Entry requirements

Applying on UCAS for your Queen Mary Degree Programme "with a Year Abroad" (prospective Queen Mary students)

By applying directly on UCAS for a degree that includes a year abroad (commonly referred to as WAYA or 'with a year abroad' degrees), you will be enrolled on a degree programme that already includes a forecasted year abroad to be spent on exchange during year 3 (for some MEng and MSci degrees, the year abroad may take place during a different developmental year).

If you are applying for a degree on UCAS with a year abroad, you can find the initial entry requirements for that particular degree programme on the UCAS website.

Joining Queen Mary on a 'with a year abroad' degree programme directly from UCAS will give you highest priority for being considered for an exchange spot at our most popular and competitive destinations. Once in year 2, you will complete the central application process managed by the Global Opportunities team where you provide more information on where and why you would like to study on an exchange, selecting up to five destination preferences/choices (to learn more, please consult the below section on requirements for current students, and read from "Once you are enrolled/if you are already enrolled on a degree 'with a year abroad'"). In the meantime, once you arrive at Queen Mary, you can spend year 1 learning more about the process, research your options and receive guidance and recommendations from your academic school. 

It will be important for you to be well-prepared in order to gain the most benefit from your future period of study abroad. Once you start your degree at Queen Mary, you will therefore be required to attain a minimum standard in your initial years of study. During all years spent studying at Queen Mary before your forecasted exchange abroad, you will be expected to achieve and maintain a minimum 2:1 (60%) average overall with no failed modules, though this threshold may be set at a higher level for individual programmes. You will be informed of the detailed conditions for the year abroad by your academic school once you start your degree. For further information, please contact the Queen Mary academic school you want to apply to.

Please note that entry requirements vary across our academic schools.

Once you are enrolled/if you are already enrolled on a 'with a year abroad' (or WAYA) degree programme:

• You will need to complete the GO team's central application procedure for your desired destination during year 2, following the process outlined on our How to apply page, for a mobility period to take place during year 3.
• Yours and other applications received by students enrolled on WAYA degree programmes will be reviewed in priority before other applications submitted by students not already enrolled on a WAYA degree and/or applying for an optional semester exchange.

If you are not yet enrolled on a 'with a year abroad' (or WAYA) degree programme:

Please review the below procedures and, in the case of further questions (such as during which developmental year you might be permitted to complete a potential exchange abroad), contact your academic School/Department Coordinator to discuss:

• Year 1 students: you are not currently authorised to switch onto a WAYA degree programme if you are not already enrolled on one, due to capacity at our partner institutions and the number of students who have joined Queen Mary already enrolled on our WAYA degree programmes (such as directly via UCAS). However, you could be eligible to complete our application process during your year 2 (see below), and first-year grades would be taken into consideration during the ranking process. In this scenario, you would not be switching onto any WAYA degree programme until you hold a Conditional offer of exchange following a successful application submitted during our second application round of your year 2 (the year preceding your intended exchange) - see full details below.
• Year 2 students: you are advised to follow the below guidance if you wish to go abroad for a full year as part of a WAYA degree programme but are not already enrolled on the WAYA version of your degree: 
  1) You should know that priority for exchange spaces at our partners abroad is given to students who join Queen Mary already enrolled on a WAYA degree programme. Therefore if you complete our application procedure, once your application is reviewed, destination availability at our most popular and highly competitive destinations will be limited.
  2) Speak with your academic School/Department Coordinator to confirm whether your current academic standing meets the eligibility criteria to participate in the Student Exchange Programme (performing at a 2:1 average with no failed modules). If you have any failed modules with no opportunity to resit these or if you failed to complete resit/s within the timeframe permitted by your academic school, you are not allowed to participate in the Student Exchange Programme.
  3) If your academic standing meets the eligibility criteria to participate in the Student Exchange Programme (performance at/near a 2:1 minimum average and with no failed modules), you may complete the application process by consulting the How to apply and our QMplus pages for full application and outcome guidance.
  4) Only if and where your application is successful and you are made a Conditional offer of exchange for a destination, you will be invited at that time to switch onto the WAYA version of your degree programme by completing Change of Programme procedures directly with your academic school as a requirement to accept your Conditional offer. Do consult with your academic School/Department Coordinator at that time if you have any questions.
  
