Study abroad - Outbound

Flinders University has more than 70 exchange partners available from a wide range of countries. Be flexible in your approach when selecting an institution, as it will need to offer topics/courses that can align to your Flinders degree in the semester you want to go. The best way to select an institution is to start with the country you are most interested in, then use the discipline column and details/course topic links on the programs and partners page to find out what partners in that country offer your area of study and if there are restrictions on places available.  

Begin planning your exchange as early as possible to ensure that an exchange will fit in with your degree requirements. Often students decide to go on exchange later in their degree and find it is too late to receive credit for overseas study. It takes most students at least 3 months to research, identify two potential exchange partner universities, identify suitable topics, work out their study plan, request an academic reference and receive College approval. Ensure you allow enough time before the Flinders exchange application deadline.

Semester one    31 July of previous year  
Semester two    30 November of previous year

*Please note short term programs have various deadlines.

Yes, many of our non-English speaking exchange partners offer a variety of subjects taught in English. If students choose to study overseas at one of our non-English speaking partners, we would encourage them to undertake language studies to make the most of their overseas experience. Exchange partners like Hong Kong University and Nanyang Technological University teach almost exclusively in English.

In most cases no, provided you complete and pass all units at your overseas university and have your overseas topics approved for credit by your College prior to your departure from Australia. Exchange applicants must consult with their College before lodging a Flinders outgoing exchange application. In some cases, students with less flexible degrees may choose to delay their degree completion date in order to undertake a semester exchange.

You must consult with your College during the application process. Your College will arrange for your overseas units to be approved for credit towards your Flinders degree and approve your study plan. Full instructions can be found on the Flinders exchange application page. Upon completion of a semester (or two) at an exchange partner, the host university will issue an official transcript. The grades you achieve will not be converted into Flinders grades, but credit will be applied to your degree for all each of the pre-approved topics that you pass. These grades will appear on your Flinders transcript as a non-graded pass. This means that your overseas studies will not impact your GPA. 

You are able to go on exchange for a maximum of two semesters throughout your degree at Flinders. You can study in two different universities, countries or continents in each semester or even go in different years. Dates of semesters are crucial when planning seperate exchanges. There are also a number of short term programs ranging in duration between 3-8 weeks which students can apply to go on.

Yes, provided your College Office agrees and you meet the minimum GPA requirements outlined in the student exchange eligibility requirements.

View our eligibility page to see if you qualify.

The Global Experience team coordinates exchange processes; including assisting you to make a decision on where to study, provides advice about the internal application procedure, provides information about scholarships, application processing, how to lodge your application with the exchange partner university, facilitates post nomination, predeparture sessions and provides additional general support. Sends a request to enrolment services to enrol you into a full-time XOTH topic at Flinders University. 

When you are officially accepted by the host institution and before you depart Australia, the Global Experience team will submit a request to enrolment services to enrol you in the appropriate exchange code. Enrolment in these units ensures that you will receive credit for the topics that your College has pre-approved. The full-time enrolment status will also ensure that you are eligible to receive Centrelink benefits (where applicable). You will still need to comply with Flinders University enrolment and census dates regarding your Flinders enrolment. Additionally, you will need to comply with the overseas university enrolment/census dates during your exchange.

Your overseas exchange partner university will give you an official transcript showing all the topics completed and the grades you received. Exchange transcripts are normally sent to the Global Experience Team by the host universities. Upon receipt of the transcript, a copy will be sent to your College Office with a request to have the credit transfer finalised. The credit you recieve will be listed as a comment. Exchange units will appear on your Flinders transcript as a non-graded pass. To demonstrate the grades you achieved for these units (e.g. for entry to honours) you will need to produce your official overseas university transcript.

It may be possible to extend your exchange provided you have not been on exchange for greater than two semesters. You will need to obtain approval from the host university, Flinders Global Experience team and your College.

No. In order to comply with exchange program and student visa requirements, you will need to be enrolled as a full-time student. For Flinders students, a full-time load is either 13.5 or 18 units, per semester. Typically, Flinders students are required to study the equivalent of 18 Flinders units during an exchange, so as not to delay the completion of their degree at Flinders. 

