Exchange Research placements

•  It is recommended that students apply for at least a three month placement, as this will give them more time to gain the necessary experience and complete the required tasks in a department at King’s. 
• Research placements have no minimum length, but at least 2 months is recommended. The maximum length of visiting placements at King's is 12 months (continuous or seperate) at the same study level. The minimum period of an Erasmus+ Traineeship is two months (not 8 weeks) unless PhD, up to a maximum of 12 months.
• Extensions of placements that require a visa change (either extension to Visitor Visa or Student visa or change of visa type) are very difficult.
  In particular extensions over 6 months, as you will need to re-apply for the new visa from outside the UK and await outcome to re-enter, meaning an interruption of several weeks, possibly months. You will also need to meet the English Language Requirement through an official test.
  We therefore strongly advise you plan your placement dates carefully in advance.
  Any extension request, once the placement has started, needs to be made at least 4 weeks in advance, even if keeping within the current visa allowance, and at least 2 months in advance if a change of visa is required.
• Placements under 6 months can be done under a Standard Visitor Visa (some nationalities do not need to apply, but are under the same conditions), but please note that the whole stay in the UK must be under 6 months, including any days before or after the placement. We therefore strongly advise for the placement dates to be slightly under 6 months to avoid any issues.
  If you arrive in the UK more than 6 months before the end of the placement, you will not be able to be registered at King's and the placement will either need to be shorten to stay under 6 months from the date of arrival, or cancelled entirely. 

Placement must enrol by the first Tuesday of the month and so should ideally start their placement on that day. The permitted start date are at present:

• Tuesday 2nd April 2024
• Tuesday 7th May 2024
• Tuesday 4th June 2024
• Tuesday 2nd July 2024
• Tuesday 06 August 2024
• Tuesday 03 September 2024
• Tuesday 01 October 2024
• more dates to be added later

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. However, placements must enrol on one of the dates listed above, although can then start later that month with agreement from their supervisor.  The application must be completed at least 1 month ahead of the intended enrolment date, but preferably 3-5 months ahead of this date.
If the placement is over 6 months, then you will need to apply for a Student Visa, so applications at least 3 months in advance are needed for you to receive the visa in time. For placement under 6 months, if you need to apply in advance for the Standard Visitor Visa, you should also make sure to apply 3 months in advance.

Please note, if the application is submitted later than 4 weeks ahead of the start date, the start date will move to the next enrolment date a month later. 

Students can only apply to a visiting research programme after being accepted by a King's academic supervisor. Once accepted, then they must apply online and receive an offer from the  Admissions team before their placement is confirmed.

• For applications to the Visiting Research Students programme (students from non-partner universities and not on Erasmus), please refer to that page instead.

• To apply, students should complete and submit an online application form for the relevant programme. Students must use the accompanying Research Placement Application Guidance Notes (at the bottom of this page) while completing their application. 

• All students will need to provide a transcript of their current studies, or if no transcript is available (PhD students), evidence of current registration at their home university covering the whole period of the placement. ALL transcripts submitted must include:
  - Your Name
  - Name of your home institution/university
  - Name of your programme of study, course or major
  - Period covered

• Erasmus Students must have an Erasmus+ Learning Agreement for Traineeship, fully signed and completed, by their home university and their supervisor at King's, before they apply online.

• Exchange Research Students (from a study exchange partner) need to request from their home university international office that they email us to confirm their nomination (email confirming they are aware of the placement, the student will be still fully enrolled during the placement and the placement is part of, or related to, their degree programme). 

• As applications take at least 4 weeks to process, the application must be completed at least 1 month ahead of the intended start date, but preferably 3-5 months ahead of this date.
  For placements over 6 months students will need to apply for a Student Visa, or nationals needing to apply for a Standard Visitor Visa, need to apply to King's at least 3 months in advance.
  Please note, if the application is submitted later than 4 weeks ahead of the start date, the start date will move to the next enrolment date a month later. 

• If you have any questions about your application, and have already made an online application, please contact the Admissions team via the messaging facility on the Application Portal. If you have not yet applied, please contact studyabroad@kcl.ac.uk.

All Visiting Research Students should be able to communicate effectively in English (reading, writing, speaking and listening) and be able to do so in an academic environment.

You should provide any certification of your competence in English as part of your application e.g. previous tests, previous study. 

