Residence Abroad
Our four year, integrated degrees in Modern Languages provide opportunities to study or work in a country where the language(s) are spoken. You’ll use and improve your language skills everyday, as you explore your new neighbourhood, make friends, and settle into life in your chosen country.
Residence Abroad choices
All languages students have the option to study abroad, where you join a course at a university or language school. Students taking French, German, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish also have the option to work or volunteer abroad. Many students who work abroad apply for an English Language Assistantship through the British Council.
If you are studying two languages, or if your chosen language is spoken in different parts of the world, you may be able to divide your time between two countries.
Study abroad
Many of our degrees have an option to spend up to a year studying abroad, even if you’re not studying a language. For most of these opportunities, the courses are taught and assessed in English.
See Study Abroad for more information.
Student support
Your degree includes two years of language learning, in Manchester, so that you are prepared and ready for Residence Abroad, which takes place in year three. You then return to Manchester for the fourth and final year of your degree.
You have access to a range of resources and advice to help you plan and prepare:
- Connect with Manchester students, who have completed their Residence Abroad Year and have lots of advice to share.
- Find out more by looking through the Residence Abroad Handbook and Study Abroad website, both are packed with practical advice.
- Check the current list of study opportunities at university partners and language schools. Be aware of any grade requirements.
- Sign up to receive job opportunity alerts.
- Join the initial briefings for your language(s) and pre-departure briefings that cover travel (including visas and immigration), health insurance and vaccinations, and funding opportunities.
The PIP Languages (Residence Abroad) team runs regular drop in sessions and is available in-person or via email to answer any questions students have about the Residence Abroad year: PIPLanguagesRA@manchester.ac.uk
Funding and finance
Tuition fees for the Residence Abroad year are lower.
For UK students they were £1,385 (study abroad option, 2025 entry) or £1,430 (work placement, 2025 entry).
For international students the tuition fee is reduced by 80%.
Students from England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, who receive student loans, will still receive a loan to cover the cost of tuition fees. The level of funding for the maintenance loan usually remains the same, but please contact your funding provider for more information.
There are some funding awards available, but it is difficult to generalise. Some funding is based on household income, such as the University Travel Award, which covers the cost of one return journey.
Students who receive The Manchester Bursary, will be automatically considered for the Study Abroad/Placement Year support package (worth up to £2,000) and will receive this support instead of the Bursary.
Some funding is linked to a country such as the MEXT scholarship for UK students studying Japanese in Japan. Some funding awards are competitive and only a small number of awards are available.
We recommend students on work placements do so with organisations offering paid as opposed to unpaid positions. Students must make sure they research salary expectations when sourcing a role.
Living costs for the year vary depending on the country and on exchange rates.
For some countries the cost of living is similar to, or lower than, the UK, but some countries are more expensive. Numbeo provides approximate costs for different countries.
Living costs are not just about rent and groceries! Ensure that your budget covers everything that you like doing such as sports and social activities.
Please budget for the cost of a passport, flights, visa fees, health insurance and, if needed, vaccinations. Some costs can be lower if you plan ahead and book in advance.
The list below shows estimated additional costs for countries that are available to students in 2026 (costs and countries were updated in December 2025):
- students of Arabic usually go to Morocco (£600 to £750) or Jordan (£900 to £1,000)
- students of Chinese usually go to China (£1,800 to £2,000) or Taiwan (£1,500 to £1,700)
- students of Japanese go to Japan (£1,700-£2,000)
- students of Russian usually go to Kazakhstan, Estonia, Armenia or Georgia (£500 to £1,000)
- students of French, Portuguese or Spanish go to Europe (£300 to £800) or outside Europe (£1,200 to £1,600)
- students of German or Italian go to Europe (£300 to £800)
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