The Erasmus Programme

Erasmus+ is the European Union’s flagship funding programme for study, traineeships and staff exchange in higher education. Since the programme started in 1987 it has supported over 13 million participants, and it now covers undergraduate, master’s and doctoral studies alike. This guide walks you through what Erasmus+ is for, who can join, how to apply, how the money and the credits work, what to do when something goes wrong on placement, and what changes in your life once you come home.

1. What Erasmus+ is for

Erasmus+ was built to make mobility inside the European Higher Education Area normal rather than exceptional. The programme has three core objectives:

• Give students educational, linguistic and cultural benefits by learning in another European country.
• Encourage cooperation between higher education institutions and enrich the environment of the institutions hosting foreign students.
• Develop a body of European professionals with international experience who are open-minded and well-qualified in their fields.

The current programme period runs to 2027, with a total budget of over €26 billion. The 2026 call alone provides more than €5 billion and is planned to fund over 1.2 million mobility participants across more than 100,000 organisations. The programme is coordinated centrally by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) and run on the ground by national agencies in the participating countries.

2. Who can take part

Erasmus+ is open to students enrolled at a higher education institution that holds the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE). The Charter is the quality framework every institution in a programme country needs to send and receive students and staff; institutions in non-associated third countries take part through inter-institutional agreements instead. The current ECHE is valid until 2027, with an extension possible to 2030 for projects running into the final year.

The target groups in higher education are:

• Students at higher education institutions. Undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students, as well as short-cycle students. You can use Erasmus+ for a study period abroad or for a traineeship in a company or organisation.
• Staff at higher education institutions. Teaching and training assignments at partner institutions, plus workshops organised by companies.
• Private companies. Businesses can partner with institutions to share knowledge and run joint projects.
• Students from outside Europe. Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM) are open to students from any country, including non-EU applicants, and support joint master’s and joint doctoral programmes between European and non-European institutions.

Concretely, to be eligible for a study mobility you need to be:

• Officially enrolled at a higher education institution leading to a recognised degree (bachelor, master or doctorate);
• At an institution that holds a valid ECHE (or, for third countries, has an inter-institutional agreement in place);
• Meeting the academic and language requirements of the host institution;
• Formally selected and nominated by your home institution;
• Within the maximum mobility duration for your study cycle (see section 5).

Traineeships can also start earlier in your studies and are open to recent graduates within 12 months of graduating. Erasmus+ is open to students of the first cycle (bachelor or equivalent), the second cycle (master or equivalent) and the third cycle (doctoral candidates) enrolled at a participating institution. Some home institutions apply their own rule that first-year bachelor students cannot yet go on a study mobility, so check with your International Office whether that applies to you.

The eligibility criteria for Erasmus+ mobility are not set centrally but by the higher education institution where you are enrolled, and you cannot apply for the funding directly yourself. The programme does not formally ban first-year participation, but most universities require at least one completed year of study before a study mobility, so the earliest departure is usually the third semester. This restriction rarely applies at master’s or doctoral level, where a mobility is often possible from the first semester. You can go abroad with Erasmus+ more than once per study cycle, up to a maximum of 12 months per cycle, and an ongoing stay can be extended if both your home and host institutions agree. Always check the rules that apply at your own faculty.

Non-EU citizens can take part as long as they are enrolled at a participating institution.

3. Participating countries

All 27 EU member states take part in the full programme. So do the fully associated non-EU countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey. Switzerland and the United Kingdom are planned to associate from 1 January 2027; Switzerland has not been associated since 2014 and currently participates only in cooperation projects (KA2/KA3) as a non-associated third country.

Beyond the associated countries, students and institutions from a wide range of partner countries can participate in most parts of the programme, including the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro) and the Eastern Neighbourhood (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine), as well as countries around the Mediterranean and further afield.

4. Language requirements

Most host universities require CEFR level B2 in the language of instruction, whether that is the local language or English. Specific requirements vary by institution and by course, so always check the host university’s page for your programme.

Some exchanges are taught in English regardless of the country. English Literature exchanges are the obvious case, and universities in Scandinavia, Belgium, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic in particular offer many courses in English. At most other universities you will be expected to follow lectures, write essays and take exams in the local language. If you are considering a programme not taught in English, you generally need one of the following:

• Advanced Higher or A-level certificate in that language;
• Another qualification demonstrating at least CEFR B2;
• Experience of formal study in that language;
• At least one year of university-level study in that language (as a non-beginner).

