How to apply - St Andrews Abroad

Application to the St Andrews Abroad programme is competitive, but some exchanges are more competitive than others. The most important criterion is a strong academic background, with a minimum entry requirement of 13.5 in your intended Honours subject(s) in first year.

You should follow the below steps in order to apply.

Contact your School's Study Abroad Coordinator 

Once you decide which Honours programme you intend to enter, you should discuss your intention to apply for the St Andrews Abroad programme with your School's Study Abroad Coordinator. If you are a Joint Honours student, you should investigate if both of your subjects have opted to take part. If only one of your subjects has opted in, you will only be able to apply for a semester abroad. You can submit your application in MySaint before receiving permission from your Study Abroad coordinator(s), as we check with them later whether you have permission.

Permission

You should ask your Study Abroad Coordinator for permission to study abroad. Most Coordinators will send this to us directly via email. 

Investigate the university you're thinking of applying to

Consult the website and module catalogue for the university you are interested in and see if there are courses on offer which cover the same ground as St Andrews Junior Honours courses. It is important that you research options on your particular degree pathway carefully as it is possible that not every pathway within a particular subject will be suited to all of the options available. 

Your GPA

The application system will calculate your first year GPA for you.  You must have an average of 13.5 in the subject(s) you intend to take to Honours.  NB: the system will count all modules within a particular subject area and not only core requirements.  For example, if your degree intention is in Sustainable Development but you have also taken Geography modules in first year, these modules will be taken into consideration as part of the GPA calculation. However, all applications will be considered by the Associate Deans who will look at your academic record to determine your GPA.

Investigate restrictions for your degree programme

Ensure you read all of the information below carefully to ensure that you are aware of any restrictions for your degree programme.  

NB: if you are applying for the University of California, please ensure that you the programme page carefully.  You cannot apply if you are Joint Honours and both of your subjects are impacted.

Chemistry

St Andrews Abroad programmes are not available on programmes which already contain an External Placement or Year Abroad.  Students may apply to spend a full year abroad.  Semester options are unsuitable for Chemistry students.

Computer Science

Computer Science students should study abroad for the full academic year. 

Economics

St Andrews Abroad programmes are available to both Joint and Single Honours students. However, Single Honours students who wish to apply to the University of California are unable to select UCLA or Berkley when shortlisting campuses.

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - for the degree in Financial Economics and Financial Economics and Mathematics, participation will be conditional on the identification of Finance modules that can replace the core (compulsory) modules for the degree. When this is not possible, students will be asked to arrange their exchange in a way that allows them to take the relevant modules in St Andrews (e.g. the exchange might be limited to one specific semester).

Geography and Sustainable Development

Geography and Sustainable Development students should speak to the School’s Study Abroad Coordinator before applying to Study Abroad. Study abroad programmes are open to Single Honours and Joint Honours students. Single Honours Students intending to take one semester abroad should be aware that in doing so they may be missing required elements of their programme of study. We would encourage you to plan carefully and early.  Joint Honours students have more flexibility but module choices in 3rd year may affect available 4th year modules.  All students must carefully select their module choices to adequately prepare them for their studies in 4th year. They should liaise carefully with SGSD on their module choices.

German

The University of Virginia is only open to Joint Honours students.

Management

The University's agreement with Western University is with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences only. It is very unlikely that courses in the Ivey Business School will be available.

Mathematics and Statistics

Degree restrictions:

  • St Andrews Abroad programmes are not available to four year Fast Track MMath students.
  • Students on five year MMath programmes may study abroad in the first Honours year (i.e. third year). 
  • Direct Entry MMath students can study abroad in the third year of their studies only and must discuss their application and options with the School’s Study Abroad Coordinator before applying.

Students applying to the University of California are unable to select Berkeley as one of their campus choices.

Purdue University is only open to Joint Honours students. 

Academic requirements for direct entry students: passes at first attempt in any module from MT2501-MT2508, with the average of the best four grades of those taken being 15 or higher and no more than two grades of those taken below 11

Neuroscience

Neuroscience students have the option to study abroad for one semester or the full academic year, subject to approval by the Study Abroad Coordinator.

