Residence abroad

All our Modern Languages degrees include a compulsory period of Residence Abroad and the opportunity to study and/or work for up to a year in a country or countries relevant to the degree programme to immerse yourself in the language(s) that you are studying.

You will be supported by a dedicated team of Residence Abroad Tutors within the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures as well as the Placements and International Programmes (PIP) Office’s Language (Residence Abroad) team. 

You will choose either to study or work overseas. Options depend on which language(s) you are studying.

Study options

You can study abroad at one of our many highly-ranked partner universities or languages schools, where you can improve communicative language skills through focused learning in a native-speaker environment, and develop a first-hand understanding of the history and culture of your host country or countries.

For up-to-date details on where you can study with your language(s), please contact PIP Languages (Residence Abroad) team at PIPLanguagesRA@manchester.ac.uk.

At the start of your second year, we will confirm which universities will be open to applications for your Residence Abroad so you can start to research your options. Then you will submit a list of preferences for where you would like to study based on your research of individual partners. Your final allocation will be based both on your preferences and your first-year marks.

We have a number of places at different partners, some of which require higher grade averages, or where students studying particular local languages (i.e. Catalan) may be given priority. We endeavour to ensure that we allocate students according to preference, but this is not guaranteed, as it depends on the overall number of applications and your grades.

Work options

If you are studying French, German, Italian, Portuguese and/or Spanish, you also have the opportunity to work and/or volunteer abroad. You are responsible for finding your own work placement (within the requirements of the Residence Abroad period). As one of the most targeted universities by employers, we often receive details of exciting opportunities across the glow which we share with students.

Whether you hope to teach English with the British Council, gain experience at a fashion house in Paris or a top Spanish football club, you will be supported to find the right placement for you. Our team of PIP Languages (Residence Abroad) staff have first-hand experience of the year abroad and the many opportunities and challenges it can bring.

Support available

Once you are registered as a University of Manchester student, you will have access to a wealth of resources to help with preparations including the Residence Abroad Handbook, an online resource area and a calendar of events where you will be able to speak to country specialists and hear all about our final year students' residence abroad experiences.

The PIP Languages (Residence Abroad) Office provides support throughout your programme including application and selection, nomination to partner universities or language schools, information about pre-departure (and how to plan ahead), funding (where applicable), fulfilment of academic requirements, and reintegration on your return to The University of Manchester in your final year.

See Go Abroad | The University of Manchester for further information. There are also dedicated sites for information specifically for Languages students – details will be shared with students in their first year. PIP also provides extensive support to manage wellbeing, emergencies, and risk so all students are supported throughout their overseas placements.