In the summer of 2011, United College organized various short-term exchange activities under its Globe-Oriented Active Learning Programme (GOAL). These activities included the Budding Scholars Exchange Scheme (held in collaboration with National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan); French Culture and Language Programme at Lyon, France; Culture and English Language Programme at University of Edinburgh, UK; Chinese Culture and Language Programme at Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an; ‘Pass-it-on’ (organized in collaboration with Tsinghua University in China); Summer Programmes at the University of Sydney in Australia and Utrecht University in the Netherlands; Travel Study Programmes to Copenhagen and Washington, DC; Non-local Credit-bearing Summer Studies Scheme at UC Berkeley and UCLA.

The GOAL Programme attracted over 240 students and 10 of them, led by Prof. Stephen H.S. Wong, Associate Head and Dean of Students of the College, attended a two-week summer programme at the Hertford College of Oxford University from 3 to 16 July. The programme included English language training as well as courses and excursions about British culture and history.