Placements in 2023/24

Please read the Turing FAQs. Only students that have been directly contacted by the International Office or Careers Service to fill these specific forms out are eligible for a Turing Scheme grant. Please do not complete the below application if you have not been contacted, as you will be rejected.

Placements 2024/25 and beyond

Please also read the Turing FAQs. Funding is only awarded by UK government on a yearly basis. Therefore, it is too early to apply for funding for activities starting from September 2024 onwards. Any application from students will be rejected at this stage and will create unnecessary administration work for the university.

Introduction

*** The link to make an application is deliberately at the bottom of this page as we we would like you to read this whole page before making a Part A application. The Part A link is in the purple section with a big A next to it***

Students undertaking a Global Opportunity as part of their degree programme may be eligible to apply for a Turing Grant. The grant is not automatically allocated and specific documents must be submitted before funding can be released. Turing funding is not unlimited and Durham University is required to administer the funding within stringent funding rules set by the Turing Scheme and Department for Education for which the University is audited: mobilities that do not meet the requirements will not be funded, students who do not submit the paperwork within the time limits required, will be required to repay their grants. Please read through the below information carefully before making an application, including: 

1. Check the eligibility of your mobility and any restrictions
2. Read the grant process overview
3. Apply for your Turing Grant (Part A) and ensure you complete Parts B and C during your period abroad.

1. Eligibility

Only activities undertaken through an officially sanctioned Durham University Global Opportunity (such as Study Abroad, Placement Year abroad, Global Internships, International Volunteering) are eligible for Turing funding. The following restrictions also apply:

• A mobility is defined by host, not by country for example if you change employer but remain in the same city/country, this will be considered as a new mobility and new paperwork will be required.
• International students can receive funding, but cannot receive Turing funding for placements in their home country.
• Students must have approved Viator travel cover to be eligible for funding. We will not retrospectively fund periods that have taken before Viator has been approved.
• If you begin your mobility remotely from the UK, funding is not available for the remote portion. Funding will be granted once the in-person portion of the mobility begins.
• Mobilities that are conducted 100% remotely from the UK are not eligible for funding.
• Students must complete all arrival and departure requirements. If any requirements are left incomplete you will be required to repay the grant.
• Mobilities that commence in a country when it is on the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office red list are not eligible for funding. Funding may be available once the country is removed from the red list, though not retrospectively.
• Mobilities must meet the minimum duration of four complete weeks (28 days) and may last no longer than one year.
• The 28 day requirement is continuous from the date your in-country placement begins to the date your placement in country ends. It is the work or study period as required by your employer / host university. It does not include travel to- and from- placement, holidays before or afterwards, or independent study after the work/study period required by the placement provider.
• The 28 day requirement must fall between 1. Sept 2023 and 31. August 2024 (the 'eligible period'. Periods outside of these dates cannot be funded).
• Modern Languages students can take a maximum of three funded mobilities.
• Study abroad mobilities must take place at one of Durham's partner universities. Independent study placements or language courses cannot be funded.
• Only academic year 2023/24 placements are eligible for funding. The latest fundable date is 31st August 2024.
• Mobilities cannot be retrospectively funded; you must submit all necessary documents on time during your mobility. This is a strict regulation set by Turing. There is zero flexibility with submission deadlines.

If you have any concerns about whether your placement is eligible for funding, you should contact the Exchanges and Study Abroad Team.

2. Grant Process Overview

The grant process is broadly split into three sections. Each section has its own specific requirements. Note: if undertaking more than one Turing supported Global Opportunity, you must complete the process for each activity undertaken. 

1. Part A - Pre-Placement: Submit application for Turing funding.
2. Part B - Arrival Requirements: Complete and submit documents to become eligible for the 70% instalment of the grant.
3. Part C - Departure Requirements: Complete and submit documents to become eligible for the 30% instalment of the grant.

If you fail to complete any of the three parts of the grant process you will either be ineligible to receive funding or (in the case of failing to submit Part C) will be required to repay any grant received. We recommend students download the Turing Grant Checklist.

A higher resolution copy of the schematic picture can be viewed by clicking here: Turing-Grant-Schematic.jpg. Grant rates can be found here: 

FAQ: Why must I complete all three parts of the grant process to be eligible and why will I be required to repay any grant if I don't? Durham is contractually bound to the Turing Scheme rules and requirements, the three part process is structured to ensure that we comply with our contract.

