Study Design abroad as a freemover
You don't need an exchange agreement to study Design overseas. As a freemover you apply to a university abroad directly. Here are the 19 universities across 13 countries that offer Design and accept freemover / visiting students.
Aalto University
Espoo, Finland
Finnish public university (technology, business, arts). Visiting students free for EU/EEA; confirm free-mover route.
American University of Beirut
Beirut, Lebanon
Fee-paying Visiting / Non-Degree students; per-credit tuition, all courses in English.
American University of Sharjah
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Fee-paying Visiting Students (non-agreement); English-taught, ABET/AACSB/NAAB accredited.
Concordia University
Montreal, Canada
Fee-paying visiting / independent (non-degree) students; per-credit tuition.
Hanyang University
Seoul, South Korea
Direct Visiting (Free Mover) programme; 1,000+ courses in English. Intakes in March & September.
Monash University
Melbourne, Australia
Fee-paying Study Abroad (non-exchange); approx. AUD 13,000 per semester.
National Cheng Kung University
Tainan, Taiwan
Visiting / non-degree students accepted (fee-paying); Taiwanese public tuition ~USD 1,500-3,000 per semester.
National University of Singapore
Singapore, Singapore
Fee-paying non-graduating (visiting) students accepted; exchange places are fee-waived.
Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
Santiago, Chile
Fee-paying direct enrollment for visiting students. Mostly Spanish-taught; ~B2 Spanish required even for English courses.
Queensland University of Technology
Brisbane, Australia
Fee-paying Study Abroad; pay QUT directly (approx. AUD 10,000 per semester).
RMIT University
Melbourne, Australia
Fee-paying Study Abroad; pay tuition directly to RMIT.
Tecnologico de Monterrey
Monterrey, Mexico
'Study in Mexico' fee-paying visiting programme; many courses in English (up to ~40% at some campuses).
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv, Israel
TAU International fee-paying study-abroad semester; English-taught courses. ~B average (3.0 GPA).
UNSW Sydney
Sydney, Australia
Fee-paying Study Abroad (non-exchange); tuition paid directly to UNSW.
University of Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand
Study Abroad (fee-paying) programme; flat semester fee covering up to four courses.
University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Fee-paying Study Abroad (non-exchange); half the annual overseas fee per semester. ~B average required.
University of Sydney
Sydney, Australia
Fee-paying Study Abroad (non-exchange) - pay tuition directly to Sydney.
University of Western Australia
Perth, Australia
Study Abroad (fee-paying) students pay tuition directly to UWA.
Victoria University of Wellington
Wellington, New Zealand
Study Abroad (fee-paying); flat NZD ~13,500 per semester. No mechanical engineering (software/design focus).
What is a freemover?
A freemover is a student who studies abroad by applying to a university directly, on their own — no exchange agreement or Erasmus spot required. You pay the host university directly and transfer the credits home. It is the route most students never hear about.