Summer opportunities

Global Summer Opportunities

We currently have an a opportunity available for the International University for Intercultural Leadership (17-28 July 2023). This will be supported by a £500 travel stipend, provided by the Global Office.

The Global Office has worked with partner universities to provide several summer opportunities during summer 2023. Opportunities in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland will be supported by funding from the UK Government’s Turing mobility scheme and opportunities in Taiwan are supported by funding from Taiwan’s Ministry of Education.

Applications for our summer opportunities in France, Germany, Spain and Swizerland , and at National Taiwan University and University of Padua have now closed.

International University for Intercultural Leadership

We have been offered two places at the International University for Intercultural Leadership between 17 July and 28 July 2023. The theme of this year’s programme is ‘How Natural Disasters and Ecological Challenges Impact a Fractured World?’ UNESCO will also organize a workshop to introduce the students to its new “Toolkit for Intercultural Dialogue.”

This opportunity is open to:

Undergraduates who will be studying Honours level modules in 2023-2024.
Postgraduate taught students who will be registered throughout July 2023.
Students who will not be taking exams in the August 2023 examination diet.

The International University for Intercultural Leadership is under the patronage of UNESCO and organised by the NGO Project Aladdin. This year’s programme will be held at Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, Turkey. Selected students will receive accommodation, tuition, meals, cultural events, and field trips. The Global Office will provide students with a £500 stipend to assist with travel expenses. If selected, you will need to cover your total travel expenses to/from Istanbul; any visa costs and any personal expenses.

The deadline for applications is 0900 on Tuesday 2 May 2023. You must complete the attached application form and, if selected, provide a covering letter and CV within a reasonable timescale.

Please see the IUIL Programme Brochure 2023 (PDF, 1,448 KB) and IUIL Application Form 2023 (Word, 115 KB).

Turing Funding for Summer Opportunities in France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland

What will I study?

We are offering students Turing mobility grants to attend a range of summer opportunities offered by our partner universities in France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland. You can choose a French, German or Spanish language course, or from a wide range of English-language Arts and Social Science courses at Humboldt University, Berlin.

Which places are available? When can I go?

Funding is available for the following language courses:

University of Toulouse-Jean Jaurès: French courses. 4 places in July and 4 places in August.
University of Lausanne: French courses. 4 places, starting in July. These courses are 6 weeks long.
University of Heidelberg: German courses, including German language teaching and Business German. 8 places in August.
Humboldt University of Berlin: German intensive courses. 3 places available for June - July.
University of Valladolid: Spanish courses, including Healthcare and Business Spanish. 8 places in July.

Humboldt University of Berlin offers a range of summer courses in Arts and Social Sciences, taught in English:

8 places are available for June - July courses.
8 places are available for July - August courses.

Please note that these are the maximum number of places available. With the exception of Lausanne, we can only offer funding to students attending courses which last 4 weeks.

How can I apply?

You should complete the Summer Opportunities Application Form 2023 (Word, 122 KB) and email it to studyabroad@st-andrews.ac.uk by 0900 on 21 March 2023.

If your application is successful, you must complete the application form on the partner university's webpage, pay their fees and be accepted onto their course. You must complete the paperwork for the Turing programme. You must also attend a mandatory in-person briefing, which will be held at School 2, St Salvator's Quad on Wednesday 10 May, from 1400-1600.

Who can apply?

This programme is only open to undergraduate students who are registered at St Andrews. Students due to graduate in June 2023 are not eligible for this programme.

How will the summer opportunity be recognised?

Students will receive an end-of-course certificate or transcript from the partner university. Usually, the partner university will assess your academic performance and offer a certain number of credits according to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). ECTS is a credit system based on student workload. One credit point is deemed to be the equivalent of 25-30 learning hours, including lectures, seminars and independent study. Many of our partners will not issue certificates or transcripts to students who are frequently absent from the classroom hours.

Please note that you will not receive academic credit at St Andrews for summer opportunities. The credits and grades scored will not be converted into your St Andrews degree. You will receive recognition of this external placement on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) at graduation.

These summer opportunities are intended to allow students more time in a suitable language environment or to explore subjects in their location. Students wishing to receive academic credit at St Andrews for studying abroad should apply for a Study Abroad placement. All of the universities above are also Study Abroad partners of St Andrews.

Will I get funding? How much is available?

