International Student Exchange Programme (ISEP)

You must meet ALL of the following criteria:

• You should be registered on a programme that allows for a semester or a placement year abroad (if you are unsure please check with your course director)
• You are a registered full time second year student when applying for a place on the programme for the following year
• You are in good academic standing
• You must have approval from your course director who will be required to complete a Study Abroad Release Form. You will also need to submit your academic contact details as part of your application.

• You will receive academic credit that will be transferred from your host institution with a transcript provided.
• Your Go Global experience will contribute towards your EDGE Award.
• You will receive a Diploma in International Academic Studies (DIAS) from Ulster upon successful completion of your Study Abroad Placement Programme.

When you study abroad with ISEP Exchange for the full year, you will be expected to pay the following:

Your Placement Tuition Fee at Ulster

• The placement tuition fee rate for 2024/25 was £2360.
• Please note that if you are only studying with ISEP Exchange for one semester, you will pay the full-time undergraduate tuition fee rather than the placement fee.

Your ISEP programme fee

• This covers your accommodation at your host institution, as well as a meal plan or equivalent.
• For 2024/25 the fee was £7335 for a full academic year (contact goglobal@ulster.ac.uk for Semester only rate)
• It can be paid in 1 lump sum at the start of the academic year or in 3 instalments (September, January, April).
• This fee is paid by yourself directly to Ulster; it cannot be paid via student finance. If you are in receipt of a maintenance grant  you may use this towards your programme fee.

The above costs will be outlined in a cost agreement form that students will be required to sign once their place is confirmed.  Fees to be confirmed for 2025/26.

Other costs

You will need to pay for flights, ISEP’s health insurance ($100 per month), visas, and any other costs of living abroad.

Student Finance NI Travel Grant

The full-time undergraduate Travel Grant is offered by Student Finance NI is funding to help cover reasonable costs for travel for eligible study related periods abroad.

It's only available to students on eligible courses, when you give your course information as part of your student finance application, you will be informed if you are eligible for the travel Grant.

• Student Finance NI Travel Grant Information

Turing Scheme

By applying & successfully securing a place on ISEP we will attempt to secure funding for your 2025/26 year abroad.

• Turing Scheme - Information

• Consult with your course director and find out if your course allows for a semester or year abroad.
• Once the above is confirmed, research by your field of study as to where you can study with ISEP.  If you find a number of institutions where you would like to study, you should consider applying and seek approval from your course director.
• Ask your course director to sign your Study Abroad Release Form and send it to the Global Opportunities Team  and complete our internal application form.
• Once we receive both forms we will contact you with guidance on how to apply directly to ISEP. 
• You will require an official transcript of your academic results to date.  An electronic version from your  Exams office will be accepted and a copy of your passport. These documents will be uploaded to the ISEP portal as part of your application.

Deadline for applications

ISEP work on a matching basis. You should pick between 3 and 10 universities you'd like to study abroad at before the deadline.

Students are placed on ISEP Exchange programs using an algorithm that helps the ISEP team place as many students as possible on a program they list on their application.

While there are also some manual adjustments to their placements to accommodate for academic fit, students are placed on programs based on available exchange space and the ranking order of the programs on their application.

ISEP does not show preference for merit factors (such as GPA) when placing students so every student that meets the minimum requirements for the program is considered equally.

When making placements, the ISEP team begins at the top of your program list trying to find you a placement and works their way down your list until they can make a successful match.

This means that you are not guaranteed to be placed at one of your top choices, so please remember to consider this when choosing your list of preferred universities.

• How to use ISEP’s Program Finder​
• ISEP Exchange | ISEP Study Abroad
• Start an application
• Step-by-Step Application Guide​
• Add a program to your application​
• How to complete your Course List
• Chances of Placement | ISEP Study Abroad​