An academic reference should be completed by a Flinders University academic staff member who has taught or supervised you during your degree. You could approach a tutor, lecturer or senior lecturer. The academic reference should be a brief statement commenting on your academic progress, study ethic and personal manner, the referee should also reflect on how they think you would cope studying and living in an unfamiliar environment.

On campus housing is available at many of our exchange destinations but is not always guaranteed. Our exchange partners will also provide some assistance if you choose to live off-campus in private accommodation. Most exchange partners will have detailed information about the types of accommodation exchange students can access on their website. A good place to start is the inbound exchange partners website that you have selected. Links to these websites are provided in the programs and partners table.

Your ability to work depends on the country you will study in. Some countries place no work restrictions on visiting students, while others prohibit students from working or limit work to on campus. If you think you may want to work while you are on exchange, you should check with the embassy/consulate on whether it is possible to work on your visa type and if it is, how you would go about obtaining work rights. Some countries will not allow visitors on a student visa to work. 

Some countries require proof of finances for you to receive your student visa. Complete these forms carefully and provide ORIGINAL documentation. You can include a copy of the email you receive from Flinders University setting out the grant/scholarship amount or OS Help loan that you will receive. If you require additional evidence regarding the travel grant/scholarship, please email the Global Experience team. Additionally, you may need to show proof of funds at the time of submitting your application to the host university. Proof of funds required typically range from AUD$6000 - $10,000.

Yes, in most cases you will have to get a student visa for the country you will be studying in before you leave Australia. You will need to apply to the relevant high commission, consulate or embassy. Student visas are issued on the understanding that you maintain a full-time enrolment.

Health check-up? You may need a health check-up and proof of vaccination to obtain your visa. In some cases, you may need to visit the foreign embassy in person to lodge your application, which could be interstate and therefore you will need to pay the associated costs of obtaining the visa.

If you are applying for your visa by mail, use registered post or a courier as you will have to include your passport in the package. For further information about visas, please go to immi.homeaffairs.gov.au.

NOTE: Visas are not the responsibility of Flinders University. Please check with the relevant consulate or embassy.

Yes, you are!
It is essential that students obtain travel insurance that covers the duration of their time overseas (including any additional travel at the start or end of their exchange period). Flinders University provides free travel insurance to students for study purposes, but you must apply online, preferably before booking any travel and before departing Australia.

Many North American partners and some other partners require students to purchase their university student insurance policy. Please check with the relevant partner university for further details. Some countries like Sweden, Norway and Belgium offer reciprocal health care agreements that covers the cost of medically necessary care when Australians visit certain countries and visitors from these countries visit Australia.

Flinders International strongly advises all students to visit a medical practitioner before departing Australia. During your visit you should seek advice about pre-existing health condition management, vaccinations and prescriptions. For your convenience Flinders has Health and Counselling service on-campus.

Some partner universities will require you to complete a medical health certificate verifying your immunity status against Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPD). If you do not have a personal record of your immunity status, you can ask a medical practitioner to request serology of the listed VPDs outlined in the exchange partners medical health certificate.

No, students are responsible for organising all their own travel arrangements. However, there is an STA travel office located at the Bedford Park campus. The travel office team will be able to provide you with travel and airfare advice. Flinders University offer students free travel insurance for study purposes. You can register for Flinders student travel insurance.

Many of our partner institutions offer a free airport pickup upon arrival and drop-off at your accommodation. Make sure you arrange this service before departing Australia. These details should be available on the exchange partners website or in your offer welcome pack.

A short-term program typically has a duration of 2-6 weeks. These programs can provide greater flexibility and variety and are offered throughout the world. They include things like faculty led or non-faculty led study tours, work integrated learning activities; internships and placements and intensive language studies. They are usually offered over the summer/winter period and semester breaks. Most are designed to be credit bearing, meaning you can usually obtain credit approval from your College for a 4.5-unit elective and sometimes up to 9 units. Funding and OS Help loans are usually available to students applying for these programs. Check the individual short-term program and partners page.