Engineering students have the opportunity to participate in the UQ Abroad program, where you can study overseas for one or two semesters and earn credit toward your UQ degree. While you study overseas, you remain enrolled at UQ and continue to pay (or defer) tuition fees (or HELP) to UQ. No additional tuition fees are paid to the host university.

There a number of reasons you should consider studying overseas. For example, you can:

You can read about other students’ experiences and thoughts about their exchange here.

You can study at one or two of more than 130 partner universities in 27 countries as part of the UQ Abroad program. Many engineering students have studied at the following prestigious universities:

Canada	USA	Europe
University of Alberta University of British Columbia (U21)	Purdue University University of California University of Illinois University of Washington University of Wisconsin - Madison	Technical University of Denmark (DTU) Technische Universität Berlin Imperial College, London

Depending on your Bachelor of Engineering specialisation and the university you go to, you can take equivalent compulsory courses, engineering electives or other electives. If you are in a dual degree, you can often take courses toward that degree also. For an idea on possible credit toward your BE degree, we have complied some examples of credit that has been granted to other students over the past few years. If you need specific advice, you should talk to one of the academic advisors in your specialisation.

Most engineering students go on exchange after they have completed their first two years of study. Some overseas universities require you to start at a certain time of year and others require you to stay for a whole year. The timing is otherwise dependent on your BE specialisation and what courses (subjects) you want to take overseas. Your academic advisor can help you pick the right time to go.

The University holds information sessions throughout the year. Interested students should attend one of these sessions so you can get necessary information and the application package. The schedule is updated regularly and is available here.  The deadlines to apply are:

The University sets strict eligibility criteria. For example, undergraduate students need to:

*if you have changed programs into the BE or are in a dual degree with the BE, you should get advice from the Faculty on your GPA. 

When you go on exchange to a partner university, you pay your HECS-HELP or tuition fees to UQ, at UQ’s rates. However, some universities require students to pay a student service charge and other incidental fees. You will also need to budget for the following:

This could cost you about $6,000 - $10,000 (Australian dollars) per semester, depending on where you go and the value of the Australian dollar at the time. For more information, click here. UQ’s travel and insurance policy will cover you for one semester although some universities require you to take out their specific health insurance. For more information, click here.

There are several scholarship opportunities for students who want to study overseas. These include:

A scholarship may be treated as income for Centrelink benefits or taxation purposes.  Please check with Centrelink and/or the Australian Taxation Office before accepting a scholarship as the value of the scholarship may be treated as income. You should also check with Centrelink to see if you can continue to receive payments while overseas. The Federal Government also offers loans (OS-HELP).

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