Tuition Fees
To do an International Placement, you pay a reduced fee to DMU. This fee includes the ongoing support from DMU Global and the Placement Team, and all other services offered by DMU such as the Library, DSU, Student Services, Counselling and Welfare. The current fee for students applying in the 2023-24 academic year is £650 for Home students and £750 for International students.
Financial Support
Any loans, grants or scholarships you are entitled to are not affected by doing a placement abroad. This includes the Tuition Fee Loan, Maintenance Loan, and Maintenance Grants.
UK Tuition Fee Loan
If you normally apply for a UK Student Loan, you are strongly advised to apply for one for your period abroad. Being a placement student does not affect your eligibility to apply for one. However, you should only apply for the tuition fee loan amount that you have been requested to pay by DMU. For example, if you only have to pay £650 to DMU during your placement year, you should only apply for a tuition fee loan to cover that amount.
It is your responsibility to supply full information of your period abroad to your academic department and to Student Finance for your funding. This information will be used to ensure that University records are correct and the correct tuition fee is applied.
If there is a discrepancy in the amount Student Finance states you must borrow and the amount DMU states you must pay, please contact Student Administrative Support on sas@dmu.ac.uk or call 0116 257 7595 (option 3).
Do I need to provide evidence of my overseas placement to Student Finance?
Once your study abroad plans are confirmed, DMU Global and the Placement Team will share your information with your Student and Academic Services (SAAS), who will in turn pass this information to Student Finance electronically.
Student Finance should therefore not ask you to obtain written confirmation from DMU of your placement plans. If they do, or if they ask you to complete a form to confirm your change of course to include a placement year, please contact studentexchange@dmu.ac.uk for advice.
How will they assess my student loan application?
As an placement year student, you are entitled to have the maintenance part of your Student Loan. Your tuition fee loan should be in line with what you have been asked to pay to DMU.
Can I qualify for a maintenance loan or grants?
Students who have not been eligible for a Maintenance Loan or Grant in the first two years of their study may still be eligible for it, for their placement year. Please check with the relevant funding body.
Travel Grant
You may be able to claim a retrospective travel grant from Student Finance following your period abroad. The travel grant is income-assessed and can cover reasonable costs as decided by Student Finance England. Check the Travel Grants web page for more information.
Learn more about how to apply
- Apply for student finance for your study abroad using your student finance account. You can register and set up an account if you don’t already have one.
- You’ll then receive a ‘Course Abroad Form’.
- Once you’ve filled in and returned the form, you’ll automatically receive a travel grant form if you’re eligible.
Keep all receipts for any expenses you want to apply for – you’ll need to send photocopies when you apply. Subsequently, the money will be paid direct into your bank account.
For further information on the travel grant, please contact Student Finance directly.
Turing Scheme Funding
DMU has been awarded funding from the UK Government’s new Turing Scheme to support students going to study and work abroad. This has currently been confirmed for academic year 2023-24 only.
The amount of funding students are entitled to will depend on the cost of living of the country the student is working in:
Group 1 destinations
£380 per month OR £490 for students from disadvantaged backgrounds
Group 2 destinations
£335 per month OR £445 for students from disadvantaged backgrounds
To find details of which countries are listed in each group, visit the cost of living groups page.
Additional support for those from disadvantaged backgrounds
The definitions of what constitutes a student from a disadvantaged background can be found here.
Alongside the higher grant rate, students from disadvantaged backgrounds will also receive funding towards the costs of travel, depending on the destination you are travelling to. You can view the travel grant rate for all destinations here. You will also be eligible to claim for additional travel expenses, including the costs of visas, passports, and health insurance.
Additional support for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
For participants with SEND, the scheme will fund up to 100% of actual costs for support directly related to these additional needs, if these cannot be facilitated by the host company. For further details regarding this and to discuss your individual situation, please contact studentexchange@dmu.ac.uk or the Global Disability Officer.
Practicalities
Once you have been approved for a placement year, you will receive pre-departure information from the placement team. You can find important information about insurance and visas below to help you prepare.
Insurance
All students will need to purchase appropriate medical insurance for the duration of time spent overseas. Medical insurance may also be a pre-requisite for visa applications. We also recommend that you purchase travel insurance to cover personal possessions.
For students going to the EU, you can apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) to access necessary state-provided healthcare. Further details of what is meant by medically necessary healthcare, how to apply for the GHIC and who is eligible to apply can be found here.
Visas and immigration
All students (apart from EU nationals working in an EU country) will require a visa or resident permit to work overseas.
You will need to have been formally accepted by your host company to participate on a placement before you can apply for a visa or residence permit. Depending on the immigration rules of your host destination, you may be required to attend an interview or book an appointment to provide your biometrics at the local embassy.
Visa or resident permit applications have varying costs that students will need to factor into their budgeting. This commonly includes a visa application fee, as well as potential costs towards a police or medical certificate. Students may also be required to demonstrate proof of funds to support oneself while working in that destination. The amount you are required to show will be stated in the visa application instructions.
Visa and immigration information can be obtained by consulting the local embassy website for your host destination. Foreign travel advice is also available from the UK government with each country having it’s own page. Look for the ‘entry requirements’ section which will have further details regarding visas.