Taking Examinations Abroad

If you live outside the UK or are studying abroad as part of your programme it may be possible for you to sit your on campus examinations and/or resits overseas.

You do not need to apply to sit overseas if your assessments are online.  For more information on online assessments please see the Preparing for your Assessments webpages.

If you are unsure about the format of your assessment please contact your teaching school.  For School contact details see the School Contacts webpage.

Exchange/JYA/Erasmus/Study Abroad Students Studying at the University of Leeds

If you are on an exchange programme and there is a clash between the University of Leeds on campus examination times and your home institution’s teaching patterns, contact your Leeds University parent school as soon as possible. You do not need to apply to sit overseas if your assessments are online.  For School contact details see the School Contacts webpage.

If you are studying modules that are assessed by a formal on campus examination in January and the start date of Semester 2 at your home university clashes with the University of Leeds January examination/assessment period, you are usually allowed to take your University of Leeds January on campus examinations at your home university. However, occasionally the format of an assessment dictates that it must be taken in Leeds. 

To apply, you must do the following: 

  • Obtain approval from your home university, providing an official letter from them confirming there’s a clash between the University of Leed’s examination timetable and their teaching timetable. 
  • Check with your University of Leeds teaching school for each of your modules that the assessment can be taken away from Leeds and it is a sit-down exam that requires external arrangements in order to be facilitated abroad. Get an email from your University of Leeds school confirming this. 
  • Complete the Overseas Online Application Form.

You may be charged a fee by your home university for their services. You will need to contact them for further information. 

The deadlines for exchange/JYA/Erasmus/study abroad students to apply to sit examinations overseas in January 2024 are: 

  • 27th October for undergraduates 
  • 29th November for taught postgraduates 

Taking Resit Examinations Abroad

You may be eligible to take your on campus resit (or approved further first attempt) examinations abroad if any of the following apply: 

  • Your permanent home address is outside the UK. 
  • You are University of Leeds student working or studying abroad as part of your programme. 
  • You are an exchange/JYA/Erasmus/study abroad student at the University of Leeds who has already returned home. 
  • You are a semester 1 exchange student and the University of Leeds examination/assessment period in January clashes with your home institution’s teaching patterns. 

If you live outside the UK, the location that you apply to resit at, must be in your home country. If you are working or studying abroad as part of your programme, the location that you apply to resit at, must be in the country where you are working or studying. 

The assessment must be suitable to be taken outside the University and a suitable exam environment must be available (e.g. British Council or your home/study abroad university). You do not need to apply to sit overseas if your assessments are online. 

How to Apply for Resit Examinations Abroad

If you are a University of Leeds undergraduate/postgraduate student you can apply to take on campus resit examinations overseas at the same time as applying for your resits on the Results and Resit Application page. Apply for your resit via Minerva when final results are released.  For more information on dates of release see the Results webpage. 

To apply to resit abroad you must make a further application via the Overseas Online Application Form.

Check with your University of Leeds teaching school for each of your modules that the assessment can be taken away from Leeds and it is a sit-down exam that requires external arrangements to be facilitated abroad.  For School contact details see the School Contacts webpage.

Overseas applications are only applicable if your reassessment is for written on campus examinations. If your reassessment is coursework only or an online assessment, you are only required to indicate your intention to resit.

Fees

You may be charged a fee by the hosting institution (e.g. British Council or university) for their services. You will need to contact them directly for further information on what the charges will be and how to pay.

From the current 2023/2024 session resit fees will not be charged by the University of Leeds.  More information on this recent change can be found on the Resit FAQs webpage.  Please contact the Student Information Service if you have any queries regarding resit fees. The Helpline is available Monday to Friday 9-5 pm on +44 (0)113 343 7000 (from outside of the UK) and 0800 915 0402 (from inside the UK). You won't be charged for your call. You can also email using the address studentinfo@leeds.ac.uk or speak to someone face to face at one of the five Student Information points on campus.  Information on how to find the drop in points can be found on the Student Information Service webpage.

Fees prior to 2023/2024

Students are required to pay any resit or assessment fees charged prior to the 2023/2024 session.  So any fees for resits or assessments that took place abroad in 2023 are valid, as these resits will have taken place in the 2022/2023 session.

If you have an outstanding resit fees to pay you should do so as soon as possible.  Please see the How to Pay webpage. If you have any queries about payment methods or late fees see the Finance Contact Details webpage for who to contact.

Deadlines to Apply to take Resit Exams Abroad

Each examination/assessment period has a separate deadline for students wishing to apply for overseas resits. The Assessment and Progress Team will endeavour to make all necessary arrangements for applications received by the deadline. However, if an application is received after the deadline, there is no guarantee that arrangements can be made. If arrangements cannot be put in place, you will be sent an email to inform you that you must return to the University of Leeds to take your examinations. 

The deadlines to apply to resit overseas in 2024 are: 

  • Semester 1 examination period - 27th October for undergraduates and 29th November for postgraduates. 
  • Semester 2 examination period – 23rd February for undergraduates and postgraduates. 
  • August resit examination period – 17th July for undergraduates and postgraduates. 

Resit Examination and Assessment Timetables

Individual timetables for examinations taking place in Leeds will be published via Minerva. If you have applied by the deadline to take examinations overseas, please ignore this timetable as an individual timetable will be emailed to you as soon as possible after the "Exam timetable with venues" has been published. This will include information about the arrangements that have been put in place for you. 

To find out when the "Exam timetable with venues" will be available for each examination/assessment period, see the Assessment Periods and Timetable Publication Dates webpage.