Attending a compulsory Information Session is your first step toward applying for a Trimester Abroad. It is your chance to find out, first-hand, how it all works! Click here to see when information sessions are held on your campus.

Trimester Abroad is available to all Deakin students, including international, postgraduate and off-campus students. To be eligible to apply for a Trimester Abroad, you must meet the following requirements:

• Undergraduate students should have completed at least 8 Deakin credit points toward their Deakin degree prior to departure
• Postgraduate students should have completed at least 4 Deakin credit points toward their Deakin degree prior to departure
• Return to Deakin to complete at least 1 credit point after your Trimester Abroad 
• Study a full-time load while undertaking a Trimester Abroad
• Have a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 60 or above (some discretion may be applied to this requirement for students,contact Deakin Abroad at education-abroad@deakin.edu.au to discuss)

If you are seeking to undertake a Trimester Abroad in your final trimester at Deakin, and do not require an OS-Help Loan, please contact Deakin Abroad at education-abroad@deakin.edu.au. While there are some limitations around completing your degree while doing a Trimester Abroad, including a possible delay in graduation, exceptions can be made in certain circumstances. 

If you are a Deakin College student or a student transferring from another university, and thus do not have a Deakin WAM at time of applying for Trimester Abroad, please contact Deakin Abroad for further information, as acceptance to the host university may be dependent on your Deakin WAM.

With over 200 partner universities to choose from, narrowing down your choices can be quite a task. To make this process a little bit easier, we recommend you start with your most desired country destination, if you want to be in a big city or a regional area and what kind of experience you wish to have.  If you are still stuck, contact Deakin Abroad for help!

You can also consult the Recommended Destination Guide for your faculty below as it can be a helpful tool in focusing your search on partner universities that offer subjects in your area of study:

• Faculty of Arts and Education Recommended Destination Guide
• Faculty of Health Recommended Destination Guide
• Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment Recommended Destination Guide
• Faculty of Business and Law Recommended Destination Guide or search the exchange database for pre-approved subjects

Please note that the Recommended Destination Guides are not comprehensive; they merely serve as a starting point. We therefore recommend your own additional research!

In order to find out what subjects you can complete while abroad, you will need to use the host university's website.

• Establish which trimester(s) of your degree you want to do Trimester Abroad in
• Determine the Deakin units you will be enrolled in and may need to match up with subjects at the host university in order to receive full credit for your Trimester Abroad – remember: electives are a lot easier to get credit for as they don't necessarily need to match your Deakin units
• Narrow your research down to one or two partner universities (depending on their categories) and research their available subjects:
• What subjects are available?
• Do they fit in with your course structure?
• In what semester are they taught? (Fall/Autumn = Trimester 2, Spring = Trimester 1)
• How long to they run for; are they semester-long or year-long?
• Do you meet the pre-requisites specified by the host universities for the chosen subjects?

Gather subject descriptions for all subjects you would like to match up with your required Deakin units and book a meeting with a faculty course adviser by the Faculty Appointment Deadline to discuss your degree requirements and subject choices and to gain approval for your outgoing study plan

When looking for courses and subjects on the host university's website, please remember that what Deakin calls 'units', are often called 'courses' or 'modules' at most partner universities. Similarly, what we call 'courses' here at Deakin are usually referred to as 'programs' overseas. You therefore need to look for a 'course catalogue', a 'course calendar', a 'module handbook' or similar in order to find the subjects available to exchange students.

If you are unable to find the information above, please contact Deakin Abroad as they can assist you by liaising with the host university. You must, however, conduct the initial research. Please do not contact any of the partner universities yourself – always let Deakin Aboard make contact on your behalf until you have been officially accepted into Trimester Abroad.

Please also keep in mind that requests for subject descriptions can take up to 6 weeks, so make sure you are giving yourself plenty of time before the Trimester Abroad deadlines and don't be deterred by the amount of time this part of the Trimester Abroad application process takes – it is worth it in the end!

Completing your outgoing study plan correctly, in consultation with your faculty course adviser, will ensure all the subjects you study while doing a Trimester Abroad can be credited back toward your Deakin degree. To complete an outgoing study plan, please follow the steps below:

• Match the subjects that you are taking while undertaking a Trimester Abroad with the units you need to study at Deakin as part of your degree as best as you can
• Once you have an idea of what subjects you would like to study while doing a Trimester Abroad and how they would fit into your Deakin degree, you need to make an appointment with your faculty by the Faculty Appointment Deadline
• Print out one or two copies of the outgoing study plan as well as subject descriptions for all  subjects you would like to match up with your required Deakin units
• Meet with your faculty at least once in order to discuss your outgoing study plan and get them to approve the subjects you are hoping to take during your Trimester Abroad

And remember, if at first you don't succeed – try again! Have an open mind and consider other countries and partner universities on offer. If you talk to other students who have gone on exchange before, you will soon realise that studying overseas is more about the experience than the destination.

Please remember that your Trimester Abroad application(s) can only be submitted between the Faculty Appointment Deadline and the Trimester Abroad Application Deadline.

When submitting your Trimester Abroad application(s) you will be asked to upload/provide the following documents, so make sure you have them ready:

• Exchange application fee receipt or confirmation of your payment (further details during online application)
• Outgoing study plan(s), approved and signed off by your faculty course adviser
• Passport style photograph
• Personal statement of motivation of 250-300 words
• Personal financial statement

Submit your Trimester Abroad application(s) by creating a profile on the application portal and search for the relevant host university/ies. When applying for two host universities (first preference and second preference), please ensure you submit two individual applications and rank them in order of preference.

Please be aware that you can pause and continue your Trimester Abroad application(s) at any time, as long as you ensure that your application(s) is/are submitted by the relevant deadline. If you have any concerns or questions, please contact Deakin Abroad. 

Most students who choose to undertake a Trimester Abroad will do so on an Exchange-basis, i.e. students study overseas at one of Deakin's many partner universities for one or two trimesters. There is, however, also the option of doing a Trimester Abroad on a Study Abroad-basis, meaning students study overseas at a non-partner university of their choice. Further differences between the two options of Trimester Abroad are explained below:

The information on this page pertains primarily to Trimester Abroad Exchange, however, Study Abroad applicants are most welcome to contact Deakin Abroad if further assistance is required.