Erasmus+ for Higher Education students

Erasmus+ for Higher Education students

Erasmus+ is the EU's programme supporting education, training, youth and sport in Europe and beyond. The most popular Erasmus+ programme is Erasmus+ Studies. By studying abroad with Erasmus+, you can improve your communication, language, and inter-cultural skills and gain soft skills highly valued by future employers.

This page is focused on mobility opportunities and support structures for students with disabilities. For general information about Erasmus mobility opportunities, we recommend you to have a look at https://europa.eu/youth/go-abroad/studying/key-steps-study-abroad-erasmus_en.

Applicants and destinations

In order to apply for an Erasmus+ mobility for studies, you need to be a student enrolled at a Higher Education Institution (HEI) in Europe. There is no age restriction for this mobility and you can apply for a mobility period within Bachelors, Masters or Doctoral programmes. 

Your home institution needs to have an Erasmus+ agreement with the host institution. Within these agreements there may be restrictions on how many students can go from one place to the other, from which faculty, and so on. So better double-check with your institution what are the possibilities and what are the conditions.

33 European countries are currently members of the Erasmus+ programme: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey.

Erasmus+ National Agencies and National Erasmus+ Offices

Erasmus+ mobilities are “decentralised”, meaning that much of the information about the mobilities, including information about grants, is done by the different “National Agencies” in each country. 

You can find all of the National Agencies here. Note that some of them have the mobilities split up into different categories, so there may be one Agency for Higher Education and another one for Youth, for example.

Length and short-term mobilities

An Erasmus+ study mobility is usually one or two semesters. It can vary a bit, but it must always be between 2 and 12 months.

Short-term Erasmus+ mobility will be possible in the 2021-2027 Erasmus+ Programme. This text will be updated when there is more information about this available.

Short periods of mobility can add to the student experience and can benefit academic and personal development. Moreover, using multiple formats and approaches to mobility and internalisation can strengthen inclusion and participation. Formats like short mobilities or blended mobilities can be complementary to long term mobilities and can work as a motivator for the ‘standard’ form of mobility. Shorter-term and more flexible mobility formats may better respond to the needs of students who are currently underrepresented in mobility, while also serving as a ‘taster’ for longer-term mobility.

Funding

Students going abroad with Erasmus+ will get parts of the costs covered by a grant. The amount depends on the host country and home country. It is paid by your home institution, usually in two different installments - before and after the mobility. The last installment is conditional upon fulfilling the whole mobility period and writing a report afterwards. 

The grant is usually between 300 EUR and 500 EUR per month but this can vary a lot between countries and institutions. Please check the specific conditions and procedures with your National Agency.

There are specific grants available for students with disabilities, which you can read about under Accessibility aspects in Erasmus+.

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The reality is you always have some unexpected costs which you hadn’t included in your calculation before so you have to calculate the worst case scenario to have some space for unexpected costs (because shifting costs is allowed).
EPFIME student testimony, speaking of the special needs grants

Preparations

Preparing to participate in the Erasmus+ programme will take time. It is recommended that you begin the application process a year before the exchange by talking to your professors about these opportunities, getting in touch with your international office, ask your inclusion office for support and when possible attend information meetings about studying abroad. 

The sending and receiving organisations, together with the student, must have agreed on the activities to be undertaken by the students in a “Learning Agreement” before the start of the mobility. In this agreement, it will say which courses will be taken abroad and how these will be recognised upon return. You need to check with your Course Director (or another person who is in charge in your home institution) which courses will be accepted well in advance of the mobility.

Many institutions organise information days about studying abroad. It is recommended that you attend these already during your first year, even though the mobility usually takes place in the third year of study or later

Internships abroad with Erasmus+

It is also possible to go abroad with Erasmus+ for an internship (also called traineeship). You can do this as part of your studies, or shortly after graduation (not more than one year after). The internship must then be connected to your field of study and you will need to sign a “Learning Agreement” with your home institution and with the internship provider. Similarly to a study mobility, you can get a monthly grant for this mobility.

You can find internship opportunities by creating a profile at the platform ErasmusIntern.org.

Other Erasmus+ Higher Education opportunities

It is also possible to go abroad in other countries of the world with Erasmus+ through specific programmes such as International Credit Mobility or Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees. 

Erasmus Mundus is a programme in which several universities cooperate on an integrated study programme. The students study between 12 and 24 months, moving between the universities. Unlike the “usual” Erasmus Higher Education exchange programme mentioned above, Erasmus Mundus is only on Master level, so only students who already have a Bachelor degree (or will have one when the programme starts) can apply. Erasmus Mundus is accompanied by a scholarship covering a lot of the costs (exact amount varies depending on country and the duration of the programme).

Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility provides funding for study abroad periods between Erasmus+ Programme countries (in Europe), and Partner countries (outside of Europe). Students can study between 3 months and 12 months. Students from Partner countries will receive a grant. In order for this to happen, your home institution needs to have signed an agreement with the host institution. Ask your home institution what possibilities are available for you.