BA Chinese, Japanese or Korean Studies

Language year abroad

If you are studying on one of our Chinese, Japanese or Korean Studies courses, you will spend two years studying in Sheffield before heading off for your year abroad at a top-ranking university in China, Japan or Korea.

The language year abroad offers you an unrivalled opportunity to improve your language skills. In particular, your spoken skills will improve dramatically.

It will also give you valuable insights into the country and its people.

Funding your year abroad

Most students find that the immense advantages, academic and personal, of the year abroad more than justify any extra cost.

As the year abroad is part of your Sheffield degree you pay reduced tuition fees to Sheffield and you do not pay any fees in China, Japan or Korea.

There are also a number of scholarships available to help cover some of the costs which are allocated on a competitive basis

Airfare to your host country

Students who receive help from Student Finance England may be entitled to a travel grant to help with the cost of travelling to East Asia.

More information about travel grants can be found on the Student Finance England website.

China, Japan and South Korea all require students to obtain visas before being allowed into the country. You can find information about visa requirements and costs on each country’s embassy website.

• Chinese embassy
• Japanese embassy
• South Korean embassy

Medical checks

If you are travelling to China or Japan you are required to undergo a medical check in order to qualify for your visa. The checks required vary slightly between countries. To get up to date information on the current medical requirements and costs please visit the University Health Service pages.

In South Korea, there is no government requirement for a medical check but some institutions require specific checks such as TB. You will be advised on these requirements once you have been accepted for study depending on which of our host universities you will be based at.

Financial guarantee

In order to study abroad you need to show the government of your host country that you have the necessary funds to study there for an academic year before you can be issued with a visa.

The amount they ask for varies per country from £6,000-£9,500.

As an international student studying abroad, the host country needs to see that you can support yourself during your studies and need to see actual proof that the money is available, so that they can be ensure that you are not going to try and live off state funding. Also, if you left debts at the University or country, they would then be able to go to your sponsor or guarantor to retrieve the money to cover the debt.

The money itself can be made up from a number of sources which include student finance, scholarships and bursaries. Your parents or guardians can also act as guarantors for all or part of the money. You are not required to give this money to anyone, just provide proof that the money is available to you.

Find out more details about financial guarantees

Insurance

Students travelling overseas as part of their degree programme can be covered by our travel insurance policy (Student login required).

Living costs

You will be responsible for paying for your accommodation and day-to-day living whilst in East Asia, just as you are when you are living in Sheffield.

• China – Estimated £500 to £600 per month (rent, utilities, food). Prices vary depending on which accommodation you live in.
• Japan – Estimated £500 to £900 per month (rent, utilities, food). Some areas of Japan are more expensive to live in than others.
• South Korea – Estimated £500 to £900 per month (rent, utilities, food). Prices vary depending on which accommodation you live in.

Student experience

We interviewed three students and asked them to send in photos and videos and to share their experiences and memories of their year abroad.

You can hear the experiences of all three students – see photos of Rhian Osborne's year in Seoul, Harry Dibbs' time in Nanjing and his visit to the Great Wall of China and Julian Bentham's many travels and activities across Japan.