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Global Opportunities
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  2. Outgoing students
  3. Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions

Queen Mary Student Exchange Programme

Important information:
It remains the full responsibility of all students to familiarise themselves with the official academic regulations and progression requirements for their undergraduate degree in order to understand how a forecasted mobility period abroad will impact their degree and progression. Consult the latest edition (as well as any summarised changes) of the Queen Mary Academic Regulations via http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/policy/, under “Academic policies, regulations and procedures (taught programmes).” If you are in doubt, contact your academic school for clarification.

The below Terms and Conditions PDF document (available for download) as well as the General Conditions of Participation web content below (regarding the three phases of a mobility period: 'Before/During/After') are applicable to all students participating in the Queen Mary Outgoing Student Exchange Programme and for all destination countries both within and beyond Europe.

Note: These Terms and Conditions are not directly applicable for the Summer and Short-Term Programme outbound mobility opportunities (in those instances, any particularly specified terms and conditions apply).

Terms and Conditions Student Exchange Programme [PDF 395KB]

General Conditions of Participation

By accepting a Conditional Offer to participate in an exchange programme for a semester or a year, a student agrees to all below general conditions as well as the full Terms and Conditions (PDF available at above link). 

  • You should use the host institution’s online module/course catalogue when compiling your proposed programme of study in order to complete the Learning Agreement (section “Before the Mobility”). The former contains module descriptions, levels and credit values of all classes taught. There is a set of explanation notes, which you must read carefully as the format of the catalogue will be different to what you are used to. In order to ensure that you make selections at the right academic level for your year of study, you should usually choose modules from the second year of three-year degree programmes and the second and third year of four-year degree programmes. Bear in mind credit load requirements (see below);
  • Students on a three-year degree programme: Your Queen Mary programme handbook and/or programme specification (available on your academic school's QMPlus page - contact your school if you cannot find this) will indicate the details of the modules that you would be taking if you were staying at Queen Mary - this should be a key reference point in selecting your modules abroad. They indicate the programme regulations and may also include any progression requirements.
  • Students on a degree programme "with a year abroad": You should consult the module requirements set by their academic school for what they are expected to follow during that year abroad (also summarised in the Appendix of the T&Cs available at aforementioned link). A quick summary of the requirements by academic school can also be found in the appendix of the Terms and Conditions document as listed above;
  • Some modules may have pre-requisites. Ensure that you have covered the required knowledge in your Queen Mary programme or at school (if school level knowledge is sufficient). If you do not have the required knowledge, do not attempt to take the module, no matter how tempting it may be to you. Your Queen Mary Academic School/Department Coordinator (or academic advisor) can provide you with some guidance on knowledge required if you are unsure;
  • When selecting your modules, always make sure you choose an alternative for any first choice you wish to take. You may find upon arrival that some of your first-choice modules have been cancelled or that there are timetable constraints. You can then fall back on one of your pre-approved selection of alternative modules;
  • In consultation with your Queen Mary academic School/Department Coordinator, you must ensure that your planned programme of study as completed on your Learning Agreement (integral document that all students who study abroad on exchange complete, which confirms their modules followed abroad) satisfies your Queen Mary programme requirements and will allow you to progress on your degree when you return (please see "Important information" box below). The modules you select should be consistent with the learning outcomes of your Queen Mary degree, i.e. the skills and attributes that it is intended you should achieve at the end of your programme of study. You can check this by referring to the programme handbook and/or programme specification;
  • When you have completed your Learning Agreement, you should arrange for it to be considered for approval and signature by your Queen Mary Academic School/Department Coordinator. The coordinator will scrutinise it to ensure that the module selections meet the programme and academic regulations, in terms of credit load and academic level. Your adviser may need to discuss with you alternative module choices if your selections do not meet the regulations. A pre-mobility Learning Agreement is only considered finalised when the “Before the Mobility” section has been fully completed and signed by all necessary parties. Students need to submit this to the GO Office by uploading into their Mobility-Online workflow.
