Study Overseas

Gain real-world experiences and increase your employability by including overseas study in your degree.

Animal vet study tour Africa

There are many overseas study experiences to choose from, with some even offering credit toward your degree.

One option is to join an exchange program with one of our many partner universities. These run for a semester or year, and we can help you make all necessary arrangements.

Alternatively, you can arrange your own overseas study experience and self-report your experience.

It could be a short study tour, internship, placement or conference, or even an exchange with a non-partner university.

If you’re seeking a global experience but can’t commit to a full-semester (or longer) exchange, a short-term study program may interest you.

Study tours are usually 2-4 weeks in length and take place during semester breaks—just enough time to either immerse yourself in a destination, or add multiple stops to your trip.

You will receive credit for any approved course you successfully complete.

There’s no set eligibility criteria, as each program will have its own requirements, but you’ll generally need to enrol in a course that applies specifically to the study tour.

Short programs

Applications

Start by reviewing all currently available short-term study programs and identifying your preferred one, then apply via the Study Overseas online application system.

Course approval is not usually required if the tour’s organised by our faculty, as only students undertaking specific programs are eligible to go. If it’s organised by another faculty, however, you may need to seek approval to have it included in your study plan. If so, simply follow our course approval process.

Both domestic and international students are encouraged to apply for a semester or whole year exchange at our partner universities. Exchange programs are generally open to both undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students.

  • Duration: 1 or 2 semesters
  • Credit: Yes, subject to pre-approval

Exchange programs

Overseas exchange with a partner institution

  • You will need to be able to study full time for the duration of your program.
  • You will also need to make sure you’re not missing core courses in crucial semesters.
  • Check your study plan to find out when we recommend that you go on an exchange.
  • The faculty will assist in the exchange application process by providing degree checks and credit approval.

Applications

  • First steps

    If you are thinking about an exchange, we recommend you:

  • Eligibility

    The faculty and Study Overseas set guidelines for determining whether you are eligible to apply for an overseas exchange program.

    You will be required to meet the requirements of both areas in order to be made an offer.

    • Study Overseas eligibility requirements
    • Faculty eligibility requirements:
      • The faculty determines eligibility for exchange by calculating the amount of appropriate space you have left in your degree.
      • Students must present a minimum of 50% of courses taken towards their program of study from the University of Adelaide.
      • Students must complete a minimum of 50% of their courses at the highest level relevant to their program of study at the University of Adelaide.
      • Students must complete at least 50% of the courses contributing to their major/s (for relevant programs) at the University of Adelaide.
      • Transfer credit limits are considered as the minimum number of units students are required to study at the University of Adelaide. This is in accordance with the Academic Credit Arrangements Policy.
  • Pre-approval
    Student responsibilities
    • You will need to select three different universities as part of your application process. Thoroughly research these universities and the courses they offer, to ensure you will receive credit if you are made an offer for exchange
      • Go to the Study Overseas website to find out about the host university. It is your responsibility to understand the eligibility criteria, costs, visas, academic calendar, and workload requirements for the host university.
    • Animal science and viticulture and oenology students must consult with their program coordinator prior to applying for an exchange due to the unique structure of these programs.
    • Apply for exchange through the SMART portal, where you can submit your application for pre-approval.
    Faculty responsibilities

    Once your pre-approval questionnaire has been submitted, a Faculty of Sciences student advisor will assess the application.

    The outcome will be recorded in SMART and you will receive an email notification.

  • Course approval

    'Course approval' is required once pre-approval has been obtained and your placement has been confirmed by Study Overseas. Courses studied without formal faculty approval may not be eligible to be counted as credit towards your science program.

