UCL Study Abroad offers funding support for students undertaking a global short-term mobility.
Global Experience Bursary 2024/25
The Global Experience Bursary supports undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate-taught (PGT) students on a short-term mobility. It is financial support that is a contribution to students' travel and living costs abroad, but should not be relied upon as a principal funding source. Examples of short-term mobilities are on Study Abroad's introduction to short-term mobility webpage.
Applications open 25 October 2024 and are accepted on a rolling basis until 23:59 on 1 April 2025 or until funding is completely spent - whichever occurs sooner. Students can expect to receive the outcome of their application within 2-3 weeks of submission. Students should only apply when they know they can show evidence of proof of acceptance from their host organisation within at least 2 weeks of submitting their application.
The minimum bursary is £80 and maximum bursary is £600, however students may be eligible for a higher award if they are a Widening Participation (WP) student, up to £1,200. Full WP criteria is under the drop-down heading below. Bursary amounts are based on the strength of the application, location, duration and tuition/programme fees of the opportunity. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
A £50 sustainability ‘top up’ will be awarded to students that show evidence of travelling to their destination in a more sustainable way than flying and/or if they are doing a placement with a focus on mitigating the effects of climate change, specifically in relation to rewilding, conservation and green skills.
Students cannot receive both a Turing Grant and a Global Experience Bursary for the same short-term mobility. Students cannot receive more than one Global Experience Bursary in an academic year. Students that have been granted a place on the Widening Participation Summer Programme cannot apply for an additional Global Experience Bursary.
For questions about any of the bursaries, please contact the Study Abroad team via askUCL.
- Eligibility Criteria
This bursary is open to students that are:
- Current UG and PGT students, fully enrolled at UCL throughout the duration of the placement (end date of placement must be before the first day of the next academic year)
- NOT undertaking paid work-place internships (refer to the Global Internships Programme and its associated funding offered by UCL Careers instead).
All eligible short term mobilities must be:
- In-person or virtual
- Relevant to students' UCL programme of study, future studies and/or career
- At least five (5) days long. Travel days are not included, so the placement itself must be at least five days e.g. a 3-day conference with a day of travel either side does not count as meeting the five day minimum.
Virtual short term mobilities must also be:
- Live learning and/or involve interaction with colleagues, students, course leaders or lecturers around the world e.g. group project work
- In an environment that enables an understanding of different approaches and attitudes from around the world, fostering employability skills like intercultural communication
- A fee-paying placement (free virtual programmes are NOT eligible).
A £50 sustainability ‘top up’ is awarded to students that show evidence of:
- Travelling to their destination in a more sustainable way other than just flying and/or
- Taking a placement with a focus on mitigating the effects of climate change, specifically in relation to rewilding, conservation and green skills.
- Widening Participation Criteria
A student may be eligible for a higher bursary if they are undertaking a mobility that meets the above criteria and if they meet any of identifiers below, providing suitable evidence in their application:
- Household income of £42,000
- Receiving income-related benefits
- Care-experienced student
- Student with caring responsibilities
- Refugees and asylum seekers
- Received an Access UCL offer
- For UK-domiciled students, being Black African, Black Caribbean or mixed Black, African/White or Black Caribbean/White
- Mature (aged 21 or older at the beginning of your current, undergraduate, degree)
- Estranged students
- Part-time students
Other Funding Opportunities
Students are encouraged to look for funding opportunities beyond what UCL offers. Below is a sample of different grants and scholarships that have been/are offered by a variety of organisations and can be used as a springboard for research into even more potential funding pots.
Students should reach out to their department, relevant charities, embassies, cultural organisations etc. for other sources of financial support.
- Funding Organisations
- BUNAC Scholarships
- BUTEX Scholarships
- The Chadwick Trust Travelling Fellowships and Scholarships
- IEFA Scholarships Finder (search engine)
- IIE Funding for U.S.A Study (search engine)
- Jack's Flight Club Travel Scholarships
- John Speak Language Trust Bursary
- Psychology International Internship Scholarship (for Psychology internships with Volunteer HQ)
- The Rotary Foundation
- The Sarah Douglas Hardship Fund
- Volunteer Abroad Scholarships (for travel, volunteer and study abroad grants, mainly U.S.A based)