Sitting an exam overseas

Assessments under controlled conditions, including examinations, are normally held at UWE Bristol or an approved partner location.

If you are unable to attend in person, you may request to sit your exam overseas at an approved venue (British Council Office). Permission is granted at the discretion of the University and is not guaranteed.

There are some assessments that cannot be conducted at another venue due to specialist software, robotics labs requirements, or if they are practical exams.

First sit examinations should be held at UWE Bristol or an approved academic partner. Examinations taking place off campus should be arranged at a British Council Office where possible.

Exceptions may be approved where:

• the assessment is for students participating in an academic exchange, and it can be arranged at one of the other institutions participating in the exchange, or
• you are involved in national or international elite/high-performance sporting/or other activities at that level, or a unique career-enhancing opportunity approved by the University and
• the assessment may be invigilated by responsible individuals approved by the University (for example staff from their national governing body of sport).

Complete the Overseas exam request form three weeks before the exam date or as soon as your exams timetable is published.

Overseas exam request form

Following approval of your request, you are required to pay the following fees:

1. UWE Bristol's fee

There is a £350 cost per exam to be paid to UWE Bristol. The payment link is included within the Overseas exam request form.

2. Local venue fees

There will be local administration costs charged by the British Council that you will need to organise payment for.

The local costs will vary depending on the institution and the country involved, so contact them directly once you’ve been informed of the location for your exam.

The local charge covers the room hire, invigilation, administration and returning the completed exam papers to us. Due to the varying rates and currencies involved, this is collected locally by the venue and not by the University.

Your Student and Programme Support (SPS) Team will make all the arrangements, and they may offer you a choice if there is more than one British Council Office available to you.

Once the arrangements have been finalised, the relevant SPS Team will write to you and inform you of the location. You will be given a contact name and number so that you can register with the local institution and arrange payment of the local fees.

According to the academic regulations, overseas exams must take place on the same day and at the same time as the UK sitting. This means the local start time may differ to account for the time difference with the UK. You will receive your overseas timetable by email once arrangements have been finalised.

If the time difference makes it impossible to schedule the exam (for example, if the British Council is closed at that time), your request may be rejected.

Reasonable adjustments

Any approved reasonable adjustments, such as extra time or rest breaks, will be identified and considered when processing your overseas exam request to ensure appropriate arrangements are made.

If you wish to cancel your examination overseas you must contact the relevant SPS Team no later than five working days before the examination is due to take place. If you inform us with at least five working days' notice, your fee of £350 will be refunded to you. If you do not inform us, or do so less than five working days before the examination, you won’t be eligible for a refund.

You must contact the relevant British Council Office/institution to confirm a cancellation with them and settle any costs they may charge.

Your work will be marked and moderated alongside your cohort and your marks will go to the same Examining Boards as your fellow students. Your results publication date will be the same as the rest of your cohort.

If you need further guidance, submit a Get help form.