Junior Semester or Year Abroad Programme
Many North American students take advantage of the compatibility of our courses to spend their Junior Semester or Year Abroad with us. Each year, we accept visiting students from a large number of the finest North American colleges and universities.
Entry qualifications
Since entry to the University is highly selective, applicants must have a strong academic record to support their application. As a guideline, candidates whose cumulative G.P.A. is above 3.0 (on a four point scale) may expect to be successful. However, in reaching our decision we will consider your entire academic record and teacher recommendations. In addition, applicants will need to demonstrate that they possess the initiative and independence to profit from the experience of studying in another country.
Since the Scottish and North American systems of education share many attributes besides a common language, successful candidates should adjust to life at St Andrews without difficulty.
How to apply
Application forms can be downloaded from the margin of this page and should be returned, with all supplementary documentation, to:
North American Recruitment University of St Andrews St Katharine's West 16 The Scores St Andrews, Fife KY16 9AX Scotland, UKFor the Junior Year Abroad (JYA) programme the deadline for submission of a completed application, including all supplementary documentation, is April 15th, although we do continue to accept applications after this date on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us to enquire if we will still accept an application.
For the Junior Semester Abroad (JSA) programme, applications must be submitted by April 15th for Semester One and 31 October for Semester Two. We do continue to accept applications after these dates on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us to enquire if we will still accept an application after these dates.
Supplementary Documentation
We require you to submit with your application the following items:
- A personal statement informing us of your reasons for studying at St Andrews
- Two letters of academic reference from lecturers who know your personality and capabilities well. These should be in the form of a letter, on letterhead and signed by the referee.
- An up-to-date transcript of grades
Once we receive your complete application it will be processed and passed to the selection committee for review. You should hear their decision within 3 to 4 weeks. If you wish to enquire about the status of your application please contact North American Recruitment.
Alternative Assessments
The first semester of our academic year does not finish until the end of January each year, therefore you will be required to return to St Andrews after the December vacation to sit your examinations.
However, for those JSA1 students who, for academic reasons, must return to their home institution in January and therefore cannot return to St Andrews to take examinations, The University of St Andrews does make alternative arrangements in the form of assessments in December.
Please visit Alternative assessments for further information about the form that our alternative assessments take.