Find answers to your questions about our Visiting Electives programme below.
The Visiting Electives Programme opens for applications 3 times a year. The time you should apply depends on when you would like to undertake your Elective Placement. The application round is for applicants to complete the online application form and make the payment required.
You have a week to complete your application and send all required information to us. Our application rounds open at 10:00AM and closes at 15:00PM (UK Time) on the dates specified below.
Further information about dates & availability can be found via our Main Page
If you have previously applied and was unsuccessful or withdrew at any stage of the Electives process, we cannot consider your application should you reapply.
Out of fairness to other applicants who apply in the same application round, we cannot allow for applications to be received outside of the timeframes advertised on our website. Early decisions are also not guaranteed. It is best advised to apply as soon as the application round is open, as applications are reviewed in the order received, on a first come, first served basis.
Out of fairness to other applicants who have submitted their application in full within the same application round, we would be unable to consider 'holding' an application until missing requirements are submitted. It is best advised to consider applying (if still eligible) in the next application round once you have all required documents to hand, as to avoid your application being deemed incomplete and subsequently rejected/withdrawn.
If you reside outside of the EU, EEA, or Switzerland, you will need an appropriate visa to enter the UK and undertake your Elective Placement. For the latest general advice on applying for a visa, please visit - QMUL - Which visa should I apply for? and https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa for further information.
For further advice, please visit the Advice & Counselling Service.
Where English is not your first language, you must provide evidence of an acceptable English Language qualification as listed on our website - English Language Requirements. This must be within the required validity period before undertaking your Elective placement and meet the minimum IELTS equivalency of 7.0 overall including 6.5 in Writing, and 5.5 in Reading, Listening & Speaking. You are exempt from providing evidence of English Language if you meet one of the following categories:
We also accept a range of alternative qualifications to demonstrate your level of English Language proficiency. Approved English Language tests must have been taken within the validity date stated, which are measured against the proposed Elective Placement start date.
We are unable to accept applications from students who do not meet the above English requirements, nor accept letters from institutions except in the case above, as evidence of proof of English.
During each of the application rounds, a payment link will appear via the application form on the Visiting Student Elective webpage. The payment link is only available during the application rounds, and payment outside of these times will not be permitted. Please note that the fee must be paid online.
We cannot accept cheques or bank transfers, nor do we accept applications where payment is not made or paid for via the correct payment channel.
Refunds of the Elective Placement Fee are not considered if your placement falls within a Bank Holiday.
No, the standard fee of £850 (£300 administration fee, £550 Placement fee) is the same for all Electives between 2-4 weeks.
Applicants are given the opportunity to select 5 specialty choices on their application. Offers made will be in one specialty only. Split Elective placement/rotations will not be considered.
Unfortunately, we do not allow for overlap of dates. You must undertake the Electives in the month you have applied for, that correlate with the placement dates advertised. For example, if you wish to undertake an Elective that spans between Blocks 1 & 2, this would not be considered.
For further information regarding placement dates, please see the 'Dates & Elective Availability' drop down on our Main page.
It can take up to 6 weeks for us to confirm elective placements, but we have put in place decision deadlines so you know what the latest date is that you will hear from us. We are not able to guarantee that an earlier decision can be made if your university requires it. Due to the volume of applications we receive, it may be that a decision is not received by the decision deadline, however this will be communicated to you as early as possible.
No, once an offer of an Elective Placement has been given, it is non-negotiable.
If you require a place to stay during your Elective Placement, we have a host of alternative accommodation we suggest:
Dependent on the time of application and availability, Princess Alexandra Hospital have limited accommodation available if you are offered a place to undertake an Elective Placement with them. Further details would be communicated to you once an offer has been made.
Students attending their Elective Placement must adhere to Trust dress code policies. Please see the Electives Handbook [PDF 522KB] for more detailed information.
Once set Electives requirements have been achieved, the completion of feedback and student ID & lanyard has been returned, a certificate of completion will be given to you by the Medical Education Team.
Anything Clinical that needs to be presented to your home institution upon your return, can be signed by your supervising clinician before departure.
You should not apply via this method. Instead, please contact the Electives Team at smd-electives@qmul.ac.uk who will be able to assist.
The £300 administration fee is not refundable; however, you may be able to receive a refund for the placement fee. Circumstances are considered on a case by case basis and is according to the Refund Policy guidelines.
Please see our Incoming Elective Refund Policy [PDF 190KB] for further details.
It is a requirement of our Visiting Electives Programme that you must be in your final year at the time of your Elective placement.
However, if you have satisfactorily completed your penultimate year and your University requires you to complete your Elective placement in the break between your penultimate and final year, we will consider your application.
Students who arrange Elective placements directly with NHS Consultants that are outside of QMUL's Visiting Elective Programme application rounds should note the following:
Consultants who accept visiting elective students directly should:
Please note that QMUL Visiting Electives will not take any responsibility if a self-organised placement is arranged. We also do not process honorary contracts and would advise liaising with the consultant or Trust to arrange this for you.
Students who have pre-arranged an Elective Placement prior to an application round, should note the following:
Louise Killen, a visiting student from The University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, describes her experience taking a gastroenterology elective.
More information about our Trusts can be found via our Main Page.
If you have any further queries, or are experiencing any problems with the elective process, please do not hesitate to contact us on smd-incoming-electives@qmul.ac.uk in the first instance, where we will respond to you at our earliest convenience.