If none of these applies, you will be asked to take a language test and reach at least B2 before starting the exchange. Some host universities offer their own language classes, sometimes free or subsidised, which are a good way to lift your level before term starts.

On top of that, the EU runs the Online Linguistic Support (OLS), a free tool with courses across the EU languages. An initial OLS language assessment is compulsory for every Erasmus+ participant (except native speakers or well-founded exceptions) for mobilities of 14 days or more, usually within 10 days of signing the grant agreement.

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters typically ask for stronger English: IELTS 6.5 with no band below 6.0 (competitive programmes 7.0+), TOEFL iBT 90-100+, or Cambridge C1/C2. For programmes taught in French, German, Spanish or Dutch, B2 in that language is common.

5. How much money you get

Binding grant amounts are set by the national agency of your sending country, so the figures below are indicative and can differ from what you actually receive. The primary reference is the official Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026 (erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu).

The study grant for 2025-2026 sits at roughly €300-600 per month depending on your destination country group. Traineeships pay an extra €150 per month on top, so the total monthly grant range across study and traineeship comes to roughly €330-750.

Countries are sorted into three groups by cost of living. Indicative traineeship rates are:

• Group 1 (higher cost of living): Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden - around €700/month.
• Group 2 (medium cost of living): Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain - around €550/month.
• Group 3 (lower cost of living): Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey - around €350/month.

Two top-ups can add to the base rate:

• Fewer opportunities top-up: +€250/month for students with fewer opportunities on a long-term study mobility. The exact eligibility criteria are set at national level by each national agency together with the national authorities, so they vary by country. For traineeships the top-up is +€150/month rather than €250.
• Green travel top-up: a one-off bonus for participants using sustainable travel, where low-emission transport (train, bus, carpool, bicycle or on foot) is used for the majority of the journey - at least 50 % of the total distance. It can also come with 1-6 additional travel days.

The fewer opportunities top-up is a fixed monthly payment on top of the standard Erasmus+ grant, and it does not reduce that grant. It is aimed at students and graduates facing social, economic, physical or other barriers to going abroad, and it is usually paid through your home institution together with the main grant. The €250/month rate applies to long-term mobility; short stays get different amounts (€100 for 5-14 days, €150 for 15-30 days).

Some benchmarks for the money itself: average monthly living costs for a student in Europe are around €800-1,200, with total monthly costs including shared rent, food, transport and utilities more typically €1,200-1,300. Country-by-country ranges for cost of living during an Erasmus+ stay are roughly: Spain €700-1,100, Italy €700-1,100, Germany €850-1,400 (higher on English-language programmes), France €800-1,300, Netherlands €900-1,400.

What you do not pay: Erasmus+ students are exempt from tuition, registration, examination and library/laboratory fees at the host institution. Small charges (insurance, students' union) can still apply. Fees at your home institution continue as normal, and national grants and loans keep running during your Erasmus+ period.

Payment is usually in two tranches: around 80 % before departure, 20 % after you return and submit your final grant report and Europass Mobility. Some universities pay 100 % upfront with a clawback clause if you leave early. The first instalment is due at the latest 30 calendar days after both parties sign the grant agreement, or on the day the mobility starts, whichever comes first.

6. Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters are integrated master’s programmes delivered by a consortium of institutions in different countries. They come with their own scholarship: €1,400 per month for up to 24 months. Around 3,000 scholarships are awarded each year across more than 160 joint master programmes, with a total budget of roughly €1 billion for the 2021-2027 period. To apply you need a bachelor’s degree plus the programme-specific requirements set by the consortium.

7. Duration and mobility rules

Study and traineeship mobilities run for a minimum of 2 months (60 days) and a maximum of 12 months per study cycle, including any zero-grant periods. Stays shorter than 2 months are not eligible unless the national agency grants a force majeure exception. Single-cycle programmes such as medicine can go up to 24 months. Across bachelor, master and doctorate together, you can be funded for up to 36 months in total (12 per cycle).

Short-term mobilities are shorter (up to 4 months for a single semester, up to 8 months for two semesters); Erasmus+ traineeships can also run up to 8 months. A 5-month study mobility uses 5 of your 12 cycle months, leaving you 2-7 months for a traineeship in the same cycle.

