Study abroad: Funding to attend Summer Schools in 2026 via the Turing Scheme

The Turing Scheme, administered by the Department for Education (DfE), provides funding for UK students to take part in life-changing opportunities to study or work abroad. These grants contribute to the costs while you are away.

For the 2025-26 academic year, Birkbeck has secured funding to support student placements lasting from just two weeks to one month, so whether you want a short summer experience or a longer placement, there’s something for you.

Studying abroad offers a unique opportunity to:

• gain a fresh perspective on your studies
• develop valuable skills to boost your employability and personal growth
• build confidence working in diverse, international environments
• deepen your understanding of your degree and explore new subjects
• immerse yourself in another culture, from local food and music to everyday life.

Employers increasingly look for 'global graduates' who are culturally aware and adaptable. Studying abroad can help you stand out in the job market.

From one of our students who studied abroad in 2024-25

"It was an amazing experience in the most fantastic setting and all the staff, and especially the students, were most welcoming. I enrolled in four classes which were very stimulating (global history, materials history, the problem of property and an advanced writing class). I also surprised myself by how much of my own writing I was able to do and I really feel that I have broken the back of my PhD now. Living in the centre of Florence was amazing and as my university card gave me free entry to all the state museums, saw a huge amount of art and history. I also managed to visit many surrounding towns and countryside as well as a few longer trips. I do hope that the exchange continues as it is a wonderful opportunity for anyone."

- John, PhD History student.

1. Centre International d’Études de Langues – CIEL Strasbourg

Course: Super-intensive French (language and culture)

View information about CIEL Strasbourg.

Duration: 2 weeks

Date options:

• 20 July-2 August 2026
• 3-16 August 2026
• 17-30 August 2026

Costs:

• Deposit/registration: €60
• Course fee: €960 (€480 per week)
• Teaching materials fee: €60
• Placement fee: €50
• Accommodation options:
• University residence: €38 per night, without meals (single room)
• Host family: €40 per night, half board

2. Lyon Catholic University (UCLy)

Course: Intensive French (language and culture)

View information about UCLy.

Duration: 23 days

Dates: 3-26 August 2026

Costs:

• Deposit/registration: €250 (deducted from course fee)
• Course fee: €1010
• Accommodation: €560-770, depending on whether you choose:
  • UCLy student residences
  • Private residences
  • Independent apartments
  • Host family (half board Mon-Fri; full board weekends)

1. Ludwig Maximilians Universität München (LMU)

Course: Summer German Language Course (language and culture)

View information about LMU.

Duration: 27 days

Dates: 3-29 August 2026

Costs:

• Deposit/registration: €200 (non-refundable)
• Course fee: €527
• Accommodation (university residence): €600 (single room)

2. Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU)

Course: International German Language School (language and culture)

View information about JGU.

Duration: 19 days

Dates: 10-28 August 2026

Costs:

• Deposit/registration: TBC
• Course fee: €990
• Accommodation:
  • University residence: €700 (single room) you also have to pay a deposit equivalent to one month's rent (c. €400), which will be refunded after your stay.
  • Shared flat/apartment
  • Youth Hostel

You can also apply for a JGU scholarship.

1. University of Palermo (UNIPA)

Course: Summer School Intensive, Daily Italian (language and culture)

View information about UNIPA.

Duration: 2 weeks

Date options:

• 13-24 July 2026
• 27 July-7 August 2026

Costs:

• Deposit/registration: €100
• Course fee: €180 (for two weeks)
• Accommodation options:
  • The Italian Language School for Foreigners has no accommodation. Students can contact ERSU or ESN Erasmus Student Network.

2. Scuola Leonardo da Vinci Firenze

Course: Intensive course (language and culture)

View information about Scuola Leonardo da Vinci, Firenze.

Duration: 2 weeks

Date options:

• 13-26 July 2026
• 20 July-2 August 2026
• 27 July-9 August 2026
• 3-16 August 2026
• 10-23 August 2026
• 17-30 August 2026

Costs:

• Deposit/registration: €100 (accommodation deposit)
• Enrolment: €80
• Course fee: €460 (€230 per week)
• Accommodation options:
  • Standard shared apartment: €26 (double room); €33 (single room) per person per night.
  • Host family: €31 (double room with breakfast); €38 (single room with breakfast) per person per night.
  • Host family: €47 (double room with breakfast and dinner); €54 (single room with breakfast and dinner) per person per night.

