What is the Erasmus+ programme?

Erasmus+ is a programme from the European Union which promotes cooperation between higher education institutions in Europe as well as mobility for staff and students. With the Erasmus+ programme, students can complete an exchange semester or year at one of UDE’s Erasmus+ partner universities. The study period abroad can last a minimum of three months and a maximum of 12 months. As an Erasmus+ grant holder, you receive an Erasmus+ grant to provide financial support for your travel and accommodation expenses. Erasmus+ programme applications can be submitted straight to UDE.

Where can I study with Erasmus+?

The Erasmus+ programme is available in its entirety in 34 ‘programme countries’. Within the European Union, these consist of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. Outside the EU, the following countries are also programme countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

The exchange is based on contracts that UDE faculties have made with faculties at other European higher education institutions. UDE’s cooperations therefore do not apply to the whole university and all subjects, but enable faculty-specific Erasmus+ stays at a partner university. Applications for places outside of your faculty’s cooperations are not possible.

Special circumstances:

• United Kingdom: as things stand, Erasmus+ funding for the UK will still apply after Brexit for the academic year 2023/24. You can find further information here.
• Switzerland: if you are planning to study in Switzerland, the funding comes from the Swiss European Mobility Programme (SEMP). Each Swiss higher education institution is responsible for this programme independently. Please therefore contact the partner institution in Switzerland that you would like to study at.

What are the requirements?

• You must be registered as a regular student in a University of Duisburg-Essen study programme that culminates in a higher education degree (up to and including doctoral studies).
• You can be funded by Erasmus+ (study abroad periods and work placements) for up to 12 months within each cycle of study (bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral studies). For ‘one-cycle’ study programmes (state examination etc.), a maximum of 24 months can be funded in total.
• You must have successfully completed your first year of studies.
• You must have sufficient knowledge of the language that the classes you will attend will be held in.
• Your stay must be at a partner institution with which UDE has an Erasmus+ cooperation agreement.
• The Erasmus+ study period must last a minimum of three months and may not exceed one year.

NOTE: when planning a stay abroad, you must follow the partner institution’s academic calendar and not the semester dates at UDE. The summer semester often begins as early as January/February at our partner universities.

IMPORTANT: students cannot submit individual Erasmus+ applications to Brussels or to the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service). The home university’s International Office or the faculty’s Erasmus+ coordinator is responsible for this.

What do I receive as an Erasmus+ grant holder? 

• A study abroad period of 2-12 months at one of the home university’s partner institutions in either an EU member state or in Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway or Turkey.
• A tuition fee waiver at the host institution.
• Academic recognition of the credits earned abroad (ECTS).
• A mobility grant (between €540 and €600 for two to twelve months according to length of stay).
• Travel cost allowance (starting in 2025/26)
• For disabled students and students with a family, special funding to a limited extent for additional costs incurred abroad.
• Financial support for sustainable travel (‘green travel’ top-up)
• Extra funding for students who fulfil one of the eligibility criteria listed below (‘social’ top-up)
• Support with subject and language-specific preparation for the stay abroad.
• Usually, support from the host institution regarding accommodation, cultural offerings, etc.

How much financial support is available?

Erasmus+ students receive a monthly grant of between €540 and €600.

Erasmus+ students receive a monthly grant of between €540 and €600. The amount of this mobility grant varies according to the different costs of living in the host countries and the University’s budget regulations. This means that, depending on the budget available, funding may only be provided for part of your stay, not the entire period. The monthly grant amount and/or the maximum funding period can change from year to year.

The following table shows the Erasmus+ grant amount per month for the academic year 2025/26:

Starting in the academic year 2025/26, all Erasmus+ programme participants also receive a lump-sum travel cost allowance depending on the distance:

There is also the possibility to apply for a BAföG grant or a BAföG grant for a stay abroad (Auslands-BAföG). You can find more information here.

 What additional funding is available?

