FAQs

Get a globe and spin it! Our programs are continually growing with partner universities in more than 20 countries such as Ghana, Mexico, USA, Chile, Sweden, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, UK, China, Canada, Costa Rica, Malta and Norway.

You can! Our international programs are open to all Deakin students.

The Study Abroad or Exchange program is suited to students who wish to experience total immersion in another culture for a trimester or full academic year. Short Term Programs are more suitable for students with limited time or those who wish to fit another unit in over T3 or in the inter-trimester break. Faculty-led Study Tours also run over a short time period and are well supported by academic staff. They are a defined group of Deakin students who will be in a similar course and year level so it is a great option if you are new to travel and only have limited options to study overseas as part of your Deakin course. Volunteer programs can be for anyone and everyone!

Deakin's Exchange partners vary greatly in terms of student population, location (small townships to major cities, coastal or inland), subject specialisations and strengths. These differences may guide your choice. Some countries will have fewer choices of partners than others.

It is important that you consider which destination is appropriate and best for your studies and lifestyle and that you research a number of potential Exchange destinations to find the right place for you.
 
Deakin Abroad can help guide you and the office has a collection of reports from returned Exchange students that you are welcome to refer to. Also, talking to students who have already been on an Exchange or Study Abroad program is always a good idea. Deakin Abroad can put you in touch with them.

If you are doing a single degree at Deakin, the second year of your course is the ideal time to spend a trimester or year overseas. If you wish to go later than this, you will need to ensure you have enough time left in your course to sustain full-time enrolment while overseas. It can also be difficult to go later in your course, as many Deakin courses have specialised final year subjects which can be difficult to match at a host university.

Deakin Abroad doesn't recommend that you take part in an Exchange or Study Abroad program in the final semester of your degree. You can choose to commence your Exchange or Study Abroad program in Deakin trimester 1 or trimester 2. You can participate in a Short Term study programs at any time during your course so long as you meet the eligibility requirements.

Deakin Abroad programs are the perfect opportunity to add an extra edge to your Deakin degree. With careful planning, you should complete your course in the same time as if you had stayed in Australia. Take the opportunity to study subjects that will complement your course at Deakin but may emphasise different approaches, content or methodology.

No. Deakin Abroad programs are a great opportunity to live within another culture without needing to be proficient in the host language. Language-based programs are aimed primarily at students of that language who wish to rapidly improve their language skills, however, most of the Exchange partners teach classes in English, unless otherwise stated. Many of them also include introductory classes in the host language as part of the Exchange program.

This depends on your course requirements and financial limitations. If possible, we recommend that you consider a year-long program (a trimester can pass too quickly) as it gives you more opportunity to deepen your knowledge of the host university and country.

It is recommended that if you are interested in staying for a full year, you should apply for two trimesters when you originally apply to the Study Abroad & Exchange program.  However students can extend in special circumstances but need approval from Deakin Abroad your faculty and the host university.

    In order for both your faculty and Deakin Abroad to consider your extension, you will need to be certain of the following:
    *    You need to have enough credit points to sustain a full time study load during an additional semester
    *    You need to  make sure that you have at least 1 unit/credit point to complete on your return to Deakin
    *    You need to research further units to study at your host university and make sure that they match up to any core Deakin units that you may need to satisfy during that semester.

    The onus is on you to do the groundwork here, and then contact your faculty at Deakin to see if approval can be granted.

Most of Deakin's partner universities have on-campus accommodation. We recommend that you take advantage of this option if it is available. The type of on-campus accommodation varies from university to university. In some cases you may share a room in a student residence and eat the food offered in the residence canteen, while at other universities you may have your own room and bathroom and share a kitchen with other students.

If you are unable or choose not to live on-campus, most partners have accommodation offices to assist you in locating off-campus accommodation.
If you are undertaking an Exchange or Short-term program, your host university will forward you information on available accommodation and how to apply for this.

Study Abroad students are responsible for finding their own accommodation. However, your host university will likely offer assistance and information once you have been formally accepted. Accommodation is mostly pre-arranged and pre-paid for students participating in international Short Term programs. For the programs that do not offer accommodation as part of the participation fee, the host university will provide assistance in finding suitable accommodation at an additional cost to you.

This depends on the host country and the type of visa you have. In Canada and the USA , the student visa allows you to work part-time, but only on campus. In the UK you can work part-time, while most student visas in the rest of Europe don't allow you to work.

You should not count on being able to work in your host country and if you are able to do so, you should see it as an extra bonus rather than taking it into calculation when working out your financial situation.

When you apply for an Exchange or Study Abroad program you need to submit a financial statement outlining the costs you expect to have during the program (including airfares, health and travel insurance and living expenses) as well as how you will meet those costs.

Many host universities, including all American universities, will also require that you are able to show evidence of how you will support yourself during the exchange. Once you have been accepted to the Exchange or Study Abroad program by Deakin University, you may be required to submit, together with your host university application, original bank statements, scholarship letters and other documents as relevant showing that you have available to you the amount specified by your host university. In these cases you need to be able to demonstrate that this money is available to you upon application. It is not sufficient to show that the money will be available to you once you depart for your host destination.

It is a requirement by all American universities that you are able to provide financial evidence upon application. American universities cannot issue your offer letter and your visa enabling documentation without evidence that you will be able to support yourself during your Exchange or Study Abroad program.

Many countries also require that you can show evidence of financial support when you apply for your student visa.

If you want to go on a trimester- or year-long Exchange program there are two deadlines:
Faculty Study Plan Deadline
Study Abroad & Exchange Application Deadline
If you haven't made an appointment with your faculty before the study plan deadline, you may miss out on making an appointment to get your study plan approved. All application materials  must be submitted by the Study Abroad & Exchange application deadline for the application to be considered.

