More than 200 students from Imperial College London traveled overseas last year for educational or professional placements through the Turing Scheme and other initiatives offered by the university.
Imperial College London offers a variety of programs that allow both undergraduate and postgraduate students to engage in placements ranging from a week to a year in various countries worldwide. Some of the destinations where Imperial’s students have undertaken placements include the United States, France, Japan, Brazil, Ghana, and India.
The programs available to students encompass options such as UG Study Abroad, Year in Industry, UG Industrial Placement or Final Year Project, International Research Opportunities Programme (IROP), UG Medicine Placements (Electives), PGT International Placements, PGR Global Fellows Placement, and PGR Global Fellows Programme.
Established in 2021 by the UK government, the Turing Scheme was introduced to replace Erasmus+ and facilitate students in pursuing studies or training abroad for up to a year. In the previous year, 226 students from Imperial College London were granted Turing funding to support their placements in universities, research institutions, and companies across 44 different countries.
“It is wonderful to witness numerous instances of our student community venturing on international experiences, forging new friendships and connections globally,” expressed Professor Peter Haynes, Vice-Provost (Education and Student Experience).
Furthermore, the scheme offers increased financial support for students from marginalized backgrounds, with the number of students receiving this support doubling in the second year of the program.
Imperial College London organized a special event to showcase the inspiring narratives of students who participated in both the Turing Scheme and the Global Fellows Programme. The Global Fellows Programme, a 5-day workshop held at partner universities, focuses on tackling global research challenges and expanding international networks for Imperial’s students.
In testimonials, Imperial’s students highlighted the advantages of international experiences in broadening their networks and gaining valuable skills and perspectives that they bring back to their academic pursuits and the university community.
To illustrate, Aina Binti Anwar Syahrin and Feng Shen Foo engaged in the UG International Research Opportunities Programme (IROP) at Cornell University in the USA, while Siddharth Puri pursued the same program at MIT, USA. Additionally, students like Zhengang Guo, Laurentiu Marchis, Joao Costa, Ashraf Nayel, Fabio Feser, and Yangshuo Hu participated in various international programs in countries like the USA, Germany, Australia, Singapore, Canada, and Rwanda, respectively.
Individual stories from students like Abigail Hoover, Shannan Huang, and Fater Akuhwa further exemplify the transformative impact of international placements on their personal and professional growth.
For those interested, the Turing Scheme presents an opportunity to engage in global educational and professional experiences funded by the UK government, with placements ranging from 4 weeks to 12 months in any country worldwide.