Summer schools abroad 2027

Four very different products hide behind the same label. An academic summer school is university teaching by faculty, with exams, grades and credits, and it is the only type that can move your degree forward while you are abroad. A language course is intensive classes in one language, often ending with a certificate of level, so it fits if you want to learn or improve a language and not if you want degree credits. A research or doctoral school is a set of specialized seminars for master’s and PhD students on one field, and it assumes you already specialize. A pre-college program is a taster course for high school students, so it is not for you. Everything below is about the first type, and here is a quick rule for spotting the rest: if the brochure mentions the beach before the credits, read it twice.

Run every program on your shortlist through five checks. First, credits per course: an academic summer school states how many ECTS (or local credits outside Europe) each course is worth, and if the page only mentions a certificate of attendance, the program is unlikely to count. Second, the transcript: you need an official transcript with grades and credits at the end, so ask for it before you apply. Third, the level: check if the courses are at bachelor’s or master’s level, and pick the one that matches your studies. Fourth, contact hours and an exam: credits come from hours in class and an assessment, which is why a program with daily classes and a final exam is easier to get recognized than one built mainly on excursions.

The fifth check is on your side of the table: your home university. Ask before you apply if it recognizes credits from summer schools, and send it what it actually needs, which is the course description, the contact hours and the credits, not the brochure. If it uses a different system, our credit converter and grade converter help you prepare the request, and our credit recognition guide explains how course approval works.

If the transcript is the point, choose a program of four to six weeks at the level of your studies, with daily classes and a final assessment. Longer programs usually carry more ECTS, and a coherent block of credits in one or two courses that match your degree is easier to get recognized than a sampler of scattered topics. The trade-off is price, because the fee tends to rise with the length, so check the budget before you fall in love with a six-week schedule.

If you want people more than points, look at the group and at the program around the classes: company visits, regional excursions, networking events and students from many countries. Two to three weeks is enough to meet people and short enough to keep your summer. Some programs run on two campuses, which gives you two cities in one stay. In 2026, one summer school split between Toulouse and Barcelona gathered more than 110 students in sessions of two to five weeks, and our recap of that summer school shows what a program like that looks like from the inside.

If a summer school is a rehearsal for a full semester, choose the city and the university you would consider for a semester, and treat the weeks as research: how the teaching feels, what daily life costs, who you meet, and if you could live there for four months. A one-campus program suits this best, because you see one place in depth. Keep notes while you are there, because they make the semester decision a lot easier.

The program fee pays for the courses, and many universities discount it for early applicants or for students of their partner universities. Housing and activities are often sold as a separate package with accommodation, local transport and excursions, and if housing is not included you can compare options in our housing finder. Then come the numbers that brochures forget: the flight, which is a large share of the total when you stay only a few weeks, insurance for the whole stay, which you can compare in our insurance finder, and daily costs such as food and local transport.

To compare programs fairly, add everything into one total and divide it by the credits. Imagine one program that costs 3,000€ in total for 6 ECTS and another that costs 4,000€ in total for 20 ECTS: the first comes to 500€ per credit and the second to 200€. Credits are not the only thing you buy, since the network and the city count too, but the price per credit shows quickly which programs are expensive for what they give back to your degree. There is no application fee on wearefreemovers, but a program may list its own registration fee as part of its price, so read the full price breakdown.

Decide which of the three goals above you are chasing, set a budget ceiling and ask your home university how it handles credits from short programs. This is also the moment to check your own calendar: in many European systems the summer exam session runs into July, and internships or resits can overlap with June and July programs, so know your free weeks before you shortlist.

Applications usually open in winter. Build a shortlist of three to five programs, note each deadline and each early-bird date, and send your home university the course descriptions, hours and credits for approval. Start in January or February at the latest, because popular programs fill up before the deadline and early-bird discounts end earlier still.

Have two documents ready, your academic transcript and proof of your English level, then create your profile on wearefreemovers once and apply to every program on your shortlist. The Apply button on each program opens the application with the program and year already selected, and there is no application fee. We review every application before any university sees it, so you hear early if something is missing, and once you have your eligibility notices you confirm the program you want, we nominate you, and the university sends your admission letter directly to you. Deadlines usually fall between late winter and late spring, and our application process guide covers each step.

Once the admission letter arrives, sort out the visa if you need one, then insurance, housing and flights, and book the flights only after you are admitted. For short stays, visa rules depend on your nationality and the host country: some students need no visa and others do, so check with the consulate of the host country before you book anything.

Every university on wearefreemovers lists its programs with the approximate start and end dates and the application deadline, and the page counts the days left until the next deadline. Open the University Finder, choose Summer school under Programs available, and narrow the list by country or subject. The list grows as universities confirm their dates, so it is worth checking back during the winter.

Your break is in January and not in summer? Read our guide to winter schools. And remember that in the southern hemisphere the seasons are reversed: a winter school in Australia or South America runs in the middle of the European summer.

Before you leave, ask when the official transcript will be issued, because some universities send it a few weeks after the final exam, and collect the certificate, the course descriptions and a record of your hours. Send them to your home university together with the approval you got in writing, and add the program to your CV, where many employers read a short program abroad as initiative. And if the summer convinced you, the next step does not need an exchange spot: as a free mover, also called a visiting student, you can apply to any university that accepts independent students, and we explain what each of these names means.

What is a summer school abroad?

A summer school abroad is a short program at a foreign university during the summer break, usually lasting one to six weeks. University students take intensive courses, often taught in English, and receive ECTS credits or a certificate at the end.

Do summer schools give ECTS credits?

Academic summer schools usually do, with a set number of ECTS per course. Language courses and some shorter programs give only a certificate. If you want the credits recognized, agree on it with your home university before you apply.

How much does a summer school abroad cost?

It depends on the university, the country and the length, and the program fee is only part of the bill: housing, flights, insurance and daily costs come on top. Compare programs by their total price and by the price per credit.

Is a summer school worth it?

It is worth it when it gives you credits you can use, a subject you care about or a trial run for a semester abroad. It is a poor deal when you pay mostly for excursions and cannot get anything recognized, which is why the credit test comes first.

When should I apply for a summer school?

Early. Applications usually open in winter and close in spring, but popular programs fill up before the deadline and early-bird prices end sooner, so start comparing in January or February.

Can I join a summer school if I am not a university student?

Some programs also accept recent graduates and young professionals. On wearefreemovers we work with students aged 18 and over, and the programs listed are designed for university students.

Do I need a visa for a summer school?

Sometimes. It depends on your passport and the host country, and a program of a few weeks can be visa-free for one student and not for another. Ask the consulate of the host country before you book anything.