The Institution of Mechanical Engineers - Overseas study award

What you get

You will receive a one-off payment of up to about 2,340 EUR (£2,000) for a period of study or training abroad whilst you are studying mechanical engineering. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), a UK professional body for engineers, pays this amount from its trust fund. You can use this grant for a voluntary exchange semester at a partner university abroad or for an approved international work placement that is relevant to your degree programme.

Who can apply

• Membership: You are an associate member of the IMechE.
• Course: You are a student on a Bachelor’s degree programme in Mechanical Engineering at an accredited university.
• Where you go: You are going abroad to study or undertake vocational training – either as part of your university’s exchange programme or as part of a recognised international work-based training scheme.
• Language: You can demonstrate that you are proficient in the language spoken in the country you are travelling to.
• Nationality: All nationalities can apply.

How realistic are your chances?

This grant is very specific: you must be a member of the IMechE, be studying an accredited degree programme in mechanical engineering, and be going abroad. As a result, the pool of eligible candidates is small, meaning that only a few applicants are competing for this grant. If you clearly meet these criteria, your chances are good. There is one catch: the IMechE currently lists this grant (now called the ‘International Study Award’) as unavailable. You should therefore check whether it is still open for applications before basing your plans on it.