Successful applicants will receive a Turing mobility grant from the University of St Andrews. These grants are only tenable for placements of 4 weeks or more. You must complete the full duration of the summer opportunity and receive a certificate of attendance or transcript from the partner university.

Turing mobility grant rates are published online. Additional financial support is available for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and students who are disabled or have special educational needs. Please note that these criteria are set by the Turing scheme.

A limited number of University scholarships are available for summer travel. If you are awarded other scholarships alongside the Turing grant, these cannot be greater than £1500.

How much will it cost?

You must pay the partner university fees in order to participate in the programme. The fees are listed on each partner webpage. The Turing funding does not cover all of the costs associated with the programme.

Other costs to consider include:

Transport (round trip).
Accommodation.
Other living expenses, e.g., local transport, food, phone, internet.
Health and liability insurance (if you need this).
Visa costs (depending on nationality).
Visa application requirements, such as travel to appointments.

Successful applicants who register their travel will be covered by the University of St Andrews travel insurance policy.

Who will read my application?

At St Andrews, the application for Turing funding will be read by a panel convened by the Global Office, comprised of professional services staff.

What is the St Andrews panel looking for in my application for funding?

We are looking for motivated students who will be good ambassadors for St Andrews. The panel does not consider academic grades. We judge application forms on three criteria:

Academic and/or career motivation
Extracurricular activities and prior travel experience
Presentation of the application

Please take some time to complete the application form carefully, and express why you would like to participate in a summer opportunity. You might wish to share it with a friend or relative for advice, or consult Careers or CEED resources.

Do you have any recommendations about courses and levels?

We would recommend knowing what your language level is on the Common European Framework for Languages (A1-C2). The Evening Languages courses at St Andrews are offered at the following levels: Beginners, Elementary (A1), Intermediate (A2-B1) and Advanced (B2 and above). Your language teachers can offer further advice.

If the partner universities offer a language placement test, you should do a little revision, so that you are not out of practice. This helps to ensure that you are placed in the correct group at the start of the course.

The German language courses at Heidelberg offer similar contact hours and class sizes to the intensive 'German in the City' courses at Humboldt University Berlin. If you are interested in improving your German, you should register for an intensive course. The semi-intensive 'Berlin in the Summer' course offers fewer teaching hours, and you should only take this course alongside an English-language Arts or Social Sciences course. Of course, if you study two courses at Humboldt, you must pay the appropriate tuition fees.

The Humboldt University Berlin courses can be heavily subscribed. In the case that your first-choice is unavailable, you can sign up to another 4 week course offered in the same period (19 June - 14 July or 24 July - 18 August).

Is accommodation available?

The summer opportunities offer some accommodation, which may be limited. You should sign up for these as soon as possible. St Andrews cannot guarantee accommodation at partner institutions.

Can I just sign up directly?

All of our summer opportunities are available on the partner university websites, and you can just sign up to them directly, without contacting us. The main advantages of applying to St Andrews are:

If selected, you will receive the Turing mobility grant.
If selected, you will be covered by the University travel insurance policy.
If selected, you will receive recognition on your transcript.
Humboldt University Berlin offer a discount on their programme fee to our students.

Please note that, if you register with partner university directly and do not receive an offer of funding from the Global Office, we cannot currently recognise the summer opportunity on your University of St Andrews transcript.

University of Padua Summer Opportunity

What will I study?

The University of Padua Summer School in Italian History and Culture offers you the chance to enrich your summer with an Italian language course (various levels available) and courses dedicated to Italian history and culture.

Students follow three cultural courses:

Urban Culture and Politics in the Age of Giotto
Science and Economy in the Age of Galileo
Italian fascism, history of a dictatorship

The cultural courses will make include lectures, seminars and group activities, and make use of the unique historical surroundings and university collections available at Padua.

Please refer to the Padua webpages for full details of the courses available. These course pages will also outline programme dates, tuition fees and other costs, and other academic information.

Who can apply?

This programme is only open to undergraduate students who are registered at St Andrews. As per Padua’s requirements, you must have completed one year of undergraduate study. Students due to graduate in June 2023 are not eligible for this programme.

