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, 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.
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 20th October 2023.
- Main Summer Exams: Students to Contact Exams Office by Friday 9th February 2024.
- Supplementary Exams: 5pm (UK Time) on Monday 8th July 2024.
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 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.
Procedure
1. Contact your School Department and request permission to do your retake overseas. You will need to provide them with details of which exams you wish to retake overseas, please note further first sits and class tests cannot be taken overseas Contact your school.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. The exam office will then contact the venue you have confirmed and will liaise exam details with them – (please note this will only happen after the exam timetable is released) .
- If an appropriate venue cannot be found, you will need to return to the University of Birmingham to complete your exams. Please ensure you have provided the correct details for your overseas venue.
5. Once the Examination Office has received your form and administration fee, we will contact your School Department to confirm which exams you will be allowed to take overseas.
6. You will be notified if your application has been provisionally accepted or rejected once all checks have been completed. Please note this can take time to process and the earliest you will hear if you have been accepted or rejected will not be until after the deadline for applications has passed. Please be patient during this time.
7. If your application has been provisionally accepted, final exam arrangements will be confirmed in writing once the final exam timetable has been released.
8. Once exam timetables are released, check that the exams you expect to retake are present. If they are not contact the exams office immediately.