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Opportunities for non-language students

Study Abroad Opportunities for non-language students

Introduction

Attention Joint Honours students: Please note that information below relates to the application process for 2025/26. At the time of writing (22/09/2025), it is not known how many, if any, 2026/27 exchange places will be available to Joint Honours students currently in Second Year. This will become clearer by late January 2026. At that point, if places remain, students will be advised of an information evening and selection process. Please keep an eye on your e-mail.

If you are a BA Joint Honours student who is not studying a continental language, it may also be possible to study abroad. We have a number of partner universities that offer courses taught through English. Students thinking of applying for this opportunity should, as a general rule, be expecting to achieve Second Year Semester 1 results averaging 60% upwards.

There will be a very limited number of exchange places available, and at least some of them will be linked to specific subjects, most notably Soc. & Pol., Archaeology, Classics and Philosophy.

Some exchanges are also open to a range of subject areas.

There are two year-long scholarships available for Boston College, USA.

Unfortunately some students will find that, due to their particular subject combinations, there may be few options available to them.

Second Year BA Joint Honours students will then be invited to apply for available exchange places. The strict deadline will be midnight on Wednesday, 5th February, 2025: no late applications will be possible.

Successful candidates will be nominated to partner universities abroad. Joint Honours students will spend a full academic year studying their two degree subjects abroad, and will be expected to secure 20 ECTS in approved courses in each of those subjects (that's 40 ECTS in total) in order to pass the year.

Students should note, however, that the options in this regard are not extensive. There is a very limited number of exchange places available, and your options will be very much determined by the subjects you are studying. The best pathway for a non-language student who is intent on study abroad is the BA Global experience.

BA Government students are also eligible to apply for relevant Erasmus exchange places but they may only go on study abroad in Semester 2 of their Third Year. They should attend the information session and follow the same application procedure as Joint Honours students.

BA Joint Honours, BA Government, BSc Psychology and BA English & Creative Writing students are eligible to apply for exchange places in the United States and Hong Kong. They should attend the information session and follow the same application procedure as Joint Honours students.
NOTE: BSc Psychology students will not be eligible to apply for Boston College, as that institution cannot offer sufficient Psychology modules to exchange students.

Please note once again that the number of exchange places is very limited and the process will always be highly competitive, with the award of places depending on academic performance and the quality of applications.

STUDY ABROAD APPLICATIONS

For reference -

BEFORE COMPLETING YOUR APPLICATION, you will need to consult the 2025 List of study abroad partners and subject combinations. You should also make sure to read the Appendix to the study abroad application form. In addition, you will find some partner university fact sheets for exchange students on the Study Abroad Destinations page.

Prospective 2025/26 applicants: please note that the list of available exchanges may be slightly reduced, compared to the above list, due to the requirements of some University of Galway programmes that include an integral study abroad year, and the ongoing allocation of places. Grey shading of some destinations in the table indicates that there is a possibility that all places on these exchanges will be filled in the meantime, so they may end up being removed from the list. Every effort will be made to accommodate top-ranked candidates, but unfortunately we cannot guarantee that all of these will secure a study abroad place.

ATTENTION JOINT HONOURS STUDENTS OF LAW, AND BA GOVT STUDENTS WITH LAW AS THEIR MAJOR: Some additional destinations have been added on 31/01/25 for students of Law (Joint Honours, BA Govt Law majors); however candidates for these will need a strong academic record, especially in Law.

COST OF STUDY ABROAD: When making an application, it's important to consider the cost involved in spending a semester or a full academic year studying overseas. This can be a substantial amount of money, especially in the case of destinations outside of the EU, where students will not receive Erasmus funding. Global Galway (the University's International Office) has a useful page about financial planning for study abroad, and it includes a document showing estimated costs for study abroad at non-EU partner universities.

EXAM RESULTS: In the application form, you will be asked for your First Year results in each of your subjects. These must be the official results, not your own estimate. You should be able to access your results on Canvas.
You will also be required to provide your provisional Semester 1 results from Year 2.
Please note that where students provide incorrect exam results on the form, it may invalidate their application.