Blended mobility combines a physical stay of 5-30 days with a compulsory virtual component, and must be worth at least 3 ECTS.

8. How to apply

Applications are handled by your home university, not the European Commission directly. The steps are:

1. Start on your university’s website. Every institution has an international office or study-abroad section. This is where the current partnerships, subject-area coordinators and internal deadlines live.
2. Talk to the International Relations Office. They know which partner universities suit your subject and where the competition is realistic. Talk to your programme tutor too - which modules will actually count back home is what makes a placement work.
3. Check eligibility carefully. Requirements vary between programmes. Proof of language proficiency (usually B2) is the most common trip-up. First-year bachelor students are often not eligible for study mobility.
4. Check institutional registration. Sending organisations need an Organisation ID (OID) for decentralised actions (most KA1/KA2 actions, managed through the national agency) or a Participant Identification Code (PIC) for centralised actions (via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal). Registration is done through EU Login. OIDs have largely replaced PICs in the decentralised part of the programme.
5. Watch the deadlines. Institutional deadlines for the 2026 round include Cyprus, Lithuania and the Netherlands on 15 February 2026; Belgium and Germany on 28 February 2026; Austria on 15 March 2026. The Ireland KA131/KA171 deadline is 19 February 2026 (11:00 GMT / 12:00 CET), with KA220 on 5 March 2026. Internal university deadlines for the next academic year usually fall between December and February, with nomination by your home university typically in March or April.
6. Prepare your documents. A typical application includes:
   • Application form
   • Motivation letter / personal statement
   • Up-to-date CV (Europass format is common)
   • Current transcript of records
   • Module choices
   • Language certificates
   • Home institution approval document
   • Academic references
   • Passport copy
   • Information on any disability, where relevant
7. Nomination and admission. Once your home institution allocates you an Erasmus+ place, its International Office nominates you at the chosen host. You then follow the host university’s own admission process and need to be accepted there too.
8. Sign the Learning Agreement (see section 9) before you leave.

Key 2026 EU-level deadlines for the KA1 higher-education mobility of individuals fall on 19 February 2026, 12:00; mobility for sport staff on 12 February 2026, 12:00; Erasmus accreditations (VET, school and adult education) on 29 September 2026, 12:00. Decisions on applications typically take 3-5 months from the deadline. Getting funded does not guarantee you the full amount you asked for - budgets can be trimmed under the finance rules.

Your motivation letter matters. The reviewers are not looking for research; they want your personal reasons for choosing that programme. Say why you are applying, what you expect from the placement, why you are personally suited to it, and what led you here - with concrete examples from your own experience, not generic phrases. Copying sample letters from the internet is a bad idea; originality is part of what is being assessed. Keep it clear and structured: if your home institution sets a word count, respect it; otherwise aim for one to two pages. Proofread it, then look at it again a few days later before you send it. For Erasmus Mundus applications, going beyond two pages is generally seen critically.

Once a submission is in, only typographical errors can be corrected on request from the agency - missing content, missing partners or missing annexes cannot be filed after the fact.

9. The Learning Agreement

The Learning Agreement is the document that binds your home institution, your host institution and you around what you will study abroad and what will be recognised when you come home. Since the 2021-2027 programme it is digital, exchanged through the Erasmus Without Paper Network.

Fill in the template with:

• Your planned programme of study at the host;
• Your language competency;
• The educational components and learning outcomes you want your home institution to recognise on your return.

Discuss module choices with your programme tutor before you commit - changing the agreement later is difficult. Once approved, the Learning Agreement is signed by you, the home institution and the host. The host confirms that you can join the listed course units and that they will provide the learning activities; the home institution confirms that it will recognise the credits earned at the host; you confirm that you will complete the listed activities so recognition is possible.

In Table B the „Automatic Recognition” option is set to „Yes” by default. That means the home institution confirms that all credits agreed in the Learning Agreement and confirmed in the Transcript of Records will be recognised without delay and without further examination. If the home institution ticks „No” instead, it must give a clear reason and specify an alternative form of recognition.

If you take modules abroad that were not in the original agreement, it is up to your home institution whether to recognise them - so amend the agreement whenever the plan changes. Keep a copy somewhere always accessible (your E-Mail is a good place). If you are on a joint programme, the recognition rules may already be baked into its regulations, and no additional agreement is needed. Likewise, no separate agreement is required where an inter-institutional agreement for the mobility action (KA131/KA171) is already in place.

