It is mandatory for you to watch/attend the Application & Budgeting Session, the Exchange Research Session and your College/Subject-Specific session before you apply for exchange. You may also wish to attend the in-person sessions.

How To Research My Exchange Session - Watch Here

Application & Budgeting Session - Watch Here

Arts & Humanities College Session - Watch Here

Architecture, Landscape Architecture & CPEP Session - Watch Here

College of Engineering Session - Watch Here

College of Science Session - Watch Here

College of Social Sciences Session - Watch Here

Sustainability Session - Watch Here

All in-person information sessions have now happened, please refer to the recordings if you have missed any!

Exchange & Erasmus Drop-In Office hours will operate throughout October and November, every Tuesday from 1-3pm. If you can't make these hours, please email exchanges@ucd.ie to schedule an alternative appointment. 

The UCD Exchange & Erasmus team will also be hosting UCD Exchange Application Clinics in UCD Global throughout December and January where you will be able to drop in and check you are completing your application correctly. These clinics will be hosted on the following dates and times: Monday 2nd December (2-4pm), Friday 6th December (9am-1pm), Tuesday 17th December (9am-1pm), Thursday 23rd January (9am1pm and 2-4pm)

• 3.0 GPA is the recommended minimum requirement for students going on exchange, this may be lower or higher depending on your College, as you will also need to meet your College requirements which can be found on their own relevant websites
• Generally, for students going on exchange in stage 3, the average GPA is calculated as follows:
  (Stage 1 GPA x 2) + (Stage 2 trimester 1 GPA) divided by 3
• Our selection process is similar to the CAO system. The average GPA of successful students varies from year to year. Placement depends on your GPA, demand and the number of places we have at a university in a given year. 
• We endeavour to place as many students as possible. However, please note our exchange programme is competitive and not all students will receive a conditional offer
• Note, if you receive a conditional offer from UCD, you still need to apply to and be accepted by your host university. If you are rejected from your host university we will not be able to place you elsewhere
• Students will only receive one offer

Please view our step-by-step Application Guide: UCD Exchange & Erasmus Application Guide.

Please note it is mandatory for you to have watched our Application & Budgeting Session to apply for exchange.

Application deadlines can vary based on your programme and will be confirmed to you directly by the relevant UCD Global/Programme Coordinator.

If you are a transfer student, then you must upload your past results and confirmation of GPA (converted to UCD scale) from Stage 1 as part of your application. In order to do this, please contact your previous institution, and ask them to write a letter confirming your Stage 1 GPA converted into a UCD scale (e.g. 3.4/4.2). You can provide your previous institution with UCD grade conversion information here. You must upload this official GPA confirmation letter along with your Stage 1 transcript to the 'Additional Documentation' section of your exchange application. If you fail to provide this information/documentation with your submitted application, we will only be able to count your Stage 2 Trimester 1 GPA.

If you are a student on Leave of Absence, you are still able to apply for exchange - but you need to contact us directly at exchanges@ucd.ie to let us know you are currently on a Leave of Absence so we can contact you with the application process. Please make sure to watch all the necessary information sessions listed above. 

Please make sure you watch the mandatory Application & Budgeting session as we walk through the application step by step and tell you exactly what you need to be doing in each section. You will also find our How To Research My Exchange session helpful when researching your options for exchange - this session is also mandatory. 

Students are not guaranteed a conditional offer, students will only receive one offer.

If you have any questions about going on exchange or the application process, please make sure to check our UCD Student Exchange FAQs webpage.

The majority of our university partners have a page on their website outlining the cost of living at the university.  This is a great place to start when researching the cost of living of the area you are going to. Here is an outline of items to include when budgeting.

• Tuition: You will continue to pay the UCD tuition fee. You will not have to pay the partner university tuition but there may be a small administration fee.
• Monthly Costs: Accommodation, Bills, Groceries, Travel, Personal items
• Incidentals: Insurance, Flights, Passport, Visa, Vaccinations, Study Materials

Please also note that you may need to pay upfront costs before you even begin your exchange, and you will need to make sure you can cover these. 

Please refer to the Budgeting section of our mandatory Application & Budgeting session which will help you to work out how to budget for your time abroad. 

The majority of universities will have a different academic calendar to UCD. Please ensure that you research the academic calendar for all of the universities you are interested in going to, especially for our European partners or if they are in the Southern Hemisphere. For example, Australian and New Zealand partners start their academic year in February.

An overview of the differences of academic calendars across Europe can be found in the following publication from the European Commission.

Before submitting your application, please make sure to check the language of classes at the universities you are interested in, as not all partner universities teach through English. Most of our university partners have a page on their website where you can check their language requirements.

If you do not speak the language of the country where your selected university is located, please check the course catalogue of the university to see if any classes are offered through English for your subject and the duration of exchange, and this document offers more information on courses offered in English in Erasmus partner universities.

It is your responsibility to check the universities you list teach in a language you are able to learn in.

Our partner universities will advise you on accommodation options before you go on exchange.  In some cases you will be offered on campus accommodation, however, at the majority of our partner universities you will be required to find your housing. The partner universities will give you tips and recommendations. Make sure to carefully follow any deadlines they might give you for registering for accommodation.

A visa may be required when going on exchange. The partner university that you are nominated to will assist you with this process. 

Within Europe:
Most countries in Europe are part of the Erasmus+ Programme. The Erasmus+ Grant is approximately €330 or €385 per calendar month depending on destination. The total amount is based on precise mobility dates. Some countries offer some other/additional form of financial assistance, e.g. France – students can apply for CAF (Caisses d’Allocations Familiales) to help with accommodation costs.

*Additional funding may be available for SUSI grantees and HEAR students. Students who have been selected for an exchange destination within Europe, will automatically receive more details about applying for the grant. This information will be sent approximately three months before departure.

Outside of Europe:
Scholarships are available to undergraduate students going on exchange to some universities outside of Europe. These universities are selected each year and will be promoted during our information sessions. Students will receive approx. €700 per month, and will automatically receive the grant if placed at either of these universities. 

For the 2025/2026 period, the two universities that will receive funding are:

• The University of Nottingham at Ningbo
• The University of Western Australia

Students who are selected to attend the Villanova University will automatically receive the McGuinn Scholarship which provides travel, study and stipend costs. 

Students who are selected to go to Beijing-Dublin International College (BDIC) will receive a scholarship - the amount of this scholarship changes every year and will be communicated to students after they have been placed.