Global Leaders Experience Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) below for students interested in applying for a Global Leaders Programme
Please note that this does not apply to The Hague GLE taking place in December 2025
This year we’re making a change to the Global Leaders Experience application process. We’ve loved receiving and reading everyone’s applications which we’ve intentionally made as straight forward as possible with just three questions asking for your motivations, hopes for the programme and what makes you a good fit! Don’t worry, that part is staying the same, but as we receive more and more excellent applications, it becomes more difficult to shortlist and we want to ensure that those who most need the experience have the opportunity to take part, which is why we’re introducing a round of assessment centres for all Global Leaders Experiences taking place in 2026.
Now, when you apply for a Global Leaders Experience, we will complete an initial round of shortlisting in December 2025 and if you meet the eligibility criteria, you will be invited to an assessment centre taking place in late January 2026. At this assessment centre, you will have the opportunity to meet the other students who have applied (and could be attending a trip with you!), find out more about the trip you’ve applied for and build upon the answers you provided in your application form. We don’t ask for experience to take part in a Global Leaders Experience, but if you’re concerned about this and don’t feel like you have much to write, an assessment centre is a great opportunity to speak to the team and show us what makes you a great participant for the programme!
The assessment centres will take place in person for you to get the most out of the session and will consist of several activities including group work, presenting some prior research to a small group and an individual task. At the point of applying, we will ask if you have an Independent Learning Plan and reasonable adjustments that we can implement to support you to take part in the process. For all participants, we will let you know what the tasks are going to be before you attend to help you prepare. We anticipate that the assessment centres will last for around 90 minutes and we will give you a couple of options of dates and times.
Once you have taken part in an assessment centre, sit back and wait for your outcome email! We will take a maximum of 2 weeks to review the feedback and comments observed in the sessions and will let you know by email if you have been successful. If you have not secured a space, there will be a waiting list, and you are also welcome to ask for feedback to help you for further sessions. If you have applied for multiple Global Leaders Experience, we will ask you for your preference of trip upon a successful outcome.
For more guidance on assessment centres visit the Career Zone help pages: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/careers/research/act/assessment/
The Global Leaders Experience is funded to support disadvantaged and under-represented home, undergraduate students by providing short outbound mobility opportunities to those meeting very specific criteria. The scheme is funded through ring-fenced funds from home/UG student tuition fees and is part of the University’s commitment to the higher education regulator, the Office for Students, to close gaps in graduate outcomes between home UG widening participation students and their peers. These measures are outlined in our Access and Participation Plan which has been approved by the Office for Students. Monitoring of this this programme and its expenditure is reported to the regulator. The regulatory requirements and associated funding relate to students paying regulated fees only i.e. home/UG and home/PGCE students.
If you are a home postgraduate student who fits the Widening Participation criteria, you are unfortunately ineligible to apply.
For more information about the Access and Participation plan please look at the University website here:Access and Participation Plan
Some of our Global Leaders Experiences are open to all students and where relevant, this will be stated clearly in the eligibility criteria. Each Global Leaders Experience has an individual webpage so please check each eligibility criteria carefully.
If the eligibility criteria specifies that you must meet at least one of the widening participation criteria, then you will be unable to apply. If you submit an application without meeting the criteria your application will be rejected.
If you need to update your record, please log an enquiry with the Student Records team via SID online. This may take a while to pull through so if you want to submit an application for a Global Leaders Experience while this change is taking place, please feel free to send the email communication with SID to global-leaders@exeter.ac.uk as confirmation.
We are committed to providing these opportunities to as many students as possible so where additional funding allows, there will be space for international students to apply. This will be stated clearly in the eligibility criteria.
If the programme dates fall before your last registered day as a student with the University, i.e mid-June of your graduating year, you will be eligible to apply for a Global Leaders Experience.
No; if the Global Leaders Experience falls during the year you are on placement or study abroad, you are not eligible to apply.
No; if you are not currently, or will be, registered as a full-timestudent when the Global Leaders Experience takes place, you are not eligible to apply.
There is no limit to the number of applications you can make, however other applications may be prioritised if you have attended a Global Leaders Experience (or other Career Zone led experiential programme) in the current, or previous academic year.
Applications are assessed anonymously by two or more of the Partnerships and Global Employability team. The application form consists of three short answer questions that ask what you would like to gain from the programme, questions about your personal details ie contact information and degree programme, and finally an agreement of terms and conditions.
If you would like some guidance applying, please check out the Career Zone website for helpful tips including the STAR method: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/careers/research/helpwith/helpwithdevelopingyourskills/
Each Global Leaders Experience has its own closing date, and we will not respond to individual applications until the closing date has passed. We aim to respond to your application within two weeks of closing but if you haven’t heard by this point you are welcome to email us at global-leaders@exeter.ac.uk and can also contacts us with any specific questions.
The following costs are pre-paid for by the University of Exeter:
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Return travel from the UK departure point to the destination city
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Accommodation in the destination city
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Breakfast each morning at the accommodation
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Programme fees (including online programmes)
The costs you can expect to pay yourself are:
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Lunches and dinners while on the programme (if any lunches/dinners are to be funded by the team or the partner organisation, we shall let you know. But generally, it is your responsibility to pay for your meals whilst away on the programme)
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Activities you choose to undertake in your free time
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Visa costs
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Travel to and from the UK departure point (if you meet the widening participation criteria there will be a travel bursary available, please see next point for details)
- Travel around the destination city (inc. to and from scheduled activities)
Although we cannot provide direct support with your Visa application, we are more than happy to answer any questions and guide you to helpful resources. If you have any Visa queries, email us on global-leaders@exeter.ac.uk .
The ETIAS travel authorisation is set to operate in the last quarter of 2026. Therefore, if you fit the criteria, you will have to obtain a ETIAS travel visa for any Global Leaders Experience after this date. If you want to check if you have to apply visit ETIAS - European Union (europa.eu) for more information and eligibility.
You will be required to sort out your own ETIAS travel authorisation before your Global Leaders Experience. Be prepared to pay 7 Euros for the ETIAS, the University cannot apply for group ETIAS documents so it is your responsibility to apply for these before your travel.
If you meet the widening participation criteria you will be able to claim travel costs to and from the UK departure point (for example from campus to an airport or train station) if student discounts are used; receipts must be provided. Please note that this only applies to travel in the UK, we will not be reimbursing travel costs for during the GLE.
Claims can be made up to a maximum of £75. This limit is for the whole journey, i.e. not £75 each way and claims above the limit will be rejected. Please note that the travel bursary cannot be used for additional accommodation unless in exceptional circumstances and must be checked and approved with global-leaders@exeter.ac.uk first.
The Global Leaders team will not reimburse accommodation costs which have not been previously discussed with the team. These can be discussed in exceptional circumstances.
Accommodation is booked on a room sharing basis and is split by gender (based on student-declared gender identity). In exceptional circumstances where accessibility or welfare needs are presented, we may be able to arrange individual rooms. Rooms will typically be shared between 2 or 3 students.
Yes, completely a Global Leaders Experience counts as 35 hours of work experience or volunteering for the Exeter Award