Program Details: Kingston University
Is this program for me?
Kingston University has an enrollment of over 18,000 students and has many years of experience receiving overseas students through study abroad programs. You will take the same classes as Kingston students, offering you an opportunity to integrate into student life at the university. Courses are available in a wide range of subject areas, including: art, architecture and design history, biological and sport sciences, business, chemistry, communications, computing and information systems, creative writing, criminology, drama, economics, engineering, English literature, film and video studies, finance, and much more.
Kingston offers a very vibrant and diverse campus community with a number of activities for students to get involved in!
Kingston University's Website for Study Abroad and Exchange Students
Kingston University offers a Summer School for students interested in a one-month program. Most of the information on this site relates to the semester exchange program. The Summer School has features that are different from the semester exchange. students interested in the Summer School should review the information on the Kingston Summer School Website or look at the relevant section at the bottom of this page.
Visa Information
Students applying for one semester at Kingston Uni can enter the UK as a student visitor without securing a student visa. Restrictions do apply to those who enter as a student visitor. A student visa (Tier 4) is required for students who will study in the UK for the academic year or longer than 6 months. For additional information, please reference our UK Visa Guide. Please note that the appropriate consulate or embassy must be consulted for the most up-to-date visa information.
Housing and Meals
International Students have two housing options:
- On campus Residence hall (optional for students studying for an academic year).
- Off campus private lodging (for students studying for one semester or an academic year).
Kingston offers additional information on their website regarding housing.
Housing is NOT guaranteed to exchange students. While most students will receive a housing placement, in recent semesters, Kingston University has not been able to offer all GVSU students a placement. Students who do not receive a housing placement through Kingston will be required to secure housing on their own. Kingston does offer students information on searching for affordable housing, however, the responsibility is on the student to secure his/her own housing.
The vast majority of past participants have reported very positive experiences with their housing placement. However, students need to be flexible and learn to adapt to local cultural norms. Due to the limited housing placements available, students who do receive a placement in private lodgings may not be offered an alternative placement if they are not satisfied with the location, differences in living standards, or if they experience personality differences with the landlord/landlady. Kingston may not have other housing placements to offer. If this becomes an issue for a student, the student may be directed to find his/her own accommodation.
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Courses
Courses options at Kingston University (semester or year)
How will the courses that I take at Kingston University transfer back to my GVSU Transcript?
Existing Semester Course Equivalencies
Note: This is not a complete list of courses offered at this partner institution
The vast majority of courses at Kingston will transfer back to GVSU as 3 credits, unless otherwise approved in writing by the relevant academic department. GV students will be required to register for 4 courses at Kingston in order to maintain full-time status.
This program requires maximum flexibility with regards to the academic program. While students are pre-registered for courses prior to their arrival at Kingston, courses are still subject to change once a student arrives.
Kingston's courses are set up as yearlong modules. Students who are participating for just one semester will take either the first or second half of the course. Students who attend Kingston for the full academic year will be required to take yearlong courses. In most cases, students will not be able to switch courses for the spring semester. This means that academic year participants will take 4 courses for the full year, but will still earn 3 credits per semester for each course. Students should take care in selecting courses. Students are advised to meet with their primary academic advisor to confirm which degree requirements can be fulfilled with yearlong courses. In many cases, we've seen department's approve a direct course equivalency for the Fall semester with the Winter semester counting towards elective credit.
Volunteering Opportunities
Kingston University's Student Union offers many opportunities for volunteering in the community. Information on current projects and office location can be found on the website at: https://www.kingstonstudents.net/volunteering. Students can also contact the office directly by emailing [email protected]. Sarah Dutton and Stephen Alexander are both full-time staff in the office. They both visited GVSU in April 2015 and are familiar with our exchange with Kingston University. Students interested in getting involved are also welcome to contact with of them to learn about volunteering opportunities:
Sarah Dutton, [email protected]
Stephen Alexander, [email protected]
Summer Program Information
Kingston University offers a Summer School during July- early August. The Summer School includes: tuition, excursions, social activities, housing, a transport card, and an airport greeting. Additional details are available on the Kingston website
Kingston Summer Course Options: Students can choose to take either 1 or 2 classes. https://www.kingston.ac.uk/summerschool/
Existing Summer Course Equivalencies
Cost: Estimated Summer Budget
Travel Information
Students interested in being greeted at the airport by a Kingston University staff person should fly into into London Heathrow Airport. If students arrive on one of the designated arrival days (provided by Kingston University), a staff member from Kingston will greet students at the airport, and take them to their housing placement. If you choose to arrive early, or your flight arrives outside of the designated times allowed for the airport greeting, you will be required to make your own way to Kingston.
Detailed instructions on how to get to Kingston are available on the Kingston University website at: https://www.kingston.ac.uk/international/pre-arrival-information/.