  • You are subject to all the rules and regulations and student conduct policies of the host institution during your exchange period. This includes all academic and practical matters relating to your student status at the partner, also with consideration to any political, cultural or societal differences (see "Important information" box on the Where can I go?: Destinations in Europe and Destinations beyond Europe subpages). Remember that during your exchange, you are also an ambassador of Queen Mary; therefore, your behaviour abroad will not only be reflective of yourself, but of Queen Mary as well;
  • You must take a full credit load in order to satisfy your Queen Mary degree requirements, as explained in further detail on our Study page. This means registering at your host institution for the equivalent of 60 Queen Mary credits per semester/120 Queen Mary credits per full academic year. This is equivalent to 30 ECTS per semester/60 ECTS per full academic year at most European destinations. These credit values should be reflected in your approved and signed Learning Agreement. For equivalent credits for destinations outside of Europe, please consult the relevant destination's subpage via the Destnations beyond Europe subpage (e.g. University of Sydney, Academics tab, "Credit" section);
  • You will not be permitted to take any classes on a pass/fail basis without the express written permission of your academic department's Go Abroad Coordinator (conditions apply - please see PDF document above for full details);
  • You should not over or under load in credits. If you overload, the extra credit(s) will not be incorporated into your Queen Mary record (not to mention you may also be charged for them by the host institution). If you underload, you will not receive full credit which may have an effect upon whether you are able to progress to the next year of study when you return, and on your final degree classification;
  • Should you wish to make revisions to your Learning Agreement (see below) after arrival, the deadline for submission of the changes (“During the Mobility” section of the Learning Agreement) will be the end of the equivalent "Add/Drop" period at the host institution in each term of study;
  • You are expected to maintain an academic standard that will allow you to progress in your Queen Mary degree programme. If your academic progress is not satisfactory at any assessed point of your course of study the host institution reserves the right to deregister you.
  • If your results from abroad fail to meet the requirements for your semester/year abroad, you will normally be required to retake the failed modules, where attempts remain and where the host institution offers resits (note that there are instances where ARCS have the right to overrule partner regulations, by capping grades for example). Where the host institution does not offer resits, Queen Mary may, exceptionally, agree to award a retake; this would permit you to take modules (with teaching) at Queen Mary to a credit value equivalent to those failed overseas. In such cases, the retake will count as your second and final attempt, and the module marks will be capped to the minimum pass mark. Retakes may be offered on a full or part time basis, and attract pro rata fees, for which you would be liable. Queen Mary will normally only offer a retake in the unlikely event that there has been a significant problem in the delivery of modules at the host institution. A maximum of 30 Queen Mary credits for an academic year may be approved by Queen Mary for retakes; 
  • Please note that as a result of differences in grade values between the UK and your host institution, your final results will be converted to an appropriate Queen Mary grade. You must keep copies of all marked work, including exam scripts where possible, for review on your return to Queen Mary. You may ask your module convenor to complete a Grade Conversion Supplementary Form for each of your modules followed abroad: Grade Conversion Supplementary Form [DOC 37KB]. For more information, please visit the Credit transfer and grade conversion page.
  • A single semester abroad will always count towards your degree classification. If you are going abroad on exchange for a full academic year, it depends on your programme of study if and to what extent your achieved grades will count towards your final degree classification. For full official academic regulations and details on progression requirements, please consult the latest edition (as well as any summarised changes) of the Queen Mary Academic Regulations via http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/policy/, under “Academic policies, regulations and procedures (taught programmes).” In the document under Section 4: “Progression and Award: Undergraduate Programmes,” carefully read the Progression and award regulations for your relevant degree programme. Useful information on "Study abroad" is also available on page 16 of the 2019-2020 document;
  • You will be required to complete a questionnaire upon your return to Queen Mary to evaluate your exchange experience. You will also be asked to assist in information meetings and events for students who will participate in the exchange programme in the next academic year.
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