Erasmus+

© Frederik Dollwet, Fotowettbewerb 2022

The Erasmus+ Programme

The Erasmus+ programme (2014-2020) features a budget of 14,8 billion € provided by the European Union. Presumably, more than four million people will benefit from subsidies of the European Union until 2020. Furthermore, these people will improve their competences and employability through Erasmus+. Erasmus+ comprises programmes such as Comenius (school education), Erasmus (higher education), LEONARDO (vocational training), GRUNDTVIG (adult education), youth and sports. Erasmus+ aims to promote lifelong learning, enable sustainable growth, strengthen social cohesion and European identity and drive innovation. The programme focuses on the topics of inclusion and diversity, digitalization, political education and sustainability, which are closely interlinked.

  • What is Erasmus+?

    Erasmus+

    Erasmus+ represents one of the success stories of the European Union. Since 1987 it funds mobilities of students, professors and university employees. 

    The following mobilities will be funded based on Key Action 1 of the Erasmus+ Programme (Learning Mobility of Individuals)

    • Student mobility for studies (SMS)
    • Student mobility for traineeship and assistant teaching (SMP)
    • Staff mobility for teaching purposes (STA)
    • Staff mobility for training purposes (STT)
    • Joint Master degrees (Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree)

    Students enrolled in Bachelor and Master degree programmes as well as PhD students are entitled to participate in Erasmus+. Students can be funded up to 12 months in each study cycle. 

    Furthermore, Erasmus+ offers funding for mobile teaching and administrative staff.

    The Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) is a prerequisite for HEI to participate in the Erasmus+ programme. The EU Commission has awarded Leibniz University Hannover the ECHE for the programme generation of 2021-27.

    In the Erasmus+ Policy Statement (EPS), Leibniz University Hannover set out all strategies and goals concerning Erasmus+ for the timeframe of 2021-27.

  • Erasmus+ at Leibniz University Hannover

    Erasmus+ at Leibniz Universität Hannover

    The Erasmus+ programme was honoured with the Europäischen Qualitätssiegel 2006 and 2011.

    By now, all faculties of Leibniz Universität Hannover take part at Erasmus+. Thus, all students have the possiblity to apply for a funded stay abroad. Round about 260 partner universities, including almost all countries of the European Union as well as candidate country Turkey, belong to the Erasmus+ networtk of Leibniz Universität Hannover and offer approximately 600 placements. Besides of the mobility grant, Erasmus+ students are excluded from tuition fees and all course achievements will be transferred as far as possible.

    Placements for the Erasmus+ programme will be coordinated by the faculty coordinator of the repsonsible faculty/institute. However, the International Office also provides general information about programme partners, parnter institution and contact details.

    Furthermore, in line with key action 2 (Strategic Partnerships) certain cooperations with specific partner institutions will be intensified. Thus, mutual curricula developments, short term programmes (including innovative teaching and learning approaches, development of dual study programmes and project meetings will be established.

    In line with Key Action 3 (Prospective Initiatives) the Initiatives for policy innovation on European level will be centrally supported by the committee of the European Union.

    Liability Clause: This project was financed with the support of the European Commission. However, the the author of this website is in charge of the liability of the content of this publication; the Commission does not take responsibility for the use of information contained on this website. 

  • Framework Conditions

    Conditions of Participation

    Students from German universities (in possession of an ECHE valid for the application year) and graduates and doctoral candidates are eligible to participate. Student mobility is possible from any program country to any other program country or partner country (KA131 International).
    Students' entitlements, tasks and obligations can be found in the Erasmus+ Student Charter.

    Students participating in the Erasmus+ program must be enrolled at the sending higher education institution and pursuing a course of study leading to a degree at that institution.
    Students must carry out their physical mobility activity in a program or partner country that is neither the country of the sending higher education institution nor their country of residence during their studies. Example: In the case of students enrolled in Germany but living in the Netherlands, they cannot receive Erasmus funding for a mobility to the Netherlands.
    The following can be funded:

    • Student mobility for study purposes (SMS), possibly combined with an internship
    • Student mobility for internship purposes (SMP), also for graduates
    • short-term (blended) mobility for doctoral students
    • for certain groups of people to be determined by the university, short-term blended mobility for study or internship purposes (SMS and SMP)

    Erasmus+ financial support may only be granted for physical mobility (presence in the host country).

