The Turing Scheme

The Turing Scheme is the UK’s global programme for studying, working and living abroad and offers you once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for personal and professional development.

 It gives you the chance to develop new skills, gain vital international experience and boost your employability, as well as developing a wide range of soft skills, language skills and a better understanding of other cultures. 

What is the Turing Scheme?  

The Turing Scheme aims to contribute to the UK Government’s commitment to a Global Britain by helping us to enhance existing international ties and forge new relationships around the world.  

Funding from the Turing Scheme will be available until at least 2024-25. The University will submit bids annually and will update this page with any new details about funding amounts and activities. 

Update on 2023/24 Turing Scheme Funding

The University of Leeds did not receive sufficient funding to provide grants to all students participating in study and work abroad placements. Despite this, the University has taken the decision to award institutional funding. This decision ensures that all students undertaking a compulsory study or work placement year abroad, as well as those on an optional study or work year abroad who have been identified as coming from underrepresented backgrounds, will receive equivalent Turing Scheme funding to support their international experiences. 

A compulsory placement abroad is one which you are required to complete as part of your degree (and not an optional variant). This includes students on the following programmes: 

  • Languages 
  • Law with language 
  • Integrated masters in the School of Earth and Environment  
  • BMus Music (Performance) 

The criteria for underrepresented backgrounds is listed on this webpage under the ‘Funding’ heading.  

All students currently on a study or work placement abroad will be contacted by the Turing Scheme team via email and eligible students will be invited to complete an application form. 

Activities funded by the Turing Scheme for the 2023-24 academic year  

The University of Leeds has been granted limited funding to support students undertaking one of the six international activities listed below in the 2023-24 academic year.    

  1. Study placements abroad

  2. Work placements abroad

  3. Postgraduate research placement abroad 

  4. Summer Schools 

  5. Medical electives 

  6. Volunteering abroad

*For summer schools and volunteering abroad, placements must be undertaken with one of the agreed partner organisations. For more information on these partners, please contact the relevant Activity Lead.  

Eligibility

To be eligible for Turing Scheme funding, you must meet the following criteria: 

  1. Current University of Leeds Registration: 

  • You must be a registered University of Leeds student (this includes international students). 

  • If you have suspended your studies or taken a leave of absence, you will not be considered a registered student. 

  • Intercalating students studying at a different UK institution will not be considered registered students at Leeds. 

  1. Application for Overseas Placement: 

  • You need to have applied for an overseas placement through the University of Leeds (independent applicants are not eligible). 

  • Your placement must be approved by the University of Leeds. 

  • You must intend to complete your placement in person, in your host country. 

  1. Placement Period: 

  • The duration of your placement should be 28 days or longer (e.g., from July 1st to July 28th).  

  • Your international placement should take place between September 1, 2023, and August 31, 2024. 

  • If some of your placement occurs outside these dates, you will only be eligible to receive funding for the dates within the specified timeframe.  

  • If you plan to complete multiple placements with different host organizations, each placement must be 28 days or more, and a separate Turing application is required for each. 

  1. No Double Funding: 

  • You should not be receiving funding from another source to cover the same costs (excluding loans from Student Finance England). 

  1. Approved Risk Assessment: 

  • Your risk assessment must receive approval before the start of your international placement. 

  1. No Prior Turing Scheme Funding: 

  • You should not have received Turing Scheme funding for another international opportunity in the same academic year. 

  • For example, if you received a Turing grant for your Study Abroad placement, you are not eligible for Turing funding for a summer school. 

Please note that additional selection criteria may be applied if there are more eligible participants than the available number of placements funded by the Turing Scheme. 

Funding

The Turing Scheme offers two types of grants: 

  • Standard Cost of Living Grants 

  • Underrepresented Backgrounds Grants (including a Travel Grant) 

The grant amounts listed below are for placements in the 2023-24 academic year and are subject to change in the future. 

Standard Cost of Living Grants 

The Standard Cost of Living grant amount provided depends on the destination of your host country and your length of placement. The Turing Scheme funds projects that are a minimum of 4 weeks and maximum of 12 months.   

The Turing Scheme bands countries together by cost of living:  

  • Group 1 (high cost of living)  

  • Group 2 (medium cost of living)  

  • Group 3 (low cost of living)  

The full list of destination countries within each group is available on the Turing Scheme website.  