10. ECTS, transcripts and grades

Credits abroad are converted through the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), which was piloted in 1989 within the Erasmus programme (as the European Community Course Credit Transfer System) precisely to make study periods abroad recognisable. Its pilot phase ran from 1989 to 1997; today ECTS is the standard for comparing academic credit across the European Higher Education Area.

The basics:

• One full-time academic year = 60 ECTS credits.
• 1 ECTS credit = 25-30 hours of student workload; 60 ECTS = 1,500-1,800 hours per year (typically 36-40 weeks).
• Short-cycle qualifications: 90-120 ECTS.
• Bachelor (first cycle): 180 ECTS (three years) or 240 ECTS (four years).
• Master (second cycle): 60-120 ECTS (one to two years); 90 or 120 ECTS is the common range.
• A full semester abroad usually corresponds to 30 ECTS.

Your Transcript of Records (ToR) records your progress at the end of each semester or year. Before you leave, your home institution sends a copy of your current transcript to the host so they know what you have already done. At the end of your mobility the host issues the ToR - listing courses taken, grades and ECTS credits earned - and shares it with the home institution. For traineeships, the sending institution usually issues the ToR within five weeks of receiving the traineeship certificate.

Depending on your home programme, your grades will either be converted into the equivalent home grading system or recognised as PASS/FAIL. Unless the period abroad is a placement, credits usually come back with grades. National grading systems vary substantially across Europe; the EU-defined ECTS grading scale (A-F) exists to help translate between them, though its use is now more limited in practice than in the past, and tools like EGRACONS (the European Grade Conversion System) exist to make conversion fairer. Check with your home institution which conversion they apply before you leave, so you know what your grades mean at home.

Together, the Learning Agreement and the Transcript of Records are the two documents that guarantee full recognition. Erasmus+ is designed so that mobility leads to full academic recognition - it is a binding condition of the ECHE - and the home institution must recognise the ECTS pre-approved in the Learning Agreement on a credit-for-credit basis. Studies show recognition in practice is not always perfect: only around 80 % of students obtain full academic recognition, with another 15 % or so recognised partially - which is why the paperwork matters.

11. When things do not go to plan

You never arrive

You cannot take up your placement at all - a personal circumstance, an unforeseen event. Contact your Erasmus coordinator immediately and explain what has happened. They will tell you the next step. Since you presumably have not spent any of your grant money, you will need to return it, unless a new start date can be scheduled (perhaps in the next semester).

Force majeure - you interrupt or cancel

„Force majeure” in the Erasmus+ Grant Agreement (Article 16.2) means any unforeseeable, exceptional situation outside the party’s control that prevents them from fulfilling their obligations. Natural disasters (floods, earthquakes), war, strikes at your host institution and epidemics all count. A party prevented by force majeure is not in breach of contract (Article 16.1), but must formally notify the other party immediately, stating the nature, duration and foreseeable consequences (Article 16.3).

Where a mobility is cut short because of force majeure, participants keep the financial support corresponding to the actual duration of their stay and repay the rest. Large-scale flooding in Central Europe in recent years is a practical example - beneficiaries can apply for force majeure, and the grant can be suspended in whole or in part.

Minor illnesses are covered by your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which pays for medically necessary treatment in the EU/EEA on the „same cost as locals” principle for temporary stays of up to 3 months. The EHIC does not cover repatriation, private treatment or dental prosthetics - take out additional insurance for serious illness.

You come home early

If your actual stay is shorter than the contract, you may have to repay the grant pro rata for the days not spent. Missing compulsory language tests or documents can trigger repayment of the full grant. If you overshoot the maximum mobility months, the mobility can be cancelled and contributions for the excess days recovered.

You want to extend

Extending your stay is often possible in principle - the classic case is coming for one semester and deciding to stay for the full year. The maximum stay is 12 months (24 for single-cycle programmes like medicine), and the extension cannot be longer than the original grant period. Rules to keep in mind:

• Apply in writing to the International Office at your host institution at least 30 days before the original end date. If you apply later, you will not get a grant for the extension.
• Both home and host universities must agree, and the host must have capacity.
• If national-agency budget for extra grant is exhausted, the extension can be granted as a zero-grant period - you stay, but with no additional funding. Example: 100 days funded, you stay 130 days, and 30 days are unfunded.
• Sign a new (or amended) Learning Agreement for the extension - it must be signed by both universities before the mobility ends.

