Incoming exchange students and study abroad/free-movers at Derby

We are pleased you are considering Derby for your mobility experience, and we look forward to welcoming you soon!

At Derby we offer:

Access to a wide range of our undergraduate programmes - browse our undergraduate course list.
Full, transferable credit awarded for all modules completed.
A transcript of grades on completion of your study period.
Assistance with UK visa applications.
A dedicated Study Abroad Advisor for assistance before and during your stay at goplaces@derby.ac.uk.
Guaranteed University of Derby self-catering accommodation close to both university and city centre.
Full access to student academic, language and welfare support services.
Membership of the Derby Union of Students.
Access to all clubs, societies, field trips and social events.
Welcome and orientation events on arrival.
Free airport transfers by coach to Derby.
Our discounted Unibus service, which runs all year round between our teaching sites, halls of residence and popular locations in the city.
The experience of a compact, culturally diverse, lively city with a relatively low cost of living, just an hour and a half from London by train.

Nomination and application deadlines

For the Autumn semester - 30 June

For the Spring semester - 30 October

If you need a visa, make sure to apply as early as possible.

Find out more about student visas and applications.

Application process

On nomination by your home university, we will send you a special link to apply. Please don’t apply on our homepage!

You will get an automatic acknowledgement, and we will issue acceptance documents to you within four-to-eight weeks of receipt of your application.
We will then send you a catalogue of available modules/courses to study and further instructions on how to complete your Learning Agreement and enrol yourself at Derby.
We will enrol you onto the module(s) you have chosen.

To apply you will need:

Valid passport
Most recent transcript (all the modules/subjects studied so far at your university with results in English)
Evidence of your English language level
Personal statement of 250 and 350 words in length, stating your future career intentions, and why you are applying for exchange at Derby.

We offer both year and single semester exchange options:

One semester, starting in either September or January.
Two semesters, starting in either September or January.
Three semesters, starting in either September or January.

The length of your stay is subject to approval from your home institution and must be stated at the time you apply - unfortunately, extending later from Autumn to Spring or Spring to Autumn semester is not possible due to immigration rules.

Visa and health requirements

If you study for two consecutive semesters, for example Spring 2025-26 then Autumn 2026-27, you will need a visa and will have to pay the UK health charge of £776.
If you are a European Union or US national, and you come for just one semester, you will not need a visa and therefore will not have to pay the UK health charge. All other nationalities should check the Gov.uk website.

You can work up to 20 hours per week, provided you hold a visa.

If you are just here for one semester, in most cases you won’t be allowed to work.

To know what documents are required to get a UK student visa, check the Gov.uk student visa overview.

If you don’t need a visa, you will still need an Electronic Travel Authorisation to enter the UK. Apply for an electronic travel authorisation via Gov.uk.

English language requirements

For English language requirements, check our accepted list of language tests.

If you need a visa and are not a native speaker of English, we need an official certification which is less than two years old at the time of the start of your stay in Derby, with B2 for each of the four skills tested.
If you are coming for a single semester and don’t need a visa, we need either a certification or a letter from a teacher, showing at least a B1 level in all four skills.

Free-movers and study abroad students

This means that your institution does not have an agreement with Derby for your degree subject, but you would like to come anyway. This is possible but you must pay tuition fees. View our tuition fees for the next academic year.

At Derby you can study for:

One semester, starting in either September or January (30 ECTS, 60 UK credits)

Two semesters, starting in either September or January (60 ECTS, 120 UK credits)

The length of your stay is subject to approval from your home institution, and must be stated at the time you apply - unfortunately, extending later from Autumn to Spring semester or from Spring to Autumn is not possible due to immigration rules.

You must check carefully that you can transfer credit earned abroad back to your home institution before applying. You will receive all the same services as exchange students, but you will need a different link to make your application.