Exchange – BA Humanities

As a BA Humanities student, you have the opportunity to apply to spend a trimester or an academic year of Stage 3 on exchange at one of UCD’s partner universities abroad. You can apply to go on exchange outside of Europe or within Europe. A list of partner universities outside of Europe for students in the College of Arts & Humanities can be found here.

A list of partner universities within Europe for students in the College of Arts & Humanities can be found here. It is worth noting that many European partners are subject specific and you need to apply through one of the Schools within which you are studying. For example, if you are on the Classics, English & History pathway, you can be considered for any of the partner universities of these three Schools. You will be concentrating on subjects within that School while on exchange so if selected for an exchange through the School of Classics, you will be taking mainly Classics modules while on exchange.

If you are a student on the History & Politics or Classics, Art History & Archaeology Pathway, a list of exchange partners for Social Sciences can be found here.

Application

If you are currently in Stage 2 of the BA Humanities Programme, UCD Global Exchanges has information on when and how you can apply through your SIS Web account to be considered for an exchange place. UCD Global will consider your application and will notify the International Programme Manager of where you have been nominated to go on exchange.

Information on how to apply, eligibility and deadlines can be found here.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible to go on exchange, students should note the following: 

• Students must  be in Stage 3 when they are on exchange which means they must have completed a minimum of 110 credits at Stage One and at Stage Two in order to go on exchange.
• Only students who are in Stage Two at the time of application are eligible to apply for exchange.
• Students must have earned a minimum GPA of 2.8 at Stage 1 and Stage 2 in order to participate in an exchange programme. Please note that certain partner universities may have higher GPA criteria.

Courses

• The exchange trimester or year of the BA Humanities Programme is GPA neutral  and does not contribute towards a student’s final degree GPA.
• Students on exchange for one trimester are asked to take 30 ECTS credits (or equivalent at a non-EU partner) and pass a minimum of 20 ECTS credits (or equivalent at a non-EU partner) in order to pass their trimester abroad.
• Students on exchange for an academic year are asked to take 60 ECTS credits (or equivalent at a non-EU partner) while on exchange and are required to pass a minimum of 45 credits (or equivalent at a non-EU partner) in order to pass the year.abroad. You will need to get approval for the courses you take on exchange from your BA Humanities Pathway Coordinator.

Not all partner universities offer classes through English. If you do not speak the language of the country the university is in, it is your responsibility to check that sufficient classes are offered through English. Before applying for exchange, you can use this guide on the UCD Global website as a resource, as well as checking the course catalogue of the host university, to see if any classes are offered through English.

If you go on exchange for the autumn trimester only, it is your responsibility to ensure that the semester at your host university finishes in time for you to return to UCD to begin classes for the spring trimester. Please do this research before submitting an exchange application through SIS Web. UCD Global have (opens in a new window)this resource on their website which helps with this research. You can also check the websites of the universities to which you’re interested in applying.

Registering with UCD while on exchange

When you go on exchange, you register with UCD for the academic year. You will pay whatever tuition fees you pay to UCD (for most students this is the student contribution fee and Student Centre Levy) and no tuition fees to the host university. Students on exchange for the full academic year will be registered to 60 Study Abroad credits. Students on exchange for one trimester will be registered to 30 Study Abroad credits and will need to register themselves through SIS Web to UCD modules for the trimester they will be at UCD..

Further Information

The UCD Global website has detailed information on how to apply for exchange, partner universities and practical information.

UCD Global runs a series of talks about exchange opportunities during the autumn trimester. You will be emailed a schedule of their talks and it will also be available on their website.

For further information regarding courses and credits while on exchange on the BA Humanities Programme, please contact: outgoing.artshumanities@ucd.ie