fee paid by student Fee waiver**
International Full fee paid by student Full fee paid by student

**Fee waiver - this is based on eligibility for a final-year fee waiver: available to RUK students who commenced their degree in 2020/21 or earlier. For these students, the final-year fee waiver is switched to the year abroad. Please note that the fee waiver can only be applied once.

Tuition fees will be unaffected for students undertaking summer or graduate opportunities.

Funding

Eligibility for maintenance grants and loans

Students going abroad for a semester or year should continue to be eligible for maintenance grants and loans as normal, ie SAAS, Student Finance, etc. If you are unsure, check with your funding provider.

If the period abroad is a compulsory part of your programme, you may be able to claim the cost of return flights and medical insurance, even if you do not usually qualify for a maintenance grant - check with your funding provider for details.

Additional funding opportunities

The funding available depends on where you are going and what you are doing. We have outlined the main funding opportunities below. Please note, these are subject to availability and not guaranteed.

Where there is no funding available, you should assume that an opportunity is self-funded, ie that you have to pay for it yourself.

Turing Scheme

Study exchange and traineeship opportunities may be funded under the UK Government's Turing Scheme. This is conditional on the level of funding available for each academic year. Please see the Turing Scheme website for the latest grant rates . You cannot apply for funding directly from the Turing website; students instead apply through the Go Abroad Department. Please note that Turing Funding is never guaranteed.

The approximate rates for 2024/2025 are as follows:

  • Group 1 countries (Australia, Canada, Japan, USA, Norway) receive £420/month
  • Group 2+3 countries (most European countries, Hong Kong, South Korea, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa) receive £360/month.

Students from disadvantaged background can receive an additional £120/month plus travel allowance, etc.

Disabled students and students with long-term health conditions can receive the standard grant rate plus actual costs for additional expenditures.

Visit the Turing Scheme website for more information: Cost of living groups - Turing Scheme (turing-scheme.org.uk)

Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP)

SEMP funding enables Swiss higher education institutions to provide funding for mobility abroad. This includes students going to Switzerland from a partner university overseas, such as the University of Aberdeen, for a period of study. This is administered by the Swiss host institution. Please note, this is not available for traineeships.

north2north Funding, administered by the University of the Arctic

north2north Funding is available to University of Aberdeen students who have an offer of study in Norway - University of Bergen or the University of Tromso (aka UiT - the Arctic University of Norway), Denmark - Aarhus University, or Finland - University of Lapland, University of Turku or the University of Helsinki.

Award amounts vary by country:

  • Norway - approximately £10,000 per student
  • Denmark - 1000€ for a study exchange of 2 - 5 months, 1300€ for a study exchange of 6-8 months and 1500€ for a study exchange 9-12 months. 500€ is also available for travel
  • Finland - 3000€ for one semester and 5000€ for two semesters

These are 2023/24 rates for guidance only. Please note, north2north funding is not available for traineeships.

McNeil Scholarship

The McNeil Scholarship is for Drexel University in the USA. This is a competitive award which has, in previous years, been $25,000 USD.

BUTEX Scholarship

The BUTEX Scholarship is available for destinations in North America. These are competitive awards of £500 GBP.

Stevenson Exchange Scholarship

This scholarship is for students studying in France, Germany or Spain. Students undertaking a Teaching Assistantship may apply for a Scholarship but must be in a position to combine teaching with attendance at a University. This scholarship is administered by the University of Glasgow but students are nominated by the University of Aberdeen. Places are limited. Applicants are required to attend an interview.

Additional costs

Students going abroad during their degrees should budget for the following additional costs:

  • Return flights to and from host destination at the beginning and end of your exchange period. If you plan to travel home for weekend breaks, holidays or celebrations then you should also budget for these flight costs.
  • Visa costs. For UK nationals, you will need a visa to study or work abroad in most destinations. For EU nationals, you will need a visa to study abroad at any of our partner institutions outside of Europe. Visas can be costly. In addition to the processing fee itself you may have to meet the costs of required medical exams and/or obtaining required police certificates, as well as travel to/from the relevant Embassy which may be some distance from your home. Visa requirements, and therefore costs, vary be country, so it is worth researching these costs prior to applying for study exchange.
  • Insurance. While you will be entitled to University of Aberdeen travel insurance free of charge, taking out additional private insurance is highly recommended (and for some host universities, essential).

This is in addition to costs that you would usually budget for if you were in Aberdeen, such as:

  • Accommodation
  • Subsistence, ie food, drink and other essentials
  • Local transport
  • Books

Check out this useful Go Abroad budget calculator from the Digipass Project to help you with your financial planning.