Changes to a traineeship Learning Agreement should be flagged within 6 weeks of arrival.

12. The Erasmus Student Network (ESN)

ESN is the largest European student organisation working on student mobility and the internationalisation of higher education. Founded in 1989, it runs on three levels: local, national and international. ESN itself does not send students abroad; it supports exchanges inside and outside Erasmus+, and represents the rights and needs of international students. Its guiding principle is SHS - Students Helping Students.

ESN offers something for every role in international higher education:

• Prospective exchange students. Practical information to help you decide which programme to apply to, plus first-hand advice from students who have already been abroad.
• Current exchange students. Cultural and social events (film nights, trips to local attractions, language projects, international food festivals), buddy and mentoring schemes to help you land in a new environment.
• Former exchange students. A way to use your experience to help others, and a community of people who have been through the same thing.
• Non-mobile students. Anyone at a university with a local ESN section can join in the events, meet people from many countries and get involved as a volunteer - the „internationalisation at home” side of exchange.

Getting involved as a volunteer typically brings project management experience, an international network, trainings and conferences, sometimes ECTS credits or discounts, and a chance to work on EU-level student policy. The ESNcard is the membership card and comes with over 1,500 partner discounts across 44 countries. If your local area does not have an ESN section, you can start one.

Look up your local section on the ESN website.

13. Life after Erasmus

The Erasmus Impact Study (a European Commission study of nearly 80,000 respondents, followed by the 2019 Higher Education Impact Study) says the effect of a placement is measurable and long-lived.

Employment. Erasmus alumni are half as likely to face long-term unemployment as non-mobile peers. Five years after graduation the unemployment rate among Erasmus alumni is 23 % lower.

Careers and leadership. Five years after graduation, 57 % of Erasmus participants are in a management position, against 53 % of non-mobile peers. Across the five-to-ten-year window, 64 % of Erasmus alumni are in management roles versus 55 % of non-mobile peers - and the gap is widest in Eastern Europe (70 % vs 41 %). Ten years out, Erasmus alumni are 20 % more likely to be in management. 64 % of employers say graduates with an international background are given greater professional responsibility - a 51 % jump on 2006.

Skills employers actually want. 92 % of employers look for the personality traits the programme develops - tolerance, self-confidence, problem-solving, curiosity, adaptability. These traits rise by an average of 42 % during a placement. 93 % of participants report a stronger ability to work with people from other cultures, and over 80 % see gains in adaptability, problem-solving and communication. More than 85 % of participants say they went abroad in part to boost their employability - and the numbers say they were right.

Traineeships and entrepreneurship. More than 1 in 3 Erasmus trainees receives a job offer from the host company. Almost 1 in 10 trainees goes on to start their own business, and more than 3 in 4 plan to.

Salary. Academic studies (Favero & Fucci 2017; Rodrigues 2013) put the salary premium for Erasmus participants at around 3-7 % depending on the field. These are individual studies, not core Erasmus Impact Study figures.

Living internationally. 40 % of Erasmus alumni have moved to another country since graduating, against 23 % of non-mobile peers. 93 % of mobile students can see themselves living abroad, against 73 %. Erasmus alumni are more than twice as likely to change employer.

Personal life. 33 % of Erasmus alumni have a partner of a different nationality (against 13 %), and 27 % of participants met a long-term partner during their time abroad. An estimated one million children have been born to Erasmus couples since 1987. As Umberto Eco put it: a young Catalan man meets a Flemish girl - they fall in love, they get married and they become European, as do their children.

14. The trade-offs, honestly

Erasmus+ is not friction-free. Three things to weigh up:

• Studying in another language is hard. Prior knowledge of the language helps a lot. Training courses are usually available before and after you arrive - ask your home institution. And if language is a real barrier, an increasing number of institutions across Europe teach many courses in English.
• Living in a new country can be more expensive than home. Extra funding may be needed. Investigate additional grants and scholarships from your home institution, your host, and other providers.
• Homesickness is normal. Periods of loneliness happen. The best cure is to step out into the new environment and the new friendships waiting there.