1. Ochanomizu University

Course: Global Leaders, Japanese Language course (language and culture)

View information about Ochanomizu University.

Duration: 16 days

Dates: 20 July-4 August 2026

Costs:

• Deposit/registration: JPY 60,000 (£49.95)
• Course fee: No fee (Birkbeck, University of London is a partner university).
• Accommodation options: A sensible budget estimate would be around JPY 60,000-80,000 (£293.34-£391.12) for two weeks, depending on the room type and location.
  • University Summer program participants need to arrange their own housing. For a two-week stay, options recommended are short-term apartments, guesthouses, or business hotels near the campus. The host university will share a list of accommodation options.

2. Meiji University

Course: Short-term Japanese Language Programme (language and culture)

View information about Meiji University.

Duration: 14 days

Dates: 27 July-7 August 2026

Costs:

• Deposit/registration: TBC by the university in February 2026
• Course fee: £448.56 (90,000 JPY)
• Accommodation: £591.79 (118,690 JPY)
  • University recommends the Pearl Hotel Ryogoku.

Sungkyunkwan University

Course: Summer Korean Language Short Term Program (language and culture)

View information about Sungkyunkwan University.

Duration: 17 days (2-week option) or 24 days (3-week option)

Date options:

• 3-19 August 2026 (2-week option)
• 27 July-19 August 2026 (3-week option)

Costs:

• Deposit/registration: £40.86 (80,000 KRW)
• Course fee: £332.08 (650,000 KRW) (2-week option) or £485.45 (950,000 KRW) (3-week option)
• Accommodation options: £209.68 (400,000 KRW) (2-week option) or £314.52 (600,000 KRW) (3-week option)
  • University dormitory residence: double room (two students sharing)

Cervantes Escuela Internacional, Málaga (CEI)

Course: Intensive 20 (language and culture)

View information about Cervantes Escuela Internacional.

Duration: 14 days

Date options:

• 27 July-9 August 2026
• 03-16 August 2026
• 10-23 August 2026
• 17-30 August 2026

Costs:

• Deposit/registration: TBC
• Enrolment fee: €50
• Books and learning materials: €25
• Course fee: €370
• Accommodation options:
  • Shared apartment: €380 (€190 per week, single room); or €260 (€130 per week, double room). Each flat has a lounge with TV, a fully equipped kitchen, one or two bathrooms and three or four bedrooms. You will share with five or six students from different countries and cultures.
  • Host family:
    • €420 (€210 per week, single room with breakfast)
    • €490 (€245 per week, single room with half board)
    • €570 (€285 per week, single room with full board)
    • €350 (€215 per week, double room with half board)
    • €430 (€215 per week- double room with half board)
    • €490 (€245 per week, double room with full board)
    • High season supplement (Jul-Aug): €45 per week
    • Double rooms only available for two students booking together
    • Special diet (gluten-free, lactose-free, vegan diet) +€15 per week
    • Included: WIFI, bedding, a weekly laundry service and a weekly cleaning. No towels are provided.
  • Hostels and hotels recommended by CEI.

Christ University, Bangalore

Course: India Gateway Programme

This is a Birkbeck cohort programme, so you will travel and study with other Birkbeck students and be accompanied by a staff member.

View information about Christ University.

Duration: 16 days

Dates: (TBC by provider, January 2026)

• 20 July-2 August 2026
• 3-16 August 2026
• 17-30 August 2026

Costs:

• Deposit/registration: TBC
• Course fee: £893.12 (1200 USD)
• Accommodation options: accommodation is included at the guest houses for students. Social programme/food included in the programme but we keep approximately five meals open for the students to explore by themselves.

UpSkill (Udayana University) Bali

Course: Intercultural communication, community contribution during site visit, field trips, culture.

View information about UpSkill (Udayana University) Bali.

Duration: 26 days

Dates: 3-28 August 2026

Costs:

• Deposit/registration: €50
• Course fee: £2,230 (€2,590)
• Accommodation: accommodation included within a student-shared home.
  • Included: lunch provided during full-day field trips, daily transport during the programme, 24/7 emergency support, contact person on-site, airport pick-up, full tuition, study materials, UpSkill merchandise, local SIM-card, professional lectures and experts, community contribution during site visit, 10+ field trips (e.g. waterfall trekking).

