Study overseas application process
This process will take you through what's involved to apply and take part in overseas study.
2. Recommended institutions
Look through the list of institutions recommended for your discipline. We have listed these institutions as those that are the best for you.
Other considerations
Do you have electives?
Students are strongly advised to save their general electives to take on exchange. These courses will be the easiest to obtain approval for credit from the BEL Faculty and will provide the most flexibility when it comes time to enrol in courses at the host university.
Do you have core courses or courses towards your major to study?
- You will need to research courses offered by your host university, determine how many courses you must complete to fulfil the full-time study load, and select those courses you believe will meet your program requirements.
- Most institutions have pre-approved courses which you can choose from to study in order to gain credit for specific courses towards electives/majors.
- If you cannot undertake general electives on exchange it is best that you choose courses that have already been pre-approved. Please refer to the UQ Credit Precedent Database for further information on these courses. The UQ credit precedent database is to be used as a guide only in preparing your study plan for exchange. The database shows courses at UQ and overseas institutions that have been approved for previous students on exchange, yet they may no longer be available at your host university, nor offered in the correct semester for your exchange.
- If you are required to complete a course that does not have a pre-approved equivalent at your preferred host institution, you will need to do a little more research.
- You can find an overview of courses offered on your host university’s website
- Search for courses that have similar titles and descriptions to your required UQ Courses or electives.
- Make sure you are referring to courses that are offered in the semester you intend to go on exchange, are offered either in English or in the foreign language in which you are proficient, are the correct level (e.g. Undergraduate) and you have met any host prerequisite requirements. If the course descriptions aren’t yet available, refer to the courses that were offered the year prior for the semester in which you will be studying. You will need to refer to the host university’s catalogue at regular intervals to ensure that your courses are still available, and to check if any new courses have been added.
- Download the detailed course descriptions of the courses you would like to take and attach this information to your study plan, ready for submission to the BEL Faculty for approval. If you are having difficulty obtaining the information you need on your selected courses, please contact your UQ Abroad Exchange Advisor for help. Before submitting your study plan to your Faculty, please discuss your selected courses with the BEL International Mobility Coordinator.
- Submit you study plan to the BEL Faculty for approval. In most cases, your study plan will not be approved until you have been accepted by UQ Abroad and nominated to a host university. Please note this process can take between 1-3 months after the application deadline. Approval by your UQ Faculty does not guarantee availability of these courses at your host university. Flexibility in program requirements and course selection is essential to a successful exchange.