    Duration of Mobility

    Students can receive financial support for the physical mobility phases several times per study cycle (Bachelor's, Master's, doctorate), but for no longer than twelve months in total. In the case of single-course degree programs (diploma programs, medicine), the activities may be funded for a total of 24 months. The twelve (or 24) months include all previous Erasmus activities (e.g. Lifelong Learning Program, Erasmus Mundus, Erasmus+).

    • Long-term mobility (semester stays): two to twelve months (one month corresponds to 30 days)
    • Short-term student mobility: five to 30 days - blended mobility. Combination of physical and virtual mobility (BIP - Blended Intensive Programs)
    • Short-term mobility for doctoral students: five to 30 days - blended mobility and purely physical mobility
  • Blended Mobility

    Blended Mobility

    Blended mobility is a combination of physical mobility of varying duration and a virtual phase that takes place before, during (accompanying, not interrupting) or after the physical mobility. The aim is to facilitate collaborative online learning exchanges and teamwork. For example, the virtual component can bring learners from different countries and fields of study together online to attend online courses or to work together and simultaneously on assignments that are recognized as part of the degree.

    As a rule, each mobility can be organized as a combination of a physical mobility abroad and an online learning phase.

    In addition to students, teaching and administrative staff can also use blended mobility for teaching and training purposes.

    There are two forms of blended mobility for students (SM):

    • Classic Erasmus+ funding as Blended Mobility (long-term): A physical presence phase abroad of at least 2 months is supplemented by any volume of virtual learning before, during (accompanying, not as an interruption) or after the physical mobility (for students on a study or work placement mobility).
    • Blended mobility with short-term physical presence (short-term): Students, especially those who are unable to participate in a long-term physical mobility activity for study or internship purposes due to personal, family, health or course-related circumstances, can combine a shorter physical mobility with a virtual component (short-term blended mobility). In these cases, the physical mobility activity must last between 5 days and 30 days and be complemented by a mandatory virtual component that enables a joint online learning experience and teamwork. In the case of short-term blended mobility, at least 3 ECTS credits must be awarded (for the physical and virtual components combined), while no additional requirements are set for the virtual component of the mobility. If recognition of the ECTS credits earned is not possible, e.g. for some doctoral programs, the 3 ECTS credits should be considered as a guideline for the workload. It is recommended that at least 3 ECTS points are also awarded for a short-term blended internship if it is a compulsory internship as part of the home study plan. In the case of a voluntary short-term blended internship, the equivalent workload should be at least 3 ECTS credits.

    Blended short-term mobility can be funded as part of a Blended Intensive program. However, this is not mandatory.

    Blended Intensive Programmes - BIP

    The development of short, intensive and collaborative curricula and activities are designed to offer students (SMS) and university staff (STT) the opportunity to participate as learners in a short physical group mobility (5-30 days) combined with a virtual phase. The duration of the virtual mobility phase is not predetermined and can vary as required. The physical mobility can take place at the host institution or at another location in the country of the host institution. For such short-term blended mobility, students (SMS) must be awarded at least 3 ECTS credits.

    Blended Intensive Programs are designed to give learners more opportunities to participate in Erasmus+.

    BIPs can be part of the higher education curricula or complement them. They can be a completely new program or an extension of an existing program with additional features, such as the type of delivery in a blended format.

    BIPs are also a good opportunity to reach new groups of students. For example, students in fields of study where mobility opportunities were previously limited, or those who were (previously) reluctant to go abroad on their own. In this way, the way can be paved for their participation in long-term individual mobility later in their studies.