Applicants who require a Student visa to study in the UK (stays in the UK more than 6 months, including any days before or after the placement) will need to complete one of the acceptable English Language tests listed below Sections 1-3. This is equivalent to the CEFR level B2.

Applicants who do not require a Student visa to study in the UK (because have English/Irish passport, but do not meet high school requirement, see Exceptions, or other nationals with existing valid residence rights in the UK) or applicants who are applying for stays under 6 months can complete one of the acceptable English Language tests listed in sections 1-4.

There is more flexibility for students coming to King's for under 6 months, who can provide a letter from their home university that states they meet B2 level. Admissions will provide the template for this letter if suitable. 
Students on Erasmus+ Traineeship may also use the Language part of the Learning Agreement instead of the letter (but only for stays under 6 months)

Please note that if you decide to change the length of stay to over 6 months after application or even offer, then the Student Visa will be required, and therefore the relevant English test will be required. Because of this extensions to over 6 months normally cannot happen once you have arrived.

Acceptable tests:

Section 1 - English language proficiency tests

The tests listed below are valid if they have been taken within two years of the start date of your placement. The start date for the purposes of English language requirements is the 1st day of the month in which your programme commences, i.e. if your programme starts in September 2024, the test must be dated within two years of 1st September 2024. All elements of the test results must be demonstrated in one test. We cannot take a combination of your scores across two tests.
We cannot take TOEFL MyBest scores or IELTS One Skill scores.

NO OTHER TESTS ARE ACCEPTED

IMPORTANT: English language proficiency tests in section 1 are only valid if they have been taken within two years of the start date of the placement.

Section 2 - A-level, AS-level, International Baccalaureate and GCSE/IGCSE

Note: The tests listed below are valid if they have been taken within five years before the start date of your placement. The start date for the purposes of English language requirements is the 1st day of the month in which your placement commences i.e. if your placement starts in September, the qualification must be within five years of 1st September.

Please note: all IGCSE English qualifications requiring Speaking and/or Listening must have this separately endorsed on their Candidate Statement of Results and/or certificate. Evidence must be provided with your application - please send a scan of your IGCSE certificate and Statement of Results via King’s Apply after you have submitted an application.

We accept all GCSE English Language specifications that are currently available in the UK.

Section 3 - International school level English language qualifications

Note: The tests listed below are valid if they have been taken within five years before the start date of your placement. The start date for the purposes of English language requirements is the 1st day of the month in which your programme commences i.e. if your programme starts in September, the qualification must be within five years of 1st September.

If you have already completed the qualification, please send a scan of your certificate via King’s Apply after you have submitted an application.

If you do not require a Student visa to study in the UK, we are additionally able to accept any of the qualifications from section 4.

Section 4 - European English language qualifications

Note: The tests listed below are valid if they have been taken within five years before the start date of your placement for applicants who do not require a Student visa. The start date for the purposes of English language requirements is the 1st day of the month in which your programme commences i.e. if your programme starts in September, the qualification must be within five years of 1st September.

If you have already completed the qualification, please send a scan of your certificate via King’s Apply after you have submitted an application.

If you require a Student visa to study in the UK and are completing one of the following qualifications, you will have to obtain an additional English language test/qualification from those listed in sections 1 to 3.

Exceptions:

- Nationals of the following countries, who have successfully completed a high school level 3 qualification (A-level equivalent) from a majority English speaking country are not required to complete an additional English language test. The qualification studied must follow the education system of a majority English speaking country.

Antigua & Barbuda
Australia
Barbados
Belize
British Overseas Territories
Canada
Dominica
Grenada
Guyana
Ireland
Jamaica
Malta
New Zealand
St Kitts & Nevis
St Lucia
St Vincent & the Grenadines
The Bahamas
Trinidad & Tobago
U.K.
U.S.A.

Applicants currently studying at a US university are also exempt from providing proof of English Language proficiency.

- Postgraduate applicants who have successfully completed an undergraduate degree (of at least three years duration), a postgraduate taught degree (of at least one year), or a PhD in one of the above UKVI-defined majority English speaking countries are not usually required to complete an additional English language test. Please note all applicants meeting the English requirement through one of these qualifications need to have successfully completed it within 5 years of the start date of their visit at King's.