About the University of Padua

The University of Padua was founded in 1222, and is one of Italy’s leading universities. It is famous for its scientific golden age, which saw Galileo, Vesalius and Falloppio teach at the University and the graduation of the first female Doctor of Philosophy, Elena Cornaro Piscopia. We have historical links to Padua, notably in the research of James Gregory in the 1660s, and a longstanding Study Abroad exchange. St Andrews also has research links to Padua and signed a strategic partnership with the University of Padua in 2022.

How many places are available?

At the University of Padua, we have 5 reserved places which include accommodation and tuition in the €800 fee. We will conduct a selection based on the application forms to determine which students receive these places.

Depending on availability, we may be able to offer funding for additional places at Padua. However, these may not include university-provided accommodation.

How will the summer opportunity be recognised?

Students will receive an end-of-course certificate or transcript from the partner university. Usually, the partner university will assess your academic performance and offer a certain number credits according to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). ECTS is a credit system based on student workload. It involves lectures, seminars, practical work, papers and self-assessments. One credit point is deemed to be the equivalent of 25-30 working hours. Many of our partners will not issue certificates or transcripts to students who are frequently absent during their summer programme.

These summer opportunities are intended as an additional opportunity, to allow students more time in a suitable language environment or to explore subjects in their location. Students wishing to receive academic credit at St Andrews for studying abroad should apply for a Study Abroad placement.

Will I get funding?

Successful applicants will be receive a Turing mobility grant from the University of St Andrews. Turing mobility grants are only tenable for placements of 4 weeks or more, so you must complete the full duration of the summer opportunity and receive a certificate of attendance or transcript from the partner university.

The Turing funding does not cover all of the costs associated with the programme. Please refer to the costs section below for further information.

A limited number of University scholarships are also available for summer travel. You can apply for these via the Saints Abroad Scholarship page. You must tell us if you are awarded other external scholarships for these summer opportunities. If you are awarded other scholarships alongside the Turing grant, these cannot be greater than £1500.

How much will it cost?

The University of Padua charge an application fee of €30.

You must pay the partner university application and course fees in order to participate in the programme. The five selected students will pay a fee of €800 for tuition and accommodation. Depending on availability, we may be able to offer additional Turing mobility grants to support additional students, who will be paying the tuition-only rate of €400.

Other costs to consider include:

Flight ticket (round trip)
Accommodation (unless you are one of the students paying €800, in which case it is included)
Other living expenses, e.g., local transport, food, phone, internet, activities.
Health and liability insurance
Visa costs (depending on nationality)
Visa application requirements, such as travel to appointments.

Selected applicants who register their travel will be covered by the University of St Andrews travel insurance policy.

How can I apply?

You should complete Padua’s application form. Applications close on 28 February. Please note that you will need to request a transcript of records from St Andrews. You should do this 5 working days before it is needed.

You should complete the Global Office Padua Summer Application Form 2023 (Word, 116 KB) and return it to studyabroad@st-andrews.ac.uk by 0900 on 21 February 2023.

If your application is successful, you will also need to complete the paperwork for the Turing programme. You must also attend a mandatory in-person briefing, which will be held at School 2, St Salvator's Quad on Wednesday 10 May, from 1400-1600.

Who will read my application?

The application form for St Andrews will be read by a panel convened by the Global Office.

What is the panel looking for in my application?

The St Andrews panel does not consider Academic grades. We judge student application forms on three criteria:

Academic motivation
Extracurricular activities and prior travel experience
Presentation of the application

The panel at Padua will decide based on their own criteria.

Can I just sign up directly?

All of our summer opportunities are available on the partner university websites, and you can just sign up to them directly with the partner institution. The main advantages of applying through our programme are:

You will receive the Turing mobility grant or the Taiwan Ministry of Education HUAYU Best scholarship.
You will be covered by the University of St Andrews travel insurance policy.
You will receive recognition on your University of St Andrews transcript.

Please note that, if you register with partner university directly and do not receive an offer through our office, we cannot currently recognise the summer opportunity on your University of St Andrews transcript.

National Taiwan University: Summer Opportunities for Chinese Studies students

Chinese Summer Opportunities

The Global Office and School of Modern Languages are working with National Taiwan University (NTU) to offer up to twenty places on their Chinese language programmes. These placements will take place over Summer 2023 and are supported by an external scholarship offered by the Taiwan Huayu Bilingual Exchanges of Selected Talent (BEST) Programme.