The Erasmus+ program includes the following benefits:

  • The monthly mobility grant is divided into the following categories and is based on the cost of living in the destination country
  • the waiver of tuition fees at the host university

Erasmus+ funding rates for student mobility - long-term

  • Group 1 - 600€/month

    Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom

  • Group 2 - 540€/month

    Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain

  • Group 3 - 490€/month

    Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Turkey

  • Special funding: top-ups and real cost applications

    Students with fewer opportunities

    To support students with fewer opportunities, the Erasmus program offers the possibility to apply for a special grant of 250€ per month. The target groups are

    • Students with disabilities or chronic illnesses
    • Students with child(ren)
    • Students from a non-academic background (first-time academics)
    • Students in employment

    Green Travel

    Students who travel to their destination using a low-emission means of transport can apply for a one-off lump sum of €50. In addition, up to four additional days can be funded for travel by a low-emission means of transport. For example:

    • bus
    • train
    • bicycle
    • carpool
    • ferry

    Internships

    Students doing an internship abroad receive the respective country rate plus €150.


    All top-ups can only be awarded once per mobility but can be combined.
    Applications for real costs for people with disabilities or chronic illnesses or children can be submitted for all Erasmus+ mobility lines (study, internship, mobility for teaching purposes, and mobility for further education and training purposes). Further information can be found here.

Erasmus+ funding rates student mobility - short-term

  • Funding
    Days Amount per day Top-Up Students with fewer opportunities  Top-Up Green Travel
    Up to the 14th day 79€ one-time 100€ one-time 50€
    15th - 30th day 56€ one-time 150€ one time 50€

    See above for a definition of top-ups. Students with fewer opportunities receive a travel allowance (see below). If students with fewer opportunities travel by low-emission means of transport, they do not receive a Top-Up Green Travel, but an increased travel allowance.

  • Travel allowance
    travel distance standard trip green travel
    10-99 km 23€ -
    100-499km 180€ 210€
    500-1999km 275€ 320€
    2000-2999km 360€ 410€
    3000-3999km 530€ 610€
    4000-7999km 820€ -
    8000km or more 1500€ -

     


Application procedure for student mobilities (SMS)

All the necessary steps for your stay abroad are below. Please read the information carefully. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact Mr. Thomas Hobohm.

  • 1. Applying for an exchange placement

    To apply for a place on the Erasmus+ program, please contact your faculty/institute and the relevant exchange coordinator. Application conditions and deadlines are set by the exchange coordinators. You should therefore enquire directly with the responsible contact person. He/she will provide you with the information on the documents required for the application at your faculty, which you should submit there together with a printout of the online application.

    Please note that an application is only complete and can only be processed if you have also completed the online application. With your online application, you provide us with all the necessary information about yourself for the nomination at your desired partner university. The data of the students nominated by the faculties will be stored in the database and treated by the usual data protection regulations. Please complete the online form carefully, as the data will be transferred to us in the form you have entered. After submitting the application form, a button will appear to download the completed form. Save the PDF document, as it is required for the rest of the application (see point 3).

    Submit the form with the documents that your exchange coordinator would like to have from you to the faculty and have it returned to you with the signature of your exchange coordinator. You will need this document again later to apply for the mobility grant (see point 3).

  • 2. Nomination at the partner university

    As soon as you have been selected for one of the places, the International Office will nominate you at the partner university. Please note that the nomination does not replace the application at the host university, but is merely a notification of your candidacy. Once you have been nominated, you will usually receive information from the host university about the application procedure and deadlines, as well as lecture courses, language courses and accommodation. For the winter semester, nomination takes place between mid-March and the end of July (depending on the deadline of the partner university). For the summer semester between mid-July and the end of November. Re-registration by the partner university takes place after the nomination.

    To apply, you usually need a student application form and a Learning Agreement. Some partner universities also require a transcript of records (list of grades for all courses completed at Leibniz University Hannover up to that point), a letter of motivation, and, if applicable, proof of knowledge of the language of instruction. Further necessary forms can be found on the websites of the partner universities.

    Your planned courses and lectures and/or your research project are contractually recorded in the Learning Agreement. This is signed by all parties (you, the exchange coordinator, partner university) and ensures that your achievements are recognized as set out in the Learning Agreement.

    You must take and pass courses worth at least 10 ECTS credits at the partner university. The recognition of courses at LUH is independent of this.

    Please use only one version of the Learning Agreement, either the Word/PDF document or the Online Learning Agreement.

