Incoming exchange students

Students are allowed to change their courses in the first two weeks of the semester, provided they have the pre-requisites for the course they would like to take and that there is availability on the course. You should inform your home institution of the changes in your course selection.

To change a course you should:

1. ask the course leader if there is space on the new course
2. contact your Exchange Programme Director to approve the change
3. Complete and return the course change form to the School Student Office (Mary Burton room 1.23)

Languages students also take one or more components within certain courses (known as composite courses). There is a different process to change a specific component of a composite course. In this situation, you will not change the course code.

To change a component of a composite course you should:

1. ask the course leader if there is space on the new component
2. inform the lecturer of your current component of the change
3. contact the LINCS incoming exchange coordinator (R.Inglada@hw.ac.uk) to inform of the change and to update your Canvas access (if required)

Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that all exchange students will have access to all our courses. Some courses, such as Honours Year (Year 4) courses, may become full and our on-campus Honours Year students will have priority to register for those courses. We therefore recommend that students take courses from Year 2 and Year 3.

Yes, you can, provided there is a space for you.

The workload of a full time student is 60 Heriot-Watt credits per semester, equivalent to 4 courses (15 Heriot-Watt credits per course). Students are expected to put in effort of 150 hours per course, including teaching hours.

Courses (or components) usually consist of two hours lecture and one hour tutorial. However, each course and component is different so please discuss with the course leader or your mentor for more details. Students have to sign up for tutorials at the start of each semester (Please refer to the information provided on Canvas for each course).

Semester 2 starts on Monday 9 January 2024. There is no University-wide Welcome Week for Semester 2, but there will be enrolment and welcome sessions for you.

In order to have the best start to your exchange we ask that you arrive on time. The induction meetings will provide you with valuable information and you will also have the chance to meet all the other international exchange students when you arrive.

arriving in Semester 1 must arrive for Welcome Week (the week before the start of the semester) and must attend the enrolment events.

Classes will begin on Monday 12 September 2023 (Semester 1) and Monday 9 January 2024 (Semester 2).

For courses you should consult the Web Timetable > Courses.

For composite components you should consult Web Timetable > Student Groups

We offer multiple groups for some courses to avoid clashes where possible. In the unlikely event that you have a clash then you will be required to change course and find one that suits your timetable.

Only students studying across a full academic year can apply for accommodation on-campus. Exchange students who do not find on-campus accommodation usually find accommodation in the City Centre, with regular buses going to our campus in Riccarton. Please contact the Accommodation Office for more details, via telephone: +44 (0)131 451 3385 or email: halls@hw.ac.uk

We have a very strong student network for international students, the (International Exchange) Erasmus Student Network. The ESN association is run by Heriot-Watt students and is open to all: international and UK students. As well as organising events, they offer a web forum and an advice hub at the Student Union.

LINCS has a very active Languages Society, which organises several events throughout the academic year. As an exchange student, you are strongly encouraged to attend these events, as they will be a very good opportunity for you to meet some of your fellow home and exchange students. You can follow the Languages Society on social media (look for Heriot-Watt Languages Society on both Facebook and Instagram) to be kept up to date with all the latest news and events.

You can also join our Language Exchange Directory to get in touch with home students and exchange your language skills with them. For example, you can arrange regular informal meetings for discussion in your chosen languages. The directory will be available at the start of Semester 1.

You can use our People Finder tool to find out the email address, room number and telephone number of any member of staff at Heriot-Watt University. You can also view the staff directory on the School of Social Sciences website: Staff Directory

During your studies here, you have access to all of the main avenues of support that our home students have. You can find more information in the University's student section. 

The Go Global Team hosts regular drop-in sessions during semester time to help you with general enquiries. These are held in the Student Service Centre, Hugh Nisbet Building on:

• Mondays: 11.00-13.00
• Wednesdays: 14.00-16.00
• Fridays: 10.00-12.00

You can register at the on-campus medical centre. For further information, please refer to their GPs' webpage.

Transcripts for students studying at Heriot-Watt for Semester 1 only are issued in February. Transcripts for students studying at Heriot-Watt for Semester 2 only, or for the full academic year, are issued in July.

N.B., If you have a deadline for receiving your Transcript which is out with these time periods, you must advise the SoSS Student Office in advance.

Only by special request to the SoSS Student Office.

A PDF copy of your Transcript will be emailed to your Heriot-Watt account and the stamped original will be posted to your home institution.

The Heriot-Watt University resit diet is in August and at that stage of the year you are no longer a HWU student so, unfortunately, you cannot resit any courses failed during your stay with us.