Year Abroad Funding

I’m in first year but thinking of my year abroad in 3rd year. I have a flat that I want to keep while I go on my year abroad, so I would like to know what funding is available.
For context, I am planning on doing a work placement to earn some extra money, and would consider staying with a host family. ( any advice on this is welcome)
I’m currently studying at Glasgow, any advice about anything relating this would be helpful.
Thank you so much🩷

Hi @leanne_f_,

It's great that you're thinking about this now! I'm currently a third year studying abroad in the US, so hopefully I can help you out a little bit.

It's definitely a good idea to earn some extra money, and a host family might be a better option money-wise depending on if it is available or not. My advice for you now would be to save as much as you are able to. There are also a couple of options in terms of funding:

Grants or programmes: e.g., the Turing Scheme. Your university should have more information on this, as I believe they are allocated a certain number of slots/an amount for their students - you would need to check with them. The amount of funding is dependent on your circumstances, although you may be able to find some rough figures to get an idea. You can read more about it here: https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/.

Scholarships are also a great option for funding your year abroad. I would recommend applying to as many as you can, even if you don't feel like you fully fit the criteria, because you never know! You may find some geared towards your specific course or location too. There are loads out there, and you can find them with a quick Google search or by contacting your home and/or (potential) host universities.

Student loans are also an option. The money you receive from loans for your study abroad year may be higher than usual, so they might be able to cover other expenses. It would be worth discussing this with the study abroad team at your university, as tuition and other costs may be different for you this year. For me, my tuition costs were reduced and my food and accommodation was a set fee, so I could plan accordingly.

Personal fundraising is another option. It can be uncomfortable to ask for money from family and friends, but setting up a small fundraiser for your study abroad experience might be able to help you out a little. You could also frame it towards a certain experience/activity that will benefit you or your studies, which may feel more appropriate when asking for money.

It can also depend on where you go or the organization your university chooses to send you through, so it would be worth setting up a meeting with the study abroad team so they can point you in the right direction.

I hope this helps, and let me know if you have any other questions!
Isabella

Thank you so much! I currently get student loans through SAAS and i looked into it on their website and said you would get same amount, however, when I spoke to an advisor they said it’s less and you can only earn a certain amount, which is the reason for this question, it’s left me with a few doubts. Also through SAAS, they pay the tuition fees so that’s nothing to worry about. It’s more the general living costs but being able to keep my flag here.
I’ll definitely look into what you’ve said and thank you so much for replying and being so informative!🩷

I’m in first year but thinking of my year abroad in 3rd year. I have a flat that I want to keep while I go on my year abroad, so I would like to know what funding is available.
For context, I am planning on doing a work placement to earn some extra money, and would consider staying with a host family. ( any advice on this is welcome)
I’m currently studying at Glasgow, any advice about anything relating this would be helpful.
Thank you so much🩷

Hey,
This might be a wee bit late but I am at UofG and coming to the end of my year abroad. Unless you're belonging to one of the groups the uni deems as widening participation (i.e. low income, care experienced, mature student) then they won't apply for Turing Scheme funding. This caught me and others out, and was a bit of a pain as exchange friends I met from all other UK unis were given Turing grants. I'd definitely advise trying to apply individually if you aren't widening participation though!

Hiya! How was your year abroad? I just find the whole thing confusing lol, everyone says something different, if you don’t mind me asking what funding were you eligible for? did you get SAAS or any extra funding? Thank you ☺️

My year abroad has been amazing! I was technically eligible for Turing but UofG didn't apply for us lol. I got basic SAAS and had a decent amount of savings to fall back on and use for trips. Definitely consider the cost of living in the country you're going to, I'm in Hong Kong and it's overall about the same as home but I know some people in Canada/USA etc who struggled