Breaking: Uni of Edinburgh cancels all study abroad starting in September

Goodbye fun in the sun


The University of Edinburgh have announced that all study abroad due to begin in September will no longer be going ahead. This includes semester exchanges, years abroad, overseas work placements, field trips and field work.

The announcement made on the University website stated:

“Due to ongoing global restrictions and to protect the health and safety of our students, the University has made the decision to cancel all exchange, study abroad, overseas placements, overseas field trips and field work due to commence in semester 1, 2020/21. We know that this news will be disappointing to you, but your health and safety is our primary concern. We are working to minimise the disruption to your studies and ensure that alternative arrangements are put in place where possible.”

“At present, placements due to start in semester 2 of the academic session 2020/21 will go ahead.  The University is monitoring the situation very closely, and will update students if this changes.”

“If you were due to go abroad during semester 1, 2020/21, your school will contact you and provide further advice on what the cancellation of your placement means for your studies and the options available to you, dependent on your degree programme and individual circumstances.”

The statement reads, “Whether you will be able to study remotely through your host institution during semester 1 will also depend on their remote course offering, and the logistics of attending virtual classes/completing remote exams.”

Students that were supposed to be going on full years abroad may still be technically able to study at the overseas uni they had planned, but potentially, remotely.

Some degrees will inevitably be more affected than others as for many an overseas exchange or fieldwork is an integral part of their degree. On this, the uni has said, “The University is working hard to ensure that all students achieve the required learning outcomes and gain appropriate experience to progress with their degree programme. Any implications on your degree classification will depend on what alternative options are available to you. Your School will be able to provide you with advice on academic matters specific to your degree programme and to your individual situation.”

This is especially true for languages students, and the uni has tried to address these concerns directly.

“If you have a compulsory placement as part of your degree, the University will put in place alternative arrangements to allow you to meet the requirements of your degree programme. The details of these arrangements will vary from programme to programme, and will be communicated to you directly by your School.”

If you have been directly affected by this, it is being recommended that students due to go on exchange in Europe should contact [email protected]. Meanwhile, students due to go on exchange outside of Europe should contact [email protected].

Anyone due to be going on exchange in semester two is being advised to keep an eye out for updates.

“At present, placements due to start in semester 2 of the academic session 2020/21 will go ahead. The University is monitoring the situation very closely, and will update students if this changes.”

Recommended articles by this writer

• Online lectures ‘likely’ to continue at Edinburgh Uni for ‘some time to come’, VC warns

• Edi Uni campus will be open in September, Vice-President

 Not all Edinburgh students will be allowed to defer to avoid online teaching