If you wish to be put in contact with Deakin students who have previously studied overseas, please contact Deakin Abroad. Many students returning from Deakin Abroad programs are happy to share their knowledge and experience.

If your application is successful, you will be notified via the Student Application Portal. The email will trigger the next phase of your application.
If you are taking part in an Exchange, Study Abroad or a Short Term program it is important not to pay for any flights, accommodation, visas etc. until you receive written confirmation from the host university.
If you are taking part in an international short-term study program you may be required to pay a deposit to confirm your place.

All students taking part in any Deakin Abroad program will be required to attend a compulsory pre-departure session.

Deakin Abroad strongly recommends that you travel after completing your Exchange or Study Abroad program rather than before. Sometimes students have to wait a long time for their acceptance letter from their host university to arrive. You need this letter to apply for your student visa(s) and sometimes it also takes a long time for your visa to be issued. Also, grants and scholarships (where applicable) cannot be dispensed from Deakin Aborad until you have received your host university acceptance letter.

If you plan to travel prior to the start of your Exchange or Study Abroad program you may not have received your host university acceptance letter and/or appropriate visas by the planned departure date. You may then be obliged to pay for airfares, tours, hotels etc. that you are not able to utilize as you will not be able to leave Australia until you have received your acceptance letter and/or relevant visas. It is always better to consider travelling once you have completed your program.

If you are going on an Exchange, Deakin Abroad will provide you with the application forms for the host university in your acceptance pack. You must complete and return these forms to Deakin Abroad and we forward them to your host university.

After processing your application, your host university sends you a formal acceptance letter advising you that you have been accepted to their Exchange program, together with any visa-enabling documents. This can take some time. If you have not had a response from your host university 6-8 weeks after being notified by Deakin Abroad that your application was sent, please contact us and we will contact your host university on your behalf.

When you receive your formal host university acceptance letter, you usually also receive a package containing pre-arrival information regarding housing, medical insurance, enrolment and orientation. You should liaise directly with your host university on these matters.
If you are going on a Study Abroad program you are responsible for all contact with your host university before and during the application process.

Most students are offered a place at their first choice host university. However, some universities are more popular than others and Deakin Abroad may receive more applications than there are places available. In this case, places are offered to students according to academic merit.
It is important that you provide two study plans with your application in case it is not possible to offer you a place at your first preference host university.

Comprehensive travel and medical insurance is compulsory for all students participating on a Deakin Abroad program. Deakin provides free travel insurance to any enrolled Deakin student participating on a Deakin approved international program. This insurance covers the dates of the program and an additional 10 days of independent travel. You need to ensure you are covered for the whole period you are overseas. Some host universities have compulsory medical insurances and you will need to buy this insurance before you can enrol at the university. Others have recommended medical schemes which are not compulsory and in these cases Deakin Abroad strongly encourages you use the recommended scheme.
If you purchase an insurance policy at your host university, you need to arrange travel and medical insurance to cover you until you arrive at your host university.

For all Deakin Abroad programs, the student is responsible for making the necessary travel arrangements.
Some international short-term study programs arrange group travel bookings, in which case the tour leader will assist with the travel arrangements. Others require the individual student to organise their travel independently.

On any Deakin Abroad program, each student is responsible for ensuring they have the correct visa for the countries they will be transiting through or studying in before leaving Australia.Deakin Abroad and/or the host university may assist by providing contact details of the relevant embassies/consulates, but you are responsible for the visa application and for ensuring that you have all the necessary and correct visas. Make sure that you don't leave Australia without the correct visa in your passport. It is very important that you don't leave arrangements for your visa until the last minute as some countries take considerable time to issue visas.

Many countries require that you can show evidence of financial support when you apply for your visa. You must then be able to demonstrate that the required amount is available to you when you apply for your visa. It is not sufficient to show that the money will be available to you once you depart for your host destination.

You should book your tickets as soon as you have received confirmation of acceptance from Deakin Abroad. However, don't pay for any tickets, tours, visas etc. until you have received formal acceptance from your host university.

Deakin Abroad recommends that you wait to apply for your visa until you have been formally accepted by your host university. Also, most countries will not let you apply for your student visa until you have received your official acceptance letter from your host university.

Yes, you can withdraw from a Deakin Abroad program at any time before you depart for your host university. You will need to write a letter to Deakin Abroad to inform us about your decision and withdraw your application from the application portal. The letter must include your name, student number, contact details, the name of your host university, the trimester you intended to go on the program and your reasons for withdrawing. The letter must be signed and dated.

If you need to withdraw from a Deakin Abroad program because of events caused by Deakin University, Deakin Abroad or your host university and over which you have no control, your application fee will be refunded in the form of a cheque. Your application fee will not be refunded if you decide that you want to go on a Deakin Abroad program in a different trimester or year, to a different university or because you have changed your mind.
Short Term, Faculty-led Study Tours and Volunteer programs may have non-refundable deposits. Please carefully read payment conditions for each program.

You cannot generally defer your place on a Deakin Abroad program. If you wish to go in a different trimester you need to withdraw your application from the application portal and re-apply for a different trimester.

If you are taking part in an Exchange or Study Abroad program, your host university will send a transcript of your results to Deakin Abroad or directly to you. This will be copied and certified and forwarded to the Division of Student Administration (DSA) for entry onto your Deakin transcript. You will not be graded but will be awarded an External Pass (EP) for each unit successfully completed overseas. The original transcript is yours to keep as you may need it when applying for jobs or further study. You may wish to arrange for an extra copy to be sent to you directly from the host university for these purposes. If you are taking part in an international short-term study program, you will be given an exam and/or assessments either while overseas or occasionally on your return to Australia. These will be graded according to the Deakin grading scale and your faculty will forward your results to DSA to be entered onto your Deakin transcript.