Erasmus+ helps organise student and doctoral candidate exchanges within Erasmus+ Programme countries and to and from Partner countries.
By studying abroad with Erasmus+, you can improve your communication, language and inter-cultural skills and gain soft skills highly valued by future employers. Read more about the benefits of an exchange abroad.
You can also combine your period spent studying abroad with a traineeship to gain work experience - ever more important when starting out on the job market.
Opportunities to study abroad are available to students at Bachelor and Master levels and Doctoral candidates.Master students taking a full degree abroad (up to two years) may be able to benefit from an EU-guaranteed Erasmus+ Master Loan.
Access to Erasmus+ Online Linguistic Support will help you learn the language used for your studies if you are moving between Programme countries.
Students with physical, mental or health-related conditions may apply for additional funding after they have been selected to study abroad.
Your study period abroad can last from a minimum of 3 months (or 1 academic term or trimester) to a maximum of 12 months.
You can benefit of an exchange abroad with Erasmus+ multiple times, either as a student or as a trainee, but your total time abroad (study abroad periods included) may not exceed 12 months within one cycle of study.
Cycle" refers to the level of study as defined by the European Qualifications Framework (EQF):
For "one-cycle" courses such as medicine or architecture, you can go abroad with Erasmus+ for as long as 24 months.
To study abroad with Erasmus+, you must be registered in a higher education institution and enrolled in studies leading to a recognised degree or tertiary-level qualification. For students in the first cycle, you need to be at least in the second year of your studies.
Your period of study abroad must be relevant for your degree-related learning and personal development needs, and be part of the study programme that you are following.
Your home institution and the receiving institution must have an inter-institutional agreement between them for you to study there with Erasmus+.
Both institutions must also hold the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (if they are in Programme countries). Institutions from Partner countries commit to the principles of the Charter when signing the inter-institutional agreements.
Before the study abroad period:
After the study abroad period:
The receiving higher education institution must provide you and your sending institution with a transcript of records confirming that the agreed programme has been completed and acknowledge the results
Your higher education institution must recognise the credits (using ECTS credits or an equivalent system) as agreed in the Learning Agreement before the mobility and count them towards your degree, without any further requirements
If your higher education institution is in a Programme country, your mobility period should also be recorded in the Diploma Supplement
Read more on the Guidelines on how to use the Learning Agreement for Studies
You may receive an Erasmus+ grant as a contribution to your travel and subsistence costs. It may vary according to differences in living costs between your country and the destination country, the number of students applying for a grant, the distance between countries and the availability of other grants.
If you are moving between Programme countries, check with your National Agency and your sending higher education institution for applicable rates. There is also extra support for students going on a traineeship, students from disadvantaged backgrounds or from outermost Programme countries or regions.
Grant levels and fixed rates for exchanges between Programme and Partner countries are published in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide.
Irrespective whether you receive an Erasmus+ grant or are an Erasmus+-zero-grant student, you will sign a grant agreement specifying the duration of your mobility, the amount of the grant and other rights and obligations.
If you are mobile within Programme countries, your sending institution will sign your grant agreement and it will be responsible for making all payments.
If you are moving between Programme and Partner countries, the Programme country institution will sign the grant agreement. Your sending and receiving institutions will decide which one will make your payments.
As an Erasmus+ student, you will be exempted from fees for tuition, registration, examinations, and charges for access to laboratories or libraries at the receiving institution. Small fees for insurance or student union membership may still apply.
You may be eligible for additional grants from your institution, government or other sources. Check the European Funding Guide or the Study Portals.
You may also be eligible to apply for a scholarship for a Joint Master programme, or an EU-guaranteed Master Loan for a Master's degree of up to two years.
You can apply through the international or Erasmus+ office of your higher education institution.
You should be selected by your sending higher education institution in a fair and transparent way.
Students with physical, mental or health-related conditions may apply for additional funding after they have been selected for a mobility period.
Make sure you know your rights when you study or do a traineeship abroad.
Students with further questions about taking part in Erasmus+ should check the frequently asked questions before contacting their institution, their National Agencies for Programme countries, and National Offices for Partner countries (where available).
The ESAA - Erasmus+ Student and Alumni Association offers Erasmus+ students and alumni a dynamic forum for networking, professional development and intercultural exchange.
Doctoral students can also receive EU support for periods of research abroad through Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.
Erasmus+: opening doors to new careers with Brechje Schwachofer, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Cyprus, on how her Erasmus exchange helped her to pursue a career in the Dutch Foreign Service