For placements lasting 4-8 weeks, students will receive:  

  • £136.25 per week (Group 1 destinations) 
    Or 

  • £120 per week (Group 2 and 3 destinations) 

For placements lasting 9 weeks to 12 months, students will receive: 

  • £380 per month (Group 1 destinations) 
    Or 

  • £335 per month (Group 2 and 3 destinations)  

Underrepresented Backgrounds (URB) Grant 

The Turing Scheme is keen 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 be able to receive an additional £110 per month (or £27.50 per week) to cover living costs, as well as a contribution towards your travel costs:  

  • Students with an annual household income of £25,000 or less (UK nationals only) 

  • Students who have access to the Plus Programme 

  • Students who have access to the Disability Services at the University of Leeds 

  • Students from UK Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Groups (UK nationals only) 

  • Mature students (undergraduates who started their degree aged 21 or over and have been out of formal education for at least 3 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 

  • Neither of the students’ parents can be found or it is not reasonably practicable to get in touch with either of them, therefore they are considered estranged students 

  • Refugees and asylum seekers 

We will ask you to declare if you believe that you are eligible for the Underrepresented Background Grant on your Turing Scheme Application Form. The Funding Team, Educational Engagement Team or Disability Services will then verify your status. We may ask you for further information if your University record cannot verify your eligibility.  

Travel Grants 

If you qualify for an underrepresented background grant, you will also receive a travel grant. Travel grant amounts are fixed and depend on the distance in kilometres between Leeds and your host country:  

  • 10 to 99km: £20   

  • 100 to 499km: £165  

  • 500 to 1,999km: £250   

  • 2,000 to 2,999km: £325   

  • 3,000 to 3,999km: £480   

  • 4,000 to 7,999km: £745   

  • 8,000 to 12,000km: £905   

  • 12,000km+: £1,360 

The Turing Scheme does not allow for double funding, meaning that students cannot receive funding from multiple sources to cover the same expenses. For example, if a student is already receiving the SFE Travel grant, they would not be eligible for either the Turing Travel grant OR the higher Cost of Living grant (an additional £110 p/m) for Underrepresented Backgrounds.  

However, students applying for the Standard Cost of Living grant from the Turing Scheme can still apply for the SFE Travel grant in addition to the Turing Scheme, as these grants do not conflict with each other.  

If your Turing grant does not fully cover the expenses associated with living in or travelling to your host country, you may seek additional funding from another source, as long as the total sum of your funds does not exceed the total cost of your expenses.  

It is crucial to declare any funding received from other sources on your Turing Scheme application form. The Turing team may request evidence to ensure that the combined funds do not exceed the cost of your placement, so it’s important to keep all receipts.  

Failure to disclose funding from another source may result in the requirement to repay your Turing grant in full. Similarly, if it is discovered that the total funds exceed the cost of your placement, you may be required to repay your Turing grant in full.  

Additional Funding for Students with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities  

Students with special educational needs or disabled students (SEND) who receive Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA), e.g., mentoring sessions, may be eligible to receive funding to continue this support whilst on placement abroad. Funding to support SEND-related costs will be in addition to underrepresented background funding, if students are eligible to receive both.   

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). We will work with each student independently to support individual needs.    

Students will have the option to declare eligibility for SEND funding on the Turing Scheme application form. If you wish to apply for SEND funding, please specify your needs and the support you are seeking in detail on the application form to help Disability Services in offering you the best support. 

What our students say

“The Turing Scheme helped me greatly in supporting myself whilst abroad and allowing me to experience my Year abroad to the fullest. It also helped me feel supported by the University even whilst being far away from home.” Hannah Gottlieb 

“Having spent my placement in a country with high living costs, Turing Scheme was a great help to my budget. The application process was straightforward and the team at University of Leeds were very responsive and helpful.” Amin Atashgaran 

“The Gryphons Abroad project has been a real highlight of my time at university. The project taught me so much about myself both personally & professionally and allowed me to explore life in a completely different culture. I thoroughly enjoyed every single moment and would strongly recommend the project to anyone ready for a challenge!” Connor Bull 

“My grant allowed me to fully integrate myself into the year abroad and society by being able to experience everything on my placement which developed my cultural awareness as well as allowing me to pay for the necessities without worrying.” Ines Noguera 

Contact details  

Email: TuringScheme@leeds.ac.uk 

Please communicate with the Turing team using your Leeds email account and provide your Student ID number in all communications.