About our study exchanges

Learn about the exchanges offered at the University of Edinburgh.

What is a study exchange?

A study exchange allows you to spend a year or semester at a partner institution abroad as an integral component of your undergraduate degree programme. Most of our exchanges are for a full academic year.

If your undergraduate degree includes a compulsory period of study abroad, you will usually be required to spend some or all of your third year abroad. But optional exchanges are also available to students on degrees programmes with no compulsory study abroad component. 

Our exchange programmes are competitive. No applicant is guaranteed a place.

University-wide or Subject-specific?

The University of Edinburgh offers two application types - University-wide exchanges and Subject-specific exchanges.  Both the University-wide and Subject-specific options include destinations in Europe and worldwide.  You can apply through both the University-wide and Subject-specific routes, but you can only accept one place!

Find out more about each option below.

University-wide exchanges are open to students from most Schools and Subject Areas in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science (CAHSS) and Science and Engineering (CSE).  Places are managed and allocated centrally by the Study and Work Away Service (SWAY) and can be extremely competitive as they are open to students from across the University.  

Most partner institutions offer teaching in English.

Due to the diversity of academic programmes offered at Edinburgh, we’re not able to guarantee that every partner will offer courses to meet the degree requirements of every student. You need to do some independent research to work out which options will be best for you and you should only apply to an institution which clearly offers suitable courses for your degree programme.

The vast majority of exchanges offered through the University-wide route are for a FULL ACADEMIC YEAR only.  For most students, single-semester exchange is not permitted. 

The only exceptions to this are joint-honours language students studying either Spanish or Portuguese plus one other language, who need to split their year abroad between two countries. This is to allow them to spend the Spanish/Portuguese portion of their year abroad in a relevant Latin American country.

Students wishing to apply for this option must first contact the SWAY team to check this is possible at their selected destination(s).

Contact the SWAY team via email: international.outgoing@ed.ac.uk


Subject-specific exchanges are restricted to students from just one School or Subject Area, and places are managed at School level.  So where you can go depends on what you are studying.

These exchanges have been set up at subject area level so should offer courses suitable to your degree programme. Some of our partner institution will offer teaching in English, but for those that don’t, please check the Language Requirements section.

Applications may be less competitive than through University-wide exchange, as you will only be competing against other students from your Subject Area.

Most Subject-specific exchanges are for a FULL ACADEMIC YEAR. Only students applying for exchange at one of our European destinations, and who are studying on one of the following degree programmes, may be able to apply for single semester exchange:

  • Modern European Languages
  • Divinity
  • Economics
  • History, Classics and Archaeology
  • Linguistics
  • English Language
  • Some ECA programmes (e.g, Fine Arts, Design)

Please check your options with your School Exchange Coordinator before applying. With the exception of some Modern European Languages, students are not normally able to split their exchange year between two destinations.

Find your Exchange Coordinator


How does it work?

The usual timeline for an exchange is:

  • apply at the start of your second year
  • study abroad during your third year 
  • return to Edinburgh for your fourth year

Some students on five-year degree programmes may be permitted to go on exchange in their fourth year - please check with your School for details. 

While abroad, you will study courses which are relevant and at an appropriate level to your Edinburgh degree programme.

Exchange students do not pay tuition fees at their host university and may also be eligible to have their Edinburgh fees reduced.

Going on my exchange year was the best challenge I have ever put myself through. 

Business Management student Went on exchange to the University of Texas at Austin, USA

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