Summer schools

• All application information and links can be found on the exchange finder page for each opportunity. You will either apply via Study Abroad (Essex Abroad team) or directly to the summer school.  
• Apply directly - with this option you apply directly to the summer school and use their application process. You can do this to apply for many of our summer school opportunities, or if you find a summer school independently. Please do let us know if you plan to attend a summer school as we aim to track all student mobility and we are able to offer support around funding, travel insurance and verify your Big Essex Award if we have a record of your experience.
• Apply via Essex Abroad - with this option you will fill in an application via Essex Abroad to study abroad. This normally means that the fee is waived for the programme. These spaces are often popular, so do make sure you take time completing the application. You will normally still need to pay for some costs which may include travel, accommodation, meals and other living expenses.

Our exchange finder is updated regularly as we receive information about summer schools from our partner universities. The majority of our summer schools are updated between December and March each year. Please check it regularly to make sure you don't miss out!

The cost varies across the range of summer schools. Many of our partners offer a partner discount, so even if you apply directly, it's always worth mentioning you are an Essex student.

You also need to factor in the cost of accommodation, transport, visa (if applicable), travel insurance and day to day costs such as food.  There is funding available for selected programmes, visit our funding opportunities page to find out more.

If you receive any funding through Essex Abroad you will also be eligible to apply for University of Essex Travel Insurance (and in most cases this will be a mandatory requirement of the funding).  You will still need to get your own personal insurance cover too (to cover personal belongings) but this should help with the costs.

Summer schools vary in duration and options. Some will be a very short period of time - for example four days. Others you will have a choice of sessions to select from which can span the entire summer. The most popular duration is around three to four weeks.

For a summer school to count towards your Big Essex Award it must be a minimum duration of two weeks or fourteen days.

Taking part in a summer school can be a great chance to diversify your studies and study outside your comfort zone. Some programmes will have pre-requisites which you must meet to be accepted on the course. Others will be more general or open to groups of students. All this information is shared within the exchange finder and on the partner's summer school website.

Some summer schools offer academic credit for completion of their programmes. Whilst these are not currently able to be recognised as part of your formal degree at Essex these can be included in your HEAR transcript under the Big Essex Award

Many students use a summer school experience to explore future study opportunities such as a study abroad year or post graduate studies.

All the summers school have different deadlines so make sure you have checked this out! If you are applying via Essex Abroad you may have to apply to us and then if you are successful you will also have to complete a registration with our partner institution.

The deadlines can be found in the exchange finder information page for each summer school.

Prioritise your Essex studies

Summer schools are considered to be an extra curricular experience and should not take priority over your studies at Essex. Before you accept your place on a programme, check with your department about any exams or commitments in the summer term to ensure that you have enough time to do everything to the best of your ability.

Feedback

We love to hear feedback about your experience! Please do keep us updated whether you stop by our office on Square 2 at our Colchester campus, drop us an email stpabroad@essex.ac.uk or tag us on social media using @essexabroad

Essex Abroad blog

Use our Essex Abroad blog as a great way to hear from other students who have been abroad and pick up tips and recommendations. Below are blogs which feature a summer abroad:

• Summer Abroad in Hong Kong - read about Sadie's time at CUHK summer school.
• Summer Abroad in Barcelona - find out about Adam's time in Spain as an Absolute Intern!