    Student responsibilities
    • Choose the courses at your host university.
      For help, talk to your program/course coordinator or make an appointment with a student advisor.
    • Only enrol into your courses at the host university if they have been approved by the faculty in SMART.
    • If your University of Adelaide course has a practical component, you must ensure that the overseas university course also has a practical component.
    • Courses selected will need to be identified as either ‘specified credit’ or ‘unspecified credit’. Courses contributing towards a major will normally require ‘specified credit’.
    • Locate all the information for each of the courses you wish to enrol into. You will need:
      1. Name of overseas course / subject.
      2. Value of overseas course, in ECTS, credits, units etc. - e.g. 5 ECTS.
      3. Equivalent value of overseas course in University of Adelaide units: (e.g. 2 units)
      4. Whether a course matches to an University of Adelaide core course? If yes, which course(s)? Include the name of course or year level for unspecified credit’.
      5. URL of course descriptions on partner university/host institution website. Include a link to syllabus information and unit value on the host university’s website)
    • Request your course for approval via the Faculty Approval Request questionnaire in your SMART application using the template provided in question 4. Ensure that you ‘submit’ the questionnaire when you are ready for your courses to be assessed.

    Special notes

    • You must complete a minimum of 50% of the courses contributing towards your major at the University of Adelaide.
    • The proposed study plan will be approved as a package. Elective courses (unspecified courses for credit) must be approved at the same time as core courses or courses contributing towards a major (specified courses for credit).
    • If for any reason you need to change your pre-approved study plan while overseas you must seek faculty approval. Do not enrol into a course overseas and assume that you will be granted credit for it - all courses must be pre-approved.
    • Request courses for approval early! Not all courses you choose may be suitable matches.
    • While on exchange, you must be enrolled at the University of Adelaide in the relevant exchange course. The faculty office can help you enrol in the correct course.
    Faculty responsibilities
    • The faculty office will confirm your course matches and credit arrangements via SMART.
    • The faculty office will submit the Faculty Approval (Course Approval) questionnaire once your credit arrangements have been finalised.
  • After your exchange
    • Once you return from exchange, your host university will provide your completed transcript to Study Overseas, who will provide a copy to the faculty office for processing your credit.
    • Exchange study does not count towards your Grade Point Average (GPA). The grade for each course will be recorded as ‘transfer credit’.
    • Transcripts from overseas may take several months to arrive. If you go on exchange in your final semester of study, your graduation may be delayed.

Study abroad at a non-partner institution

If you’d like to study at a university that isn’t a University of Adelaide partner, you can do so for a year, one semester, or even just for summer or winter.

Unlike studying with one of our partners:

  • you will need to make your own arrangements, including payment to the host university;
  • you won’t be enrolled with us (there is no requirement to enrol in dummy courses); and
  • there’s no minimum number of University of Adelaide-equivalent units that you must enrol in.

You will, however, receive credit for all approved courses you successfully complete. To ensure this happens, you’ll need to self-report your study abroad experience. We’ll then be able to assist you with arranging course credit approvals, and provide you with information about our travel insurance, scholarships and updates from the Study Overseas office.

Applications

To study overseas with a non-partner institution, you’ll need to organise and submit your own application to the host university. To receive credit, you will also need to apply for course approval with us.

‘Self-reporting programs’ include internships, placements, volunteering, and exchanges or courses at institutions that don’t have an exchange relationship with the University of Adelaide.

These programs are initiated by you. If you find an opportunity you are interested in, visit the Sciences Service Hub to talk with a student advisor about how it can fit into your study plan and how to get pre-approval for credit.

  • Overseas industry placements and internships

    As one of our students, you may be able to complete an industry placement or internship overseas. Some third-party-provider programs may count towards internship requirements, such as the ‘practical experience’ requirement for engineering students. Find out more about preferred providers, and available short internship and placement programs.

    If you are completing an engineering degree with us, you may be able to complete the practical experience requirement of your degree overseas. Find out more about practical experience - overseas experiences. 

    There are a number of New Colombo Plan grants available for students participating in a placement through Engineers Without Borders, Project Everest and Unbound throughout the year. For further information, visit the Study Overseas Funded Programs page.

    Applications

    You’ll need to organise your own application to the overseas organisation and self-report your internship or placement using the Student Mobility Applicant Registration Tool (SMART). 

  • International conferences

    If you’re attending a conference overseas, you may be able to receive credit towards your degree. To apply for credit, you’ll need to self-report your study abroad program.

  • Non-credit study abroad experiences

    If you’ve arranged an overseas experience for which you won’t receive credit, such as volunteering or a conference, you should still register your non-credit study abroad experience with us. This is because you may still be eligible to apply for university travel insurance.