About NTU Summer Programmes

National Taiwan University is Taiwan’s oldest and most comprehensive university, offering students the opportunity to be part of the nation’s rich centre of learning and to receive a diverse education. With NTU, the University of St Andrews is offering students the chance to study Mandarin in Taiwan. Students will also have the opportunity to explore NTU and Taipei City, and to immerse themselves in part of the Chinese-speaking world.

The Taiwan Huayu BEST Programme offers two courses and students are welcome to select either:

International Chinese Language Programme (ICLP) – 9-11 weeks long
Chinese Language Division (CLD) – 10-12 weeks long

What will I study?

Students are invited to apply for one of two Mandarin language programmes at NTU.

The International Chinese Language Programme (ICLP) is an intensive Chinese language course, structured as one-to-one or small classes of 3-4 people, with over 100 courses for students of all levels. Courses are offered based on students’ language proficiency. Students will have 4 hours of classes per day, Monday to Friday, totalling 20 hours per week.

The Chinese Language Division (CLD) also offers courses based on the Chinese proficiency level of each student. Classes range from 5-7 people to ensure the improvement of each student’s language skills. Students will study for 3 hours per day, Monday to Friday, totalling 15 hours per week.

For both programs, classes are held daily at the same time slots from Monday to Friday, and each class is 50 minutes long. In addition, ICLP and CLD provide cultural activities outside of the classroom, including excursions, cultural seminars and hands-on experiences in local traditions. These activities will enhance students’ understanding of Taiwan and practice their Chinese language skills.

Please refer to the ICLP Summer Programme and CLD Course programme webpages for full details of the courses available. The course pages will also outline programme dates, tuition fees and other costs, and other academic information.

Certificates and Credits

Students will receive an end-of-course grade report from ICLP or CLD and an NTU transcript indicating grades and credits of Chinese courses issued from International College. Academic performance is assessed through online placement tests, including a 15-minute oral exam and a written exam.

Please note that you will not receive academic credit at St Andrews for NTU summer opportunities. You will receive recognition of this external placement on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) at graduation.

Please note that these summer opportunities do not contribute academic credit towards a St Andrews degree, and the credits and grades awarded will not be recognised by St Andrews. They are intended as an additional opportunity, to allow students more time in a suitable language environment. Students wishing to receive academic credit for studying abroad should apply for a Study Abroad placement.

Who can apply?

This programme is only open to students who are registered on a Chinese Studies degree, or who are studying a Department of Chinese language module or modules for academic credit in 2022-2023. Students due to graduate in June 2023 are not eligible for this programme.

Scholarships

During their attendance in the program, students will receive a monthly scholarship of NT $25,000 (approx. £670 Pound Sterling/US $800) from the Taiwan Huayu BEST Scholarship Programme.

The amount of the scholarship received depends on the length of the period on the ICLP or CLD programme. The awarded student(s) must open a bank account in Taiwan. The scholarship will be transferred monthly to that account, and paid in the local currency.

Please note this scholarship is external to the University of St Andrews. Students do not need to apply but will need to meet the external requirements to obtain the scholarship. We will nominate applicants for funding. Students receiving Huayu BEST funding are not eligible to also receive Turing funding for this summer opportunity.

Costs

The CLD participation fee consists of a non-refundable application fee and the tuition fee. The ICLP require an enrolment deposit, but this is credited against the total tuition fee.

Costs included in the course fees will differ for each programme. Please bear this in mind when applying and check the fees information on the ICLP Fees page and the CLD Fees page. You must pay these course fees in order to participate in the programme.

Other costs to consider include:

Visa costs (depending on nationality)
Visa application requirements, such as medical tests
Flight ticket (round trip)
Health and liability insurance
Accommodation
Other living expenses, e.g., local government registration, local transport, food, phone, internet, activities.

Successful applicants will receive a monthly scholarship, described above. However, please note that this does not cover all of the costs associated with the programme. Please refer to the scholarships and costs sections above for further information regarding fees and scholarships.

How to apply

You should complete the Global Office Chinese Summer School Application Form 2023 (Word, 52 KB) and return it studyabroad@st-andrews.ac.uk by 0900 on 13 February 2023.

If your application is successful, you will then be required to make an application to the NTU Chinese language programme of your choice. This application will be supported by the Global Office. You must also attend a mandatory in-person briefing, which will be held at School 2, St Salvator's Quad on Wednesday 10 May, from 1400-1600.

Study abroad