Language Requirement: None
Academic Standing by Program Start: Junior or above
Location: Europe, United Kingdom, Scotland
GPA: 3.0

Program Overview

NOTE: This program is ONLY open to Economics majors.

In this exchange program, you will enroll directly in classes at the University of Edinburgh. The University of Edinburgh is an international university with more than 30,000 students, of which roughly 350 are international exchange students. The university was founded in 1582 and is the sixth-oldest university in the English-speaking world. It is one of the top universities in the world. Numerous key figures in modern history have studied at the university, including naturalist Charles Darwin, philosopher David Hume, inventor Alexander Graham Bell, and even a few signatories of the American declaration of independence.

Edinburgh has a long history of serving students from the United States. American students currently make up the second largest population of international students at the university. Students will be expected to take the majority of their courses in economics.

There is a wealth of support and help available to visiting students at the University. Edinburgh Global and College Visiting Student Offices will help you from your initial enquiries, throughout the application process through to your time in Edinburgh. You will be allocated a personal tutor, a dedicated academic member of staff who will be able to support you throughout your studies. The UK has laws protecting LGBT people from discrimination and is a marriage equality country. 

Edinburgh is consistently voted the top city in the UK to live in. The university has multiple campuses across the city of Edinburgh, but its main campus is nearby the central railway station and in the heart of the city. Edinburgh is a safe student city, with a population of 500,000. We have four universities in the city and together students make up one tenth of the population. Edinburgh was ranked the second best student city in the UK by QS Best Student Cities 2015.

 

Exchange students at Edinburgh are eligible for the Butex Scholarship - Visit this link to get more information about this scholarship:  http://www.butex.ac.uk

Dates and Deadlines

 
Term Year Deadline Arrival Date Departure Date
Fall Semester 2025 2/1/2025 Early September Mid-December
Academic Year 2025-26 2/1/2025 Early September Late May
Spring Semester 2026 2/1/2025 Early January Late May

The application process for this program is competitive: GEO staff will review your application materials, and a decision about your enrollment will not be made until after the application deadline. In some cases, an interview is required. If your program requires an interview, you will be contacted with further details about this process after the application deadline. Early applications are encouraged.

Successful applicants will receive an exchange nomination from GEO. Selection will be based on a holistic review of your application. This includes a review of your GPA, transcripts (including courses taken and in-progress), any additional requirements or prerequisites (see section "Additional Requirements"), and written statements. 

Applying for an exchange program involves 2 steps. If you receive a nomination from GEO, you will also need to complete the host university's application, which is administered and reviewed by your host university directly. Instructions will be provided after acceptance by GEO. The host university makes the final decision regarding acceptance into the program.

Discount for Pell Recipients

To expand access to study abroad, GEO is offering a $500 discount for this program to UO students who currently have the Pell Grant as part of their federal financial aid (FAFSA).

Academic Details

The academic year at Edinburgh is divided in two semesters. The first semester runs from Mid-September to late December and the second semester starts early January and finishes at the end of May. The curriculum at Edinburgh is organized in classes, which includes lectures, tutorials, and independent studies. Our exchange with Edinburgh is subject specific. In this case, you would be expected to take two thirds of your courses in the Economics department at Edinburgh. For most courses, lectures form the main teaching framework. Lectures provide a guide to the subject matter and set out the foundations on which you are expected to build. Tutorials consist of a small group of students and provide opportunities to develop themes and discuss problems, usually through written work. You may find that you have fewer hours of classroom time. In such cases, you will be expected to study in the library, work through the course reading list and demonstrate your learning in essays and exams. It is important to establish a good working routine so that you use time effectively.   

This is a very academically rigorous program. The majority of courses are worth 20 credits each, however there are 10 credit courses and full year courses worth 40 credits. We recommend that for every 1 credit you should aim to do around 10 hours of independent study. This means that for each 20 credit course, you should be putting in 200 hours of study per semester. We recommended you take 3 courses per semester (20 credits each). The International Office at Edinburgh recommends that you take no more than two honors courses (300-level or above) at a time, otherwise your course load will be quite intensive.

Note: You should consult with your UO academic advisor before submitting your course enrollment to the University of Edinburgh.  

Course Equivalencies

UO students: please refer to the UO Course Equivalency Process and the UO Office of the Registrar Course Equivalency Database.

Non-UO students: Actual credit awarded is determined by the relevant department at your university in consultation with the study abroad office. Check with your study abroad advisor for more information.

Additional Requirements

  • Must be approved for nomination by the UO Department of Economics in CAS. Students will likely have an interview with the Department of Economics to complete this requirement. 
  • Completed WR 121 and 122 or 123 with grades B- or higher. 
  • Must have grades of A or better in both EC 311 - Intermediate Microeconomic Theory and EC 313 - Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory. Completion of an econometrics course with a grade of A or better (e.g., EC 320) may also be required depending on the courses you wish to enroll at Edinburgh. 
  • Advised that student will have completed MATH 251 and MATH 252 with grades of A or better, or will have plans to complete them before enrolling in Edinburgh. (Grades of A or better in the MATH 241/242/243 sequence may be considered a substitute, especially if complemented by grades of A or better in one or more 400-level Economics classes.) 
  • Students are encouraged (but not required) to contact Professor Glen Waddell to discuss their fit for this exchange program prior to completing the GEO Exchange Application. 

Housing Description

The University of Edinburgh will arrange for you to be housed in a wide range of accommodations, including single rooms, shared rooms, and studios, located all around the city. As long as you apply for housing in time, a housing offer is guaranteed. The cost of accommodation varies depending on the facilities and services provided. Accommodation with en-suite bathrooms and a meal plan are often more expensive. Housing that is “catered” (or includes meals) is often selected by freshmen due to its convenience. More senior students tend to live in “self-catered” accommodation (those that do not include a meal plan) so they can cook on their own and save money. 

You are guaranteed housing as long as your online accommodation application is received by the 16th of August for full year or Semester 1 (fall semester) applicants, or the 30th of November for Semester 2 (spring semester) applicants.