An overseas student has contacted you to do a research placement (for their own research/thesis and/or to gain experience by helping in yours).

First you need to make sure that their project is appropriate for your specialty, they have the right background for the project and their role in it, you are satisfied their level of English is suitable for the work (they may also need to meet B2 language requirements, but this will be assessed at application by Admissions, if required) and of course you have the time to supervise them in the period they are planning to come. The maximum length of stay is 12 months.

Extensions of placements can be very difficult if a visa extension or change is required (as the student has to leave the UK to do so, likely for many weeks ), so we strongly advise you think carefully about the suitable length of stay in advance. Please note that students can only stay in the UK under 6 months without needing a student visa. So it is strongly advised for a 6 months placement that dates are agreed to be slightly under 6 months, to take into account that students will most likely not arrive in the UK on the 1st day and leave on the last day of the placement.

Please note that only a King's Academic, meaning someone who can be first supervisor for PhD students at King's, can be the official supervisor for those visits. Day to day mentoring can however be delegated.

If you are happy to supervise the student, then there are different routes depending on where they are from:

Please note all visiting students need to apply for, well in advance, and be enrolled on a student programme, regardless of length of stay. Affiliate accounts are only suitable for associated Staff and must not be requested for this purpose.

For students from a partner University, without Erasmus+ Traineeships.  

If they are from a University with whom we have an existing study exchange agreement (they or you should check with the Global Mobility Office first), they can attend for research as an exchange student. It is not possible to set up an exchange agreement just for this purpose, it has to be already in place. There is no fee charged by King's. 

Enrolments for those students can only happen on the first Tuesday of each month so they should start their placement on that date, or later that month once they have been enrolled.

The Global Mobility Office will need to receive a direct email from their home university International Office confirming the placement is authorised by them, part of their studies and that they will still be registered with them during the whole placement.
The student needs to follow the instructions to apply under the Research Placement Application Guidance Notes. 

For students from non-partner universities, not under Erasmus+ Traineeship. 

- PhD students should apply through the Visiting Research Student  programme. This programme is not run by the Global Mobility Office, and queries should be directed to your Faculty's PGR Admissions Team. A fee is charged for stays over 6 months.

- Non-PhD students (PGT and UG) should be able to apply to do research at King’s under that programme, but please discuss this directly with your department's PGR Admissions team to identify the suitable non-award program. (see https://www.kcl.ac.uk/policyhub/research-experience-visiting-student-policy). 
A fee is charged for stays over 3 months.

For Students wishing to attend under an Erasmus+ Traineeship, as long as the home university does not require a new International-Institutional exchange agreement to be signed .

The minimum length of the placement is 2 months (not 8 weeks) unless a PhD student, and up to 12 months.

If the student is in their first year after graduation during the placement, rather than a current student, the Traineeship is no longer possible in the UK, please see below under Graduate.

The student will need to complete an Erasmus+ Learning Agreement for Traineeships, provided by their home university. You will be responsible for signing on behalf of the ‘host institution’. This document will detail what the student will do and/or learn while here, and is a guideline for what can be expected from all parties involved. As supervisor, it is your responsibility this is followed, and that the student has enough work for a full-time placement.
One part of the agreement asks about Insurance provided by the host institution: You should select No for Accident insurance, and Yes for Liability.

Please do not sign any other document than those titled "Erasmus+ Learning Agreement for Traineeships" without checking with the Global Mobility Office first.

- For current students (still actively enrolled at their home university for the whole duration of the placement): they will then need to apply through the King’s Admissions portal, at least a month in advance of their intended stay (3 months if the placement is over 6 months or a Visa is required). Please note enrolments for those students happen on the first Tuesday of each month so they can only start their placement on that date, or later that month if they have been enrolled (please see under Traineeships length and start date.) No fee will be charged by King’s.

- Graduated students (no longer enrolled on a university programme during their proposed placement): Whilst Erasmus+ traineeships can be obtained in the first year after graduation, UK immigration rules means they would need a work visa. King's will not sponsor those for them, and the British Council no longer sponsors those for the 2021-27 Erasmus call. Therefore, unless they already have Right to Work through another immigration route (Work Holiday visa, Settled or Pre-Settled status or British or Irish citizenship for example), the placement will not be possible. If they do have this right to work, then they will need to go through the Visiting Appointments route, the above programs are only for current students.