Travelteer

Course: Volunteering, culture, assisting with English lessons, infrastructure projects and agriculture.

View information about Travelteer.

Duration: 16 days

Dates: 16-30 August 2026

Costs:

• Registration: £184
• Living costs: £448 (£32 per day)
• Fundraising: £150 (Each volunteer is required to fundraise a minimum of £75 per week they volunteer. Money raised enables Travelteer to buy equipment, further develop programmes and improve quality of life in disadvantaged communities. Volunteers can put any money raised above their required fundraising threshold towards the travel cost of their return flight. This will be reimbursed once the fundraising period has ended. Any surplus money exceeding the cost of your flight will be donated to Travelteer Impact to further their charitable causes.)
• Accommodation: Included in the living costs. While on projects, volunteers will be staying at a gite in the Atlas Mountains. Traditional accommodation is run as a hostel (same gender dormitory style rooms).
  • Included: food (three meals per day) and 24/7 in-country support.

Disadvantaged students (DfE criteria)

A. Cost of living support: A set rate per day.

B. Travel grant: A maximum amount is provided for travel/transfers (paid as actual costs rather than based on set rates - students to provide receipts).

C. Readiness to travel support:

Funding to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds prepare to travel. You must only use readiness to travel funding for:

• passports
• visa applications and reasonable associated costs such as translated documents, travel to appointments and police certificates
• vaccines
• travel insurance
• medical certificates.

Paid as actual costs rather than based on set rates (students to provide receipts).

Non-disadvantaged students

A. Cost of living support: a set rate per day

Europe

Disadvantaged students (DfE criteria):

• Cost of living support: £21 per day
• Travel grant (maximum): £250 (receipt-based)
• Readiness to travel support: receipt-based

Non-disadvantaged students:

• Cost of living support: £17 per day

India

Disadvantaged students (DfE criteria):

• Cost of living support: £21 per day
• Travel grant (maximum): £745 (receipt-based)
• Readiness to travel support: receipt-based

Non-disadvantaged students:

• Cost of living support: £17 per day

Indonesia

Disadvantaged students (DfE criteria):

• Cost of living support: £21 per day
• Travel grant (maximum): £905 (receipt-based)
• Readiness to travel support: receipt-based

Non-disadvantaged students:

• Cost of living support: £17 per day

Japan

Disadvantaged students (DfE criteria):

• Cost of living support: £23 per day
• Travel grant (maximum): £905 (receipt-based)
• Readiness to travel support: receipt-based

Non-disadvantaged students:

• Cost of living support: £19 per day

Morocco

Disadvantaged students (DfE criteria):

• Cost of living support: £21 per day
• Travel grant (maximum): £325 (receipt-based)
• Readiness to travel support: receipt-based

Non-disadvantaged students:

• Cost of living support: £17 per day

South Korea

Disadvantaged students (DfE criteria):

• Cost of living support: £21 per day
• Travel grant (maximum): £905 (receipt-based)
• Readiness to travel support: receipt-based

Non-disadvantaged students:

• Cost of living support: £17 per day

Birkbeck is committed to providing opportunities for students to study/volunteer abroad. Up to £400-600 per student will be available, to contribute to the programme costs, with additional funding considered for higher-cost placements.

Each placement offers unique learning, volunteering and cultural activities. Full details will be made available before applications open.

Any current Birkbeck student can apply, provided it does not conflict with your degree programme commitments. Priority may be given to language students applying to a country where they study the language, but we expect plenty of places to be available, so don’t be discouraged from applying.

Anyone can apply for Turing Scheme funding, but please note that the DfE prioritises students from disadvantaged backgrounds who might face particular challenges meeting the cost of an international placement.

You may be considered 'disadvantaged' if you meet any of the following (not exhaustive) DfE criteria:

• household income of £42,875 or less
• receipt of Universal Credit or other income-related benefits
• experience of being in care or as a care leaver
• caring responsibilities, estranged from family, or Refugee/asylum seeker status.

We can check your individual circumstances at the point of application.

Visa restrictions apply in certain countries. Non-UK passport holders may have different requirements, depending on the destination.

Applications will open from this web page in early January 2026.

• Applications open: Early January 2026
• Early-bird/specific country applications close: Mid-February 2026
• Applications close: April 2026
• Placements abroad: mid-July to late August 2026

Keep an eye on the Student Bulletin and this page for updates.