Study USA Scheme

In order to be eligible for the Study USA Programme, you must meet all of the following:

Student Eligibility

• Applicants must be classed as having Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, or Great Britain residency for Tuition fee purposes. International or EU students (excluding Ireland) are not eligible.  
• You must be a full time registered 2nd year Undergraduate student studying any degree discipline that has the option for a Diploma in International Academic  Studies (DIAS).
• You must have approval from your course director who will be required to complete a Study Abroad Release form (detailed in 'How to Apply')

Academic Performance

• You should be good academic standing, with a minimum 57% average in your first year.  *In the event of a large number of applications, only those with a first-year minimum average result of 60% or higher will be short-listed. The exact minimum percentage will be determined by British Council as desirable criteria based on the number of applications received.
• Participation in the programme requires students to have passed all their exams/modules and have no coursework/exams outstanding by the end of June 2025. This will be verified by Study USA.
• Where you have the opportunity to avail of a ‘FIRST SIT’ re-sit, these situations will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The ‘FIRST SIT’ re-sit and results, will need to be accommodated within the Study USA timeline which differs for each US college.
• Participation in the programme is conditional on the student satisfying Ulster University's requirements e.g. breach of their institution student code of conduct, disciplinaries, rules around placement requirements for individual courses etc.

Other

• Students who have previously participated in a higher education student mobility programme lasting 4 weeks or longer, funded by a Northern Ireland Government Department, are not eligible to apply for the Study USA programme (e.g. Erasmus, IAESTE, Language Assistants, Washington Ireland Program)

Academic credit will be transferred from your Host Institution.

Students studying abroad for one year receive a Diploma in International Academic Studies (DIAS).

Your year of study abroad will also contribute towards your Ulster EDGE award.

You will be studying 40% of subjects related to your home degree, 40% of business related subjects from the list below and 20% elective classes from all that is on offer at your US college.

Each semester students will study two modules of their choice from the list below; plus two modules related to their own subject being studied in NI, and one elective.

• Entrepreneurship
• Leadership
• Communications
• Public Speaking
• Finance
• Economics
• Marketing and PR
• Human Resources
• Information Technology
• Foreign Languages

Study USA is funded by the Department for the Economy.

The scholarship funding package (worth approximately £50,000) includes;

• Accommodation and meal plan for the academic year
• A generous text book allowance up to $1,000
• One return flight to the USA
• £1,000 bursary (payable in spring)
• Up to $250 per semester for costs associated with elective classes.

Participant finance;

• US student visa costs - approx. £400-£550
• Travel and health insurance –  approx. £400 - £600
• £200 commitment fee when accepting place (will be repaid in spring )

Tuition fees are waived by the participating US colleges and universities.

Applications are now closed.

For guidance and support with your application refer to the following application form guidance document

Step 1) Submit your application to the Study USA Team at the British Council. Applications will open once the British Council Team receive confirmation by the Department of the Economy (DfE).

Step 2) Complete our Study Abroad Release Form

Step 3) Complete our Go Global Application Form

Step 4) If you are successful in your application you will be invited to interview. The Global Opportunities Team will host a number of interview skills workshops to help you prepare in advance of your interview.

Step 5) All applicants will be informed of the outcome of their interview.

We are hosting a number of interview skills workshops to help students prepare for interview and we encourage all shortlisted students to attend.

Book your place here.

If you have any queries in the first instance please contact the Global Opportunities Team: goglobal@ulster.ac.uk

Alternatively, you may wish to contact the Study USA Team: study.usa@britishcouncil.org