  • 3. Application for mobility allowance

    In June (for the winter semester) and October (for the summer semester), we will hold a mandatory information event on applying for a mobility grant, to which you will be invited by email in good time. At this event, you will receive important information on how to apply for and receive the mobility grant. The following documents must be submitted to us so that we can approve the mobility grant and the corresponding exchange place. If the documents are not submitted before your stay abroad, you will not be entitled to the exchange place.

    Further helpful links:

  • 4. Language test - Online Language Support (OLS)

    Before the start of the stay abroad, an online language test in the language of instruction specified in the Learning Agreement is mandatory. Native speakers are exempt. After you have submitted your application for a mobility grant, you will receive an email requesting you to take the test. This is a placement test that you cannot fail.

    Please note: Due to ongoing technical problems, no invitations to take the test are currently being sent out. There is currently no obligation to take the test.


During the stay

  • 1. Filling out the arrival sheet

    Immediately after your arrival, you should have your arrival date confirmed by the International Office of the host university in the Confirmation of Stay and send it to us by email. You should keep the original so that the official end date can be confirmed by the International Office of the partner university one or two days before the end of your stay.

  • 2. Update of the Learning Agreement

    Any changes to the course selection must be recorded in the Learning Agreement. If there are any changes, update your Learning Agreement within the first month after the start of the semester at the partner university. In the Online Learning Agreement (OLA), the changes are recorded under "changes", in our Word document under "during the mobility". As with the Learning Agreement before the stay, all persons (you, exchange coordinator, partner university) must sign.

  • 3. Transcript of Records

    Before your return, you should apply to the host university for your transcript of records (transcript of grades for the courses you have completed abroad).

    Please note that only courses with a grade and ECTS points can be recognized at Leibniz University Hannover. It is also possible to have coursework, final theses, and laboratory practicals recognized if they are listed with ECTS points and a grade.


After the stay

To receive the last Erasmus grant installment, you must submit various documents within four weeks of the end of your stay abroad. Please send all documents to Thomas Hobohm.
 

  • Required evidence
    • Confirmation of Stay from the host university
    • Final Learning Agreements (part "changes" or "during the mobility" if changes were made to the original LA)
    • Transcript of Records or other proof of completed coursework and examinations
    • Proof of recognition of courses: e.g. "after the mobility" part of the Learning Agreement or grade overview from the QIS portal if the courses were entered by the Examination Office, or recognition form from your department (if available)
      • If you do not wish to or cannot have any grades recognized: Informal, short email about the waiver of crediting.
    • Written experience report of no more than 3 DIN A4 pages, whereby up to 4 images (.jpg format) may be included in the continuous text. Digital (PDF or docx) and anonymized. If you do not wish your written report to be published, please let us know in your email. The following points must be included in your report: preparation (planning, organization, and application to the host university), accommodation, studies at the host university, everyday life and leisure time as well as a summary (best and worst experience). Please make sure to put the exchange coordinator of your degree program at Leibniz Universität in the "cc" of this e-mail.
    • Complete the EU Survey online survey (you will receive a link to this by email from replies-will-be-discarded@ec.europa.eu).
    • Take the second OLS language test if you are interested (not mandatory, invitation will be sent automatically)
  • Recognition of achievements from abroad

    With your Learning Agreement and the Transcript of Records, you can have credits from abroad recognized by your exchange coordinator or your recognition officer. The exact procedure varies from faculty to faculty. Please contact the above-mentioned persons for further information.

    General information, assistance, and a grade conversion table can be found here.

    Based on the so-called Lisbon Convention, the principle of reversal of the burden of proof applies, i.e. you do not have to prove that a course attended abroad is equivalent to one at LUH, but your faculty would have to provide this proof. Further information can be found here.

Further information

Erasmus+ University Coordinator

Andree Klann
Administrative/Technical Staff
Address
Welfengarten 1A
30167 Hannover
Building
Room
015
Address
Welfengarten 1A
30167 Hannover
Building
Room
015

Erasmus+ (Outgoings)

Thomas Hobohm
Administrative/Technical Staff
Address
Welfengarten 1A
30167 Hannover
Building
Room
015
Address
Welfengarten 1A
30167 Hannover
Building
Room
015