3. Part A - Grant Application

Prior to departure students must apply for the Turing grant via the Part A application portal (below). The application form consists of your details plus details of the placement you intend to complete. If you will taking more than one Global Opportunity, you will need to submit forms for each of your placements.

Turing funding is not infinite and must be managed. Durham is required to check each Turing application for eligibility, which is why we ask you to apply individually for each Turing placement you intend to complete separately. Please note the above eligibility requirements, including the 28 day minimum duration.

With the exception of Global Opportunities that commenced between September and December 2023, you must apply for the grant in advance, you cannot apply for funding after beginning a placement.

N.B.: Alongside making a Turing grant request, before departure students must ensure that they complete pre-departure processes, including having a Viator travel cover request approved. Please note, you should start this process at least a month in advance, since approval may take a number of weeks. All start dates will be checked against Viator - any period without Viator in place will not be funded.

FAQ: Why must Part A be completed before I arrive? We are not permitted to apply funding retrospectively and Durham is required to register participants with the Turing funding agency pre-departure.

Part B - Arrival Requirements

Students must complete their arrival requirements no later than 28 days after arrival to be eligible for the 70% instalment of the grant.  We strongly advise students make this their highest priority on arrival.

Arrival requirements and documentation are specific to the type of placement you are doing. Documents can be downloaded from the Part B page (link below). The Part B forms will also be submitted through an online portal available from the Part B page.

Requirements overview:

• Viator travel cover must be approved
• Signed & dated Grant Agreement - you receive the grant agreement via email in the month prior to your placement.
• Learning agreement
• Arrival Certificate

Every time you submit your required documents in the portal, the MS Form will thank you for your submission but it will not email confirmation. Your submission will join a queue to be assessed by the Exchanges Team.

FAQ: Why do we have to submit Part B documents? This is because when audited we are required to provide evidence of exactly when you started. The reason that students are required to submit Part B within 28 days of arrival is that Durham is required to report your mobility to funders within one month.

FAQ: The 70% I received is different to my initial Grant Agreement? Your Grant Agreement is issued based on your predicted dates. The amount received is subject to change: it will be calculated and pro-rated based on the exact number of days of your placement, as confirmed by the dates on your Arrival Certificate. E.g. if you arrive later and thus are on placement for fewer days than you predicted when applying for a grant in Part A, your grant will be altered to correspond with the exact number of days you are there and would thus receive a lower amount.

FAQ: What happens once I have completed my arrival requirements? Your 70% instalment payment will be submitted for authorisation, which will prompt the Banner Self Service system to send you an email requesting your bank details. Please check your spam folder for the email if it doesn’t arrive to your inbox. After authorisation, your 70% instalment will be processed by the Finance Office and will arrive in your account within 10 working days.

Note: If you have previously provided your bank details to the University for any prior funding such as the Durham Grant, those same details will be used and you will not receive an email request.

Part C - Departure Requirements

Students complete their departure requirements to become eligible for the 30% instalment of the grant.

Departure requirements are submitted via the Part C: Departure Requirements submission portal, which is accessed below. Departure documents specific to your placement type can be downloaded from the Part C page.

Requirements:

• Departure Certificate

Every time you submit your required documents in the portal, the MS Form will thank you for your submission. Your submission will join a queue to be assessed by the Exchanges Team.

Your final payment will be pro-rated to match the time you spent abroad. E.g. if you anticipated being on-placement for 6 months, but only complete 5 months, 1 week and 1 day, you will only receive funding for 5 months, 1 week and 1 day.

Important: Completion of grants. All grant requirements must be met to become eligible for the 30% instalment and complete the grant. If you receive the 70% instalment but do not complete the Part C departure requirements, you will be required to repay all the funding you have already received.

FAQ: Why do we have to submit Part C documents? This is because Durham is required to report to the Turing Scheme your exact (to the day) start and departure dates. When audited we are required to provide supporting evidence. If you do not submit the Departure documents we will have to invoice you for any grant received as Durham is not permitted to use Turing funding for students that have not met the Turing reporting requirements.

Other Important Things To Note:

Grant Rates: For information about rates, please click on this page: Grant Rates. The level of grant will depend on your location, duration and personal circumstances. As funding is finite, the number of months funded may be restricted.

Payment of Grants. Grant payments are not automated. A member of staff must check each of your submissions to ensure you have met the relevant requirements. This can take up to two weeks. Turing grant payments are authorised and processed in batches, mid-month once per month. Thereafter it may take your bank up to a week to process payments.