Overseas exams

Overseas exams are not available to students going on holiday or working overseas. For eligible students, only re-sit exams can be held overseas. First sittings of exams need to be taken at the University of Birmingham, all class tests and departmental sits cannot be taken overseas.

Overseas sittings are subject to approval by your School or Department and cannot be guaranteed. Only on campus-based exams can be taken at an approved Overseas venue. For example, it is not possible to take an online exam in an approved Overseas venue. If you are unsure if your resit exam is campus based or online please check the relevant module Canvas page first for information and if this information is not provided please contact your school office.

For further information relating to Overseas and off-campus examination sittings please see 4.1.17 of the Codes of Practice on Taught Programme and Module Assessment and Feedback.

International and EU students

You may be permitted to take supplementary assessments in your home country, if you are classified as ‘overseas for fee purposes’ or are an EU student who is a resident of a country outside the UK.

Erasmus and other exchange programmes

If you are on Erasmus or another exchange programme and are required to sit an exam after returning to your country of study, please contact your School or department at the University of Birmingham, who may be able to liaise with your home University. If arrangements cannot be made, you will need to return to the University of Birmingham to sit your exams.

Arranging Overseas Exams

Deadlines

Please submit your completed application form and pay your administration fee by the following deadlines:

• January Exams: Students to Contact Exams Office by Friday 25th October 2024.
• Main Summer Exams: Students to Contact Exams Office by Friday 14th February 2025.
• Supplementary Exams: 5pm (UK Time) on Monday 14th July 2025.

Unfortunately, late applications will NOT be accepted after the deadline has passed.

The application form for the Supplementary Exam period will open by Tuesday 10^th June 2025 and can be found in the online shop. You will be expected to pay the required fee (see below) at the time of submitting your application form. Please email the Exams Office (exams@contacts.bham.ac.uk) for the link to the form for January/Main Summer Overseas resits, giving your name and Student ID.

Fees

An administration fee of £100 is payable to the University of Birmingham per application (it is a set fee of £100 and it is NOT £100 per exam). Please pay the fee and complete your application via the University’s online shop. If the application is rejected your £100 administration fee will be refunded.

Overseas venues may charge your for their services, such as courier delivery and staff costs. You will be responsible for paying any fees or charges imposed by the overseas venue. For more information, please contact the overseas venue.

If an Overseas Resit application is cancelled after the 4^th August 2025 no refunds will be issued.

Procedure

1. Find an overseas venue:

• In the first instance, please contact the British Council in your home country and ask them if you can sit your exam with them. Find your local British Council.
• If the British Council cannot accommodate your exam sitting please contact alternative venues where the security of the University’s exam procedures are not compromised. For example, for USA based students there are no British Council venues that host exams, so please contact colleges or universities or other professional exam services. If an appropriate venue cannot be found, you will need to return to the University of Birmingham to complete your exams.
• You will need to pay any of the venues associated fees.

2. Complete the form and Pay the £100 administration fee via the University of Birmingham’s online shop. (If the link does not work correctly please contact exam@contacts.bham.ac.uk) . 

• Select ONE item of the retake to ‘add to basket’, in the basket proceed to checkout. Here you will be asked a series of questions. Please fill this in carefully as this will be your application details.

3. The Examination Office will then confirm receipt of your application. At this stage this is not an Approval or Rejection of your application.

4. The Examination Office will then contact your School/Department to obtain approval/rejection of your application. You will be informed of the outcome by the deadline that can be found on the Timeline.

5. If your application has been approved the Exams office will confirm your application with your confirmed venue. 

6. Once exam timetables are released, Students must check that the exams they are expecting to retake are present. If any exams are missing from a student’s exam timetable, please contact the exams office immediately.

During the week commencing 4^th August 2025 The Examination Office will then dispatch all relevant materials to the Overseas Exam venue for Students exams. Students are expected to confirm their arrangements and any payments they are required to make in advance of their exams. Please note deadlines and processes may vary between British Council venues however it is the students responsibility to ensure this process is completed directly with the venue.

If an Overseas Resit application is cancelled after the 4^th August 2025 no refunds will be issued. 

Timeline – Overseas Supplementary Exam Applications

• By Tuesday 10^th June 2025 – Overseas Supplementary Exams form open
• Monday 14^th July 2025 (5pm UK Time) – Overseas Supplementary Exams Application period CLOSED. No late applications will be permitted.
• By Tuesday 21^st July 2025 – Confirmation of successful application or rejection of application will be sent to applicants.
• Wednesday 30^th July 2025 – Release of Supplementary Exam Timetable
• By Monday 4^th August 2025 – Any missing exams from a student’s timetable need to be identified to the Examination Office

• Week commencing 4^th August 2025 – The Examinations Office will confirm with Overseas venues details of the Exams and Students that will be sitting exams at their venue.
• Week commencing 11^th August 2025 – Successful Overseas Supplementary Applicants to confirm arrangements and any payments to their Overseas Venue
• 18^th – 29^th August 2025 – Supplementary Exam Period

Marks Release

Please note due to the nature of exam scripts needing to be returned from Overseas and then marked there could be a delay in the release of exam marks if you choose to take your exams Overseas.