Studying abroad with the UK Turing scheme: what you need to know

It is common to consider working or studying abroad while at university, and the UK Turing scheme is just one way of doing this. In this article we break down the UK Turing scheme: what it is, who it’s for, how to apply and other important details you need to know.

What is the UK Turing scheme and what does it do?

The Turing scheme is the government-backed programme that funds students in the UK and British Overseas Territories to undertake periods of study and work abroad. Designed as a post-Brexit replacement for the Erasmus+ programme, it aims to boost students’ employability, by offering them opportunities to improve their language abilities, develop transferable skills, expand their network and gain a greater understanding of different cultures. The scheme is open to students from schools, colleges and higher education providers (universities or other degree-awarding institutions) in the UK and British Overseas Territories. Whether you are an undergraduate, postgraduate or have recently graduated, you are eligible for the Turing scheme.

What funding do you get from the Turing scheme?

You will be given financial support to cover living expenses. This differs according to the cost of living in the country and the length of the placement.

At the time of writing…

For Group 1 countries with high living costs (such as USA, Australia and New Zealand):

• Higher education students undertaking placements of four to eight weeks will be provided with £545 per month (£655 for those classed as being from a disadvantaged background)
• Higher education students undertaking placements of nine weeks to twelve months will be provided with £380 per month (£490 for those classed as being from a disadvantaged background).

For countries in Groups 2 or 3 with medium and lower costs of living respectively (such as France, Greece and Spain):

• Higher education students undertaking placements of four to eight weeks will be provided with £480 per month (£590 for those classed as being from a disadvantaged background)
• Higher education students undertaking placements of nine weeks to twelve months will be provided with £335 per month (£445 for those classed as being from a disadvantaged background).

For more information, including the groupings of every country, what it means to be classed as being from a disadvantaged background in the context of the Turing scheme, and additional support for those with special educational needs and disabilities, take a look at the Turing Scheme website.

How and when do you apply?

It is your education provider – rather than you as the student – that will bid for funding. Education providers will submit funding applications for the programmes they want to run. If their applications are successful, they will then promote the individual opportunities to you. To discover whether your university is offering any work or study abroad options backed by the Turing scheme, speak with your careers service.

The Turing scheme typically opens at the end of March and closes at the end of April each year. Education providers usually find out whether they secured funding by the end of July at the latest. As such, it would be wise to look for new Turing scheme backed opportunities, over the summer holidays or early in the autumn term.

While the term dates in some other countries may mean an earlier start date or later end date, for the most part the period spent abroad will be within the UK academic year – starting on 1 September and ending on 31 August.

What are the alternative options for overseas study?

It is important to note that there are alternatives to the Turing scheme – such as opportunities that are provided by your university and its partner institutions overseas. The University of York, for example, runs both year-long exchange programmes and short-term overseas courses during the summer at its various partner universities in North America, Asia and Australia.

If you are interested in pursuing an overseas internship during the university holidays, we explain your options in our advice feature on international internships.

What will studying or working abroad add to your CV?

Spending time working or learning abroad will provide you with evidence of skills and qualities, which you can draw on for your CV and at interviews. These include:

• Adaptability – by adjusting to a new environment and different group of students/colleagues.
• Resilience – by overcoming any barriers to going overseas, or difficulties that you faced while you were there.
• The ability to think independently – by deciding to spend a year abroad and making your own plans. This could go some way in demonstrating your potential to employers when it comes to making decisions, contributing ideas and leading others.
• Communication – even if you are using your native language, communicating with people from a different country or culture will increase your awareness of how different styles of communication can be interpreted. This will enable you to adapt your communication style effectively to suit different audiences – a higher-level skill that graduate employers love to see in recruits.
• Organisational skills – by planning your trip.
• Willingness to travel – although you definitely won’t need to have studied or worked in another country to be considered for a position that includes trips abroad, this could demonstrate your flexibility with regards to location.

Cultural sensitivity, along with any language ability you have gained, could set you up well for an international company – or an employer that deals with clients overseas. It may also lead to you being based in another country or carrying out business trips abroad. However, appreciating and understanding different cultures is an important part of being able to work well with other people, and so will be useful for all job roles.

• Take a look at our big guide to CV writing to discover how to write up your skills for a graduate role.

Last updated: January 2023.