The Turing Scheme  Funding and payments

The standard Cost of Living grant is calculated based on the destination of your host country and the length of your placement. The Turing Scheme funds activities that are a minimum of 14 days and maximum of 365 days.  

The Turing Scheme bands countries together by cost of living:

• Group 1 (higher cost of living)   
• Group 2 (lower cost of living)   

The full list of destination countries within each group is available on the Turing Scheme website under the ‘Cost of Living’ column. The ‘Travel grant rate’ column is only relevant to students who meet the Underrepresented Backgrounds criteria.

For placements lasting 14 to 56 days, students will receive: 

• £19 per day (Group 1 destinations)
• £17 per day (Group 2 destinations)  

For placements lasting 57 to 365 days, students will receive:

• £14 per day (Group 1 destinations)  
• £12 per day (Group 2 destinations)   

The Turing Scheme aims to support students from backgrounds that have been underrepresented in the uptake of global opportunities.

If one or more of the following categories applies to you, you may receive an additional £4 per day on top of the Standard Cost of Living grant towards living costs, and a contribution towards your travel costs:   

• Students with an annual household income of £25,000 or less (UK nationals only)  
• Students on the Plus Programme  
• Students who are registered with Disability Services at the University of Leeds  
• Students from UK Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Groups (UK nationals only)  
• Mature students (UK national undergraduates who started their degree aged 21 or over and have been out of formal education for at least three years)   
• Students receiving Universal Credit or income-related benefits because they are financially supporting themselves or financially supporting themselves and someone who is dependent on them and living with them, such as a child or partner     
• Students who are care-experienced or care leavers  
• Students who have caring responsibilities in a formal capacity, for example caring for a disabled parent or sibling  
• Estranged students (neither of the students’ parents can be found or it is not reasonably practicable to get in touch with either of them)
• Refugees and asylum seekers  
• Students from UK armed forces families  
• Students who are the first in their family to enter higher education (UK nationals only) 

We will ask you to declare if you believe that you meet one or more of the Underrepresented Backgrounds criteria on your Turing Scheme application form. Internal teams at the University will verify your eligibility. You may be asked to provide evidence if your university record cannot be used to verify your eligibility.

If you qualify for the Underrepresented Backgrounds grant, you will receive a Travel grant if you can provide evidence of your travel costs. Travel grant payments will be made on a reimbursement basis, following submission of valid receipts. You will be paid up to the value of your Travel grant allowance. Check your Travel grant allowance on the GOV.UK website.

Evidence must be for one return journey to the host country. This can include transfers from your home to the travel hub (e.g. airport) and onwards to your host destination, and back on your return. Transfers include trains, buses, taxis, and any other reasonable means of travel.

Readiness to Travel allowance

If you are eligible for the Underrepresented Backgrounds grant and your placement is shorter than 56 days, you can apply for additional funding towards costs associated with preparing to travel.

Students undertaking placements longer than 56 days will not be eligible to apply for Readiness to Travel funding.

The Readiness to Travel allowance is for:

• passports
• visa applications
• reasonable associated costs such as translated documents, police certificates, vaccinations, travel insurance, and medical certificates.

Payments are made on a reimbursement basis, so please keep hold of your receipts. Readiness to Travel funding is limited and is not guaranteed to participants. 

Please note that funding to support disability-related costs is referred to as SEND funding by the Turing Scheme. 

Disabled students who receive Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) from Student Finance may be eligible to continue to receive this funding whilst on placement abroad. 

In some cases, Turing funding may also be available to support disability-related costs that cannot be covered by DSA. 

Funding will be paid to students directly or to the organisation providing the support (e.g. Disability Services, an external provider, or your host placement provider) at an appropriate time. The Turing Scheme team will work with you independently to support individual needs.     

You will have the option to declare if you are in receipt of funded disability support on the Turing Scheme application form. If you want to apply for additional funding to support disability-related costs, please specify your needs and the support you are seeking in detail on the application form. This will enable Disability Services and the Turing Scheme team to offer you the best support.

To receive your first Cost of Living instalment, you must have:  

• Completed the Turing Scheme application form  
• Completed the pre-placement skills review form 
• Agreed to the terms and conditions of your grant agreement  
• Submitted a satisfactory risk assessment to your Activity Lead
• Uploaded proof of arrival

For students on placements longer than 56 days, your risk assessment review must be complete before your payment can be processed.  

For students on placements shorter than 56 days, the first Cost of Living instalment will be paid before the placement start date where possible but proof of arrival must be submitted to keep your grant.

To receive your final Cost of Living instalment, you must:   

• Ask a member of staff from your host institution to tick, sign, date and stamp your Certificate of Attendance
• Submit your Certificate of Attendance
• Submit the Turing feedback form and agree to your Final Grant Confirmation.

Certificate of Attendance

Your Certificate of Attendance must be signed no earlier than one week before the end of your placement, before you leave your host country.  

The deadline for submitting your Certificate of Attendance is two weeks after the end of your placement or 24 August if your placement is scheduled to end after 10 August. 

Important: all Certificates of Attendance must be submitted by 24 August 2026.  

It is your responsibility to check that the dates on your Certificate of Attendance are correct before uploading them to the form above. The start date should be the date you started your placement in-person, including orientation period if applicable. The end date should be the date of your final exam, assignment or class. If your host institution indicates your placement is significantly longer or shorter than agreed on your application form, you may not receive funding for the additional dates, or you may be required to make a repayment.    

Final Grant Confirmation  

Your Final Grant Confirmation will state the value of your final instalment and direct you to the Turing feedback form. It  will be sent to you via email within three weeks of submitting your Certificate of Attendance. Please review the document carefully and complete the feedback form to receive your final payment.

To receive your Travel grant, you must have:   

• Completed the Turing Scheme application form    
• Completed the pre-placement skills review form
• Agreed to the terms and conditions of your grant agreement    
• Uploaded proof of travel costs

Travel grant payments will be made on a reimbursement basis, following submission of valid receipts. You will be paid up to the value of your Travel grant allowance. Check your Travel grant allowance on the GOV.UK website.

Evidence must be for one return journey to the host country. This can include transfers from your home to the travel hub (e.g. airport) and onwards to your host destination, and back on your return. Transfers include trains, buses, taxis, and any other reasonable means of travel.