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.

A standard fee of £50 will be charged for arranging examinations overseas (this will be added to your account). You may also have to pay a separate fee to 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.

Exam Fees for Resit Exams taken Abroad

A fee of £50 will be charged for arranging examinations overseas. This is in addition to the normal resit fees you may be required to pay.  More information on resit fees can be found on the Resits in August webpage and the External/Carried Modules Resits webpage. 

You may also have to pay a separate fee to the hosting institution (e.g. British Council or university) for their services. You will need to contact them for further information. 

Therefore you may be required to pay three separate fees: 

  1. Standard resit fee (£2 per credit plus £50 administration fee (increased to £100 after the deadline), payable to the University of Leeds. 
  2. £50 overseas examination fee, payable to the University of Leeds. 
  3. Any additional fees charged by the British Council or hosting institution or university, payable directly to them. 

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 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.