Physics and Astronomy

Physics and Astronomy students should note that all study abroad offers are conditional upon the following:

  • For Level 2 students applying to study abroad in Junior Honours: Passes at a mean grade of 15 or better in PH2011 and PH2012; and passes at a mean grade of 15 or better in MT2501 and MT2503.
  • For Junior Honours students applying to study abroad in Senior Honours: Maintain a credit-weighted mean of 15 or better.

All Semester One grades from the academic year within which you apply for Study Abroad will be reviewed by the Physics Study Abroad Coordinator.  Offers will be withdrawn for students who don’t meet these minimum grade standards, whether in January or in June.  These requirements are intended to ensure that you have the best chance of success at our partner institutions where teaching styles and expectations can vary.

  • Physics and Astronomy students who wish to apply for one semester at Melbourne can do so only in semester two of Junior Honours or semester one of Senior Honours. Please note students that wish to go to NUS can only do so in Semester two of their JH year or Semester one of their SH. Please discuss the best option for you with your Study Abroad Coordinator
  • All full-year placements at an Australian institution must take place in semester two of Junior Honours and semester one of Senior Honours. 
  • BSc and MPhys Physics students applying to Macquarie can only study abroad for the full academic year.  This placement must take place in semester two of Junior Honours and semester one of Senior Honours.
  • Junior Honours students must have had MT2506 at Sub-honours, or be willing to undertake some self-study in the summer prior (with School support if needed).
  • Hong University of Science and Technology: in most cases Junior Honours BSc/ MPhys students will need to attend full-year only; and Senior Honours MPhys students in Semester Two only (with the possibility of extending to Semester One of the MPhys year). Junior Honours students need MT2506 Vector Calculus or be willing to undertake some self-study in the summer prior (with School support if needed, not more than five St Andrews credits of effort hours). Applicants should consult with the School's Study Abroad Coordinator regarding their options.

Psychology

All placements are for the full academic year only.

Social Anthroplogy

Students wishing to SA4099 Fieldwork Based Dissertation on return to St Andrews following their study abroad placement should note that the requirement to take a methods course will not be waived.  Students should discuss this with the School’s Study Abroad Coordinator prior to application and again when selecting modules at the partner university.

Spanish

The University of Virginia is only open to Joint Honours students.

Submit your application via MySaint

Complete the Outbound Study Abroad application through My Applications in MySaint.

Applications will open on 1 October.   Please do not apply before this date or your application will not be considered.

The deadline for students wishing to study abroad in the academic year 2025-2026 will be 1 November 2024.  Applications submitted after this deadline will not be considered.

Please refer to our Study Abroad and WIYA application user guide (PDF, 871 KB)before applying.

  • If you are Joint Honours but only wish to study one subject abroad, please select this subject from the list on the first page of the application – this will not change your degree to Single Honours. Please note that this would be for one semester only.
  • If you intend to change your degree programme, please select your new degree intention from the list on the first page. Please note that you should contact your Adviser regarding a change of degree programme.
  • You cannot click ‘back’ in the application so please ensure you are happy with your answers before proceeding to the next section. 

Selection and interviews

Shortlisting will be undertaken by a University committee on the basis of the application and reference.  Applications are assessed by the Associate Deans who will consider the following factors:

  • Academic grades
  • Knowledge and research of partner university
  • Academic motivation
  • Extracurricular activities

St Andrews Abroad offers and conditions

Please note that all study abroad offers are conditional upon the following:

  1. The successful completion of your modules this academic year and your progression to Honours;
  2. Your attendance at the Study Abroad pre-departure briefing session in April (further details nearer the time);
  3. Your signature of a Pre-departure Agreement, confirming your acceptance of the University’s Study Abroad Terms & Conditions. 

Physics and Astronomy students should note that all study abroad offers are conditional upon the following:

  • For Level 2 students applying to study abroad in Junior Honours: Passes at mean grade of 15 or better in PH2011 & PH2012; and, passes at mean grade of 15 or better in MT2501 and MT2503.
  • For Junior Honours students applying to study abroad in Senior Honours: Maintain a credit-weighted mean of 15 or better.

All Semester One grades from the academic year within which you apply for Study Abroad will be reviewed by the Physics Study Abroad Coordinator.  Offers will be withdrawn for students who don’t meet these minimum grade standards, whether in January or in June.  These requirements are intended to ensure that you have the best chance of success at our partner institutions where teaching styles and expectations can vary.