Students who meet at least one of the funding eligibility criteria listed below can receive an additional grant of €250 per month (‘social’ top-up). Even if you meet more than one of the criteria, you can only receive one top-up.

• Gainfully employed students (employment at least six months prior to the start of the stay abroad; e.g. if your study abroad starts in August, you were employed from February to July). Your monthly net salary was more than €450 and less than €850. (Note: Students who were gainfully employed before beginning their Erasmus+ stay and cannot retain their job while they are abroad are eligible to apply for this top-up.)
• First-generation students (students whose parents do not hold a degree)
• Students who are taking their child/children abroad with them
• Students with a chronic illness
• Students with a disability (degree of disability > 20)

Is there special support for students with a disability or with children?

• Erasmus+ mobility with disabilities:

Erasmus+ students with a degree of disability of at least 20 can also apply for special support for their Student Mobility for Studies (SMS) programme. Information on the type and amount of support as well as the requirements can be found here (in German).

For further Information, please contact the Erasmus+ team at the International Office. They will also provide you with an application form.

• Erasmus+ mobility for parents:

Students who want to go abroad with children (Erasmus+ study period abroad) can apply to receive Erasmus+ special funding as a lump sum. In addition to the regular Erasmus+ funding according to UDE’s grant rates, a monthly sum of €200 (regardless of the number of children) can be granted.

For further Information, please contact the Erasmus+ team at the International Office. There you can find out more about funding options and also get an application form.

1. Nomination and registration at the host university

After you’ve been selected for the Erasmus+ programme and confirmed your place online in the MoveOn portal, the International Office nominates you to the partner institution. This means that the partner institution receives the names of those who have been selected for the exchange programme and is asked to send all the necessary information and documents for registration directly to these students. As a rule, you must then fill in an online registration form and submit further documents to our partner institution. Please make sure to meet the deadlines given by our partner institution.

2. Signing a Learning Agreement

One of the most important instruments for the recognition of study credits obtained abroad is the Learning Agreement. It is obligatory to sign a Learning Agreement for all students who wish to complete a period abroad as part of the Erasmus+ programme. From the 2021/2022 winter semester, this takes the form of an Online Learning Agreement.

In the Learning Agreement, it is agreed which courses will be completed abroad and for which courses/modules these can be credited. This requires you to have previously looked into the courses on offer at the host university in detail and to have discussed your course selection with your subject coordinator. The Learning Agreement must be signed by all three parties (student, home university, host university) before beginning the stay abroad. With their signatures, the home university confirms that the courses selected can be credited and the host university declares that the study plan is expected to be possible. The subject coordinator within your faculty at your home university is your most important contact person for all subject-related questions.

A step-by-step guide for filling out the Online Learning Agreement can be found here (in German).

3. Signing the Grant Agreement

The Grant Agreement is a contract that regulates financial support during your Erasmus+ stay. We’ll send you this document mid/late July (for stays in the winter semester) or early/mid-November (for stays in the summer semester). After receiving it, please print out two copies of the Grant Agreement, sign both and return them to us by post. The Grant Agreement will then be signed by the Erasmus+ coordinator and we will send a signed copy back to you.

4. Completing a language test

All those who participate in the Erasmus+ programme are required to complete an online language test before their stay abroad in order to assess their language proficiency in the partner institution’s language of instruction. Only native speakers are exempt from this requirement. You will receive an invitation to complete a language test by email (sender: noreply@erasmusplusols.eu). After receiving this email, you have one month to do the language test.

Please note that the result of the language test does not have any influence on the previous decision made regarding your participation in the Erasmus+ programme. It helps you to assess your language skills and, according to the test result, you have the opportunity to take part in a free online language course.

5. Payment of the first grant instalment

After the International Office has received a Learning Agreement signed by all parties and the Grant Agreement, and you have completed the OLS language test, the first of two Erasmus+ grant instalments (70% of the grant sum) can be paid to you. You will receive the remaining amount (30% of the grant sum) when we have received all of the necessary final documents at the end of your stay abroad.