It’s a very different system here, initially very difficult to follow, but ultimately you see the benefits.

The exchange programme has fulfilled a demand from students to extend their academic experience with a period of time abroad and has brought excellent students here from various countries, so benefiting the university community in general.

To enable students to study abroad, universities and colleges have had to make a number of adjustments to their usual procedures.

Earlier, studying abroad usually meant taking a ‘year out’ or involved you in taking extra time to complete your degree. It often meant doing a great deal of investigation to find out what was available and how you could benefit from this. It was not uncommon for students to have to continue to do work for their home university while abroad and for this work to be assessed on their return. The idea of allowing students to integrate completely into institutions abroad for up to a year meant a revolution in the way in which such studies were conducted.

But, as with all revolutions, the new procedures often had their roots in the past. This chapter looks at how study abroad is currently arranged and outlines the ways in which, by studying abroad, you can contribute to your degree study at home.

To enable students to count their studies abroad towards their degree at home, a mechanism has been devised which permits:

• Overseas study recognition

• Credit transfer

• Grade conversion and transfer

• Course equivalents

• Mutual fee waivers

These are dependent on:

• Appropriate course choice

• Approval at home and abroad

• The removal of residence requirements