  In any scenario where either your academic school informs you that your academic standing does not meet the eligibility requirements to participate in the Student Exchange Programme or an application submitted by you for a full-year exchange is unsuccessful, you will not be authorised to switch onto a WAYA degree programme, and an exchange abroad as part of your Queen Mary degree will not be possible for you.

Alternatively, you could consider opportunities offered under Summer and Short-Term Programmes, or if you are in year 1*, do not wish to complete a full-year exchange yet do meet our eligibility requirements to participate in the Student Exchange Programme, you could apply by the relevant deadline during year 1 to complete an optional semester abroad instead (see below section) during the autumn of year 2*.

^{(*) Students within the School of Economics and Finance are exceptionally permitted to complete an exchange abroad during the autumn semester of their final year 3 to select partner institutions. These students apply for the optional semester abroad during year 2 (not year 1). Please also note that spring semester-only exchanges are not an option for any student at Queen Mary.}

Please note that entry requirements vary across our academic schools. Please also note that not all Schools offer an optional semester abroad on exchange.

If your academic school allows you to complete an optional exchange abroad (consult with your academic School/Department Coodinator at Queen Mary), you will need to complete the GO team's central application procedure for your desired destination during year 1 for a mobility period to take place during the autumn semester of year 2*, following the process outlined on our How to apply page.

As students applying in year 1 do not yet have confirmed Queen Mary results by the time their applications are reviewed and ranked by academic departments, your pre-Queen Mary academic performance (i.e. the results you used to apply to Queen Mary) will be considered for the academic standing (first-year results) portion of the ranking process.

During the allocation process, your application will be reviewed and considered after all applications submitted by students already enrolled on 'with a year abroad' degree programmes have been reviewed and allocated. 

^{(*) Students within the School of Economics and Finance are exceptionally permitted to complete an exchange abroad during the autumn semester of their final year 3 to select partner institutions. These students apply for the optional semester abroad during year 2 (not year 1). In this case, Queen Mary year 1 results are used for the academic standing portion of the ranking process. Please also note that spring semester-only exchanges are not an option for any student at Queen Mary.}

If your application through the GO team's centralised application procedure is successful:

• You will be made a Conditional offer of exchange for a specific destination that will only be valid so long as you meet the below requirements:
• You must complete your host institution’s application process and submit all documentation required by them by their set deadlines;  
• You will need to have a language proficiency certificate for non-English programmes if this is specified by your host institution;
• You will need to maintain a weighted minimum 2:1 (60%) average overall with no failed modules during all developmental years prior to your exchange abroad, though this threshold may be set at a higher level for individual programmes (please check with your academic School/Department Coordinator for exact requirements);
• You must have completed and submitted all required contractual documentation to and as specified by the Global Opportunities team and by the set deadlines; and
• Your chosen modules must be approved by your Queen Mary academic School/Department Coordinator and be offered within the equivalent academic department at your host institution. You must ensure that your selected modules at the host institution allow you to progress on your Queen Mary degree programme (full details on our Study page).
  
  

Failure to meet the aforementioned conditions and requirements*:

Your Conditional offer of exchange can be withdrawn by either Queen Mary or the host institution at any time, and you would not go abroad on exchange but rather continue your studies at Queen Mary. If enrolled on a 'with a year abroad' degree programme, you would need to revert back to the three-year version of your degree and complete your final year of studies at Queen Mary instead.

^{(*) Requirements differ within the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures in the School of Languages, Linguistics and Film. Contact the relevant academic school for further information.}

Most of Queen Mary’s partner institutions offer tuition in English, but we strongly recommend for you to learn the language of your host country to maximise your integration and get the most out of your exchange experience.

Depending on where you want to go, your host institution may offer intensive language courses, which take place before the semester starts or run throughout the semester.

You might also be able to take a language course here in London at Queen Mary’s Language Centre before you go abroad or you may already be learning the language on to your degree programme. Whatever your situation, we strongly recommend that you learn the language of your host country to get the very most from your exchange experience.