Incoming Study Abroad

Academic Requirements

You should have completed at least the first year of a university degree in a relevant subject area to the course delivered at UCA. You will need to supply your transcript on application to UCA. 

English Language Requirements

If English is not your first language, a qualification is required as evidence that you have the necessary level of English language to succeed in your chosen course. We can accept the following qualifications:

• IELTS: 6.0 or above (with a minimum of 5.5 in each individual component)
• Pearson PTE Academic: 59 or above 
• TOEFL:  80 or above (with at least 17 in Listening, 18 in Reading, 20 in Speaking and 17 in Writing)
• Cambridge English: Proficiency or Advanced - 169 (with a minimum of 162 in each component)

For more information visit UCA Language Requirements

Please note your English language qualification must be no more than two years old at the beginning of your exchange period. We expect you to submit your English language qualification with your application by the deadline given.

As an Exchange Student you can choose to study the second year of a UCA course for either the Autumn or Spring Semester, or the full academic year. 

To find a complete list of courses and units available please go to our Course Catalogue.

UCA courses have specific academic entry requirements, so make sure you check these before you apply.  We also recommend you discuss your choices with your home university and make sure they are relevant to your degree. 

Exchange Programme

To apply for the UCA Exchange Programme you must be studying with a partner university and be nominated by your home university. Approved students will be invited by UCA to apply, and sent a link to a formal application, where you will be asked to provide:

• A scanned copy of your passport (front cover and photo page)
• Your first-year university results transcript
• Your English language qualification certificate
• Portfolio of work on request. 

Fee-Paying Study Abroad

Apply directly to UCA. Please contact the UCA Study Abroad team at exchange@uca.ac.uk to check your eligibility.

Exchange students
You will continue to pay your tuition fees to your home university, and you will not be asked to pay any fees to UCA. You will be responsible for your own living expenses, including travel costs, accommodation, insurance etc. 

Fee Paying Study Abroad students
You will be required to pay all UCA application and tuition fees for the duration of your study at UCA, as well as your own living expenses.  Please see Incoming Study Abroad fees for more details. 

It’s very important that you find the right accommodation to suit your needs while you are in the UK. Choose from campus halls of residence, privately rented flats and houses or local lodgings. 

Find out more about our accommodation at your campus, including how to apply here or contact our accommodation team at accommodation@uca.ac.uk 

Visitor Visa - If you are coming to the UK as part of an exchange for up to 6 months, you can do so on a Visitor visa. If you are a visa national (see visa national list), then you will need to apply in advance for a visitor visa, and you can only travel to the UK once your visa has been granted. If you are a national of the EU/EEA, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, or the USA you do not need to apply in advance for your Visitor visa, and will be granted a Visitor visa on arrival in the UK automatically.  Please be aware that if you enter the UK on a visitor visa, you will not be permitted to work in the UK. This means you will not be able to enrol in UCA work placement modules, unpaid internships, paid or unpaid work. 

Student Route Visa - If you are coming to the UK for more than 6 months or you plan to volunteer or work in the UK while you study, you will need to apply for a Student Route visa. You will need to apply in your home country prior to travelling to the UK, and your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies number will be required. The UCA International Admissions team issues this. 

Please note that if you come to the UK on a Visitor Visa and wish to extend your exchange semester to a full academic year, you will be required to leave the UK and apply for a Student Route Visa. 

Please visit the UK Government website for more information on Student Route and Visitor Visas.

We are also here to help, and you can contact our visa advice team at visaadvice@ucreative.ac.uk 

We recommend that you take out travel and health insurance prior to departing your home country and arriving in the UK. 

If you are studying for a period of less than six months, you will not be eligible for free UK health care under the NHS and will be consider a private patient. This means you will need to pay for any NHS care at point of us. We advise that you take out private health insurance cover during your stay

If your are studying at UCA for 6 months or more you will be eligible for NHS health care (excluding dental treatment eye test, prescriptions). You will be required to pay a  immigration health surcharge as part of your visa application. For more information, including surcharge costs please visit - www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application 

You're never alone at UCA - whether it's help settling in, assistance with your studies, counselling or even advice on your finances, our student services department is here to support you. 

We also offer specialist support services to help our international students, those who are young carers or are care leavers and to our students who have disabilities, medical conditions and specific learning differences.

For more information on our services can be found here

You can contact the UCA Global Mobility team via exchange@uca.ac.uk