Broadening Study Opportunities

More than 270 Scottish university students are to be given the opportunity to travel to India, China, the US and Europe.

The Scottish Government has announced that grants worth more than £143, 000 will be shared by nine universities, including St Andrews.

Ministers say the benefits of studying abroad are significant by developing language skills, intercultural understanding and creating employment opportunities.

Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Angela Constance said: “The benefits of studying abroad are well documented - language skills, intercultural understanding, new ways of working and greater employment prospects are just a few - and I am delighted that this year we are providing more Outward Mobility Fund money than ever before.

“The Fund aims to support students who might otherwise find it difficult to take up these opportunities so I’m very pleased to announce today that so many young people will be able to benefit from studying abroad.”

Edinburgh Napier University secured match-funding to take a group of college and university computing students to meet their counterparts in collaborative project with University of Pittsburgh, and Glasgow Caledonian University biomedical students will go on a four-month study exchange to Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Strathclyde Students’ Association also successfully secured match-funding for their project which aims to break down the barriers to longer-term study abroad placements. Welcoming the announcement, Rhianna Humphrey, their Policy and Campaigns Adviser said: “The University of Strathclyde Students’ Association is delighted to receive the funding for our Outward Mobility project. This project is specifically aimed at students that are least likely to go on exchange trips such as disabled students, mature students and postgraduate students.

“By tackling some of the barriers and challenges faced by these students in order to run this project we hope that in the longer term there will be a greater diversity in the students taking up the variety of outward mobility projects available to them and that those opportunities will be made more accessible in order to establish a tradition of Strathclyde graduates that have their lives enriched through global opportunities.”