Incoming students

Entrance, UCA Farnham

If you are a student at any of our many partner institutions, we would like to welcome you to the University as an exchange student.

UCA is a specialist university with over 150 years of experience in supporting and developing creative arts students. On our courses you have access to the latest industry standard facilities and thinking and our unique student communities share and inspire one another in creative disciplines.

Please find information below on our list of partner institutions, and how to apply. If your home institution does not have a formal partnership agreement with UCA, then unfortunately we cannot consider your application at this time. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us at exchange@ucreative.ac.uk. 

Applying for an exchange period at UCA


All exchange applications must be submitted electronically to exchange@ucreative.ac.uk

A complete application pack should include the following documents:

  • Completed UCA Application Form.
  • Portfolio (a pdf of maximum 3Mb, or a link to your work on a web page such as Flickr or YouTube)
  • Letter of Motivation
  • Scanned copy of passport (front cover and photo page)
  • First year university results transcript
  • English language certificate

Application deadline for 2013-14 academic year:

  • To study at UCA in the Autumn term: 1st April 2013
  • To study at UCA in the Spring term: 30th September 2013

To find out the approximate term dates please click here.

Choose your course

Exchange periods usually last one semester (3-5 months) and most undergraduate visiting exchange students join Stage two (Second year) of our undergraduate courses for one term (either Autumn or Spring). To find a complete list of the units available to exchange students in the academic year 2013-14 please click here. Please note that you cannot combine courses, you can only choose modules from one course.This list is subject to change so please contact us first to check the availability.

Academic entry requirements

You should have completed the first year of a university degree in one of our partner universities. To see a complete list of our partners please see the 'Partner institutions' tab above. Please check with your university's Study Abroad Co-ordinator to find out if your course is included in their Agreement of Collaboration with our university.

English language entry requirements

As part of your second year studies at UCA, you are required to participate in contextual studies modules. Therefore, if English is not your first language, a certificate is required as evidence that you have the necessary level of English language to succeed on your chosen course. We can accept the following:

  • IELTS: 6.0 or above (min 5.5 in each individual component)
  • TOEFL IbT: 85 or above (min 20 in each individual component)
  • Cambridge CPE: C or above
  • Cambridge CAE: C or above.

Please note that your English language certificate must be no more than two years old at the beginning of your exchange period. We would expect you to submit your English language certificate with your application by the deadlines given (1st April 2013 for Autumn term exchanges or 30th September 2013 for Spring term exchanges).

We can also accept the English language components of the following European qualifications:

  • Austria: Reifeprüfung / Matura when awarded by an Allgemeinbildende Höhere Schule, provided a mark of 2 / gut has been obtained
  • Belgium: Diplôme d'Accès à l'Enseignement Supérieur or Diplôme d'Aptitude à Accéder à l'Enseignement Supérieur 
  • France: Language-Literature studied as part of the British or American Option of the Baccalauréat avec Option Internationale, where a grade of 10 or above has been obtained
  • Germany: Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife / Abitur, provided English has been taken as a Hauptfach / Leistungskurs, and a mark of 10 / gut has been obtained
  • Hong Kong: Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (Level 1-5); Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (where grades of A-E or 5*-3 have been obtained, except English language syllabus A); Hong Kong Higher Level Examination; Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination
  • Netherlands: Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs (VWO) (Gymnasium A/B and Atheneum A/B) diploma, provided a mark of 8 has been obtained
  • Norway: Vitnemål fra den Videregående Skole (provided a mark of 4 has been obtained)
  • Spain: Título de Bachiller, provided an average mark of 6 has been obtained and the qualification was awarded, under the 1990 LOGSE reform, upon completion of two years of non-compulsory education following the Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO).
  • Sweden: Avgångsbetyg / Slutbetyg från Gymnasieskola (provided a mark of VG / 4 has been obtained in English C)
  • Switzerland: Baccalauréat Vaudois; Diplôme d'École de Culture Générale (when studied 2005 orlater); Maturité Cantonale; Diplom der Diplommittelschule; Kantonale Maturität; Diploma di Scuola Cultura Generale; Maturità Cantonale.

Exchange fee information

You are not expected to pay tuition fees to UCA, as it is normal for exchange students to pay fees to their home institution and NOT their host institution; however you are expected to pay for your living expenses, e.g. accommodation, travel costs, etc.

Visas

If you are a national from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, it is very likely that you will need to apply for a student visa before you leave your home country. The 'Do you need a visa?' UKBA web pages will help you determine whether you need to obtain a visa before you travel to the UK. It also contains guidance on the type of visa that you might need.

Any questions?

Please contact us at exchange@ucreative.ac.uk.