European Union - Erasmus Grants

Erasmus+ study grant

You will receive a monthly grant of up to about 790 EUR for your studies abroad in another European country. This will be paid for the duration of your stay, which will last between 2 and 12 months. The basic amount depends on the cost of living in your destination country: countries such as France, Italy, Austria or the Netherlands pay around 600 EUR per month, whilst Spain, Poland or Portugal pay around 540 EUR. You may also be eligible for additional payments. If you are doing an internship abroad instead of studying, you will receive an additional 150 EUR per month. You will also receive an additional 250 EUR per month if you are from a disadvantaged background, for example due to a disability, a chronic illness, because you have children, or because you are the first in your family to study. You also do not pay any tuition fees at the host university, receive free online language support and a flat-rate travel allowance based on the distance travelled. The programme is run by the European Commission.

Who can apply

• Level: You are undertaking a short course, a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD programme.
• University: You are enrolled at a higher education institution that takes part in the Erasmus+ programme (it holds the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education).
• Recognised degree: Your degree programme leads to a recognised higher education qualification, and the time spent abroad will count towards your degree.
• Partner agreement: Your home university has an exchange agreement with the foreign university where you would like to study.
• Field of study: Open to all subjects.
• Nationality: Students of all nationalities are welcome, provided they are studying at a participating university.
• Time abroad: You can receive funding for up to 12 months per cycle of study; for long degree programmes comprising a single cycle, such as medicine, the funding period is up to 24 months.

How to apply

You do not apply directly to the EU. Instead, you apply via the International Office at your own university, which handles the funding and selects the students. Each university sets its own deadlines; please therefore check with your International Office for the relevant dates.

How realistic are your chances?

Erasmus+ is the EU’s largest and best-known exchange programme and has a very large budget, meaning that places are plentiful rather than scarce. Your main task is to meet the requirements set by your home university and to apply within the deadline specified by them. If you are enrolled at a participating university and your degree programme is covered by a partnership agreement, your chances are good.