Erasmus+ for Studies in Europe

Erasmus+ partner universities of the HNU are all partner universities in Erasmus+ Programme countries (opens in a new window).

For long-term mobilities (= semester or year-long stays) of Bachelor students, a funding period is approved for which the Erasmus+ scholarship will be paid. This funding period does not have to correspond to the actual duration of the stay. The amount of funding and the duration of the maximum funding period depend on the total Erasmus+ budget approved by the NA DAAD and the number of funded participants. It is not possible to adjust the funding period - and therefore the funding amount - at a later stage. Due to the financial allocation by the NA DAAD, the maximum funding period cannot be announced until the end of June for the following academic year.

In the academic year 2024/25, the maximum funding duration is 4.0 funding months (= 120 funding days) per semester abroad. The following funding rates apply (funded from project 2024):

From the academic year 2025/26, Erasmus+ funding for long-term mobilities (= semester or year-long stays) of Bachelor students will consist of funding rates as well as a one-time travel allowance with travel days (if applicable).

For long-term mobilities (= semester or year-long stays), a funding period is approved for which the Erasmus+ scholarship will be paid. This funding period does not have to correspond to the actual duration of the stay. The amount of funding and the duration of the maximum funding period depend on the total Erasmus+ budget approved by the NA DAAD and the number of funded participants. It is not possible to adjust the funding period - and therefore the funding amount - at a later stage.

The maximum funding period per semester abroad in the academic year 2025/26 cannot be announced until the end of June 2025 due to the financial allocation by the NA DAAD. 

The following funding rates apply (funded from project 2025):

The travel allowance is based on the real distance between the starting point and the destination, which is calculated using the distance calculator (opens in a new window) of the European Commission. 

Erasmus+ aims to reduce the environmental footprint generated by stays abroad. Therefore, participants who use a means of transport classified as sustainable by the Erasmus+ Programme for their stay abroad can receive a supplement to the regular travel allowance and travel days.

The following are categorised as sustainable: Train, long-distance bus, carpooling (min. 2 Erasmus+ funded persons/car), bicycle or walking. The HNU welcomes the decision to favour a sustainable means of transport over the car or plane. You can find tips on alternative travel options and sustainability in the Green Travel tab below.

The following travel allowances apply and travel days (funded from project 2025):

Note: One travel day corresponds to one funding day, which is 20.- EUR / day for country group 1 and 18.- EUR / day for country group 2. The travel days above have been calculated based on average travel time in relation to distance. The maximum is 6 days for sustainable travel and 2 days for regular travel. The travel days are granted as a lump sum and do not depend on individual travel plans. If the trip (sustainable or regular) requires more travel days, the International Office may review the travel documents on an individual basis.

For participation in a short-term programme (e.g. Blended Intensive Programme) at one of our partner universities, Bachelor and Master students have the opportunity - depending on the availability of funding - to receive an Erasmus+ scholarship for short-term mobility (= max. 14 mobility days).

The Erasmus+ funding for short-term mobility consists of a daily rate of 79.- EUR / funding day (max. 14 mobility days) as well as a one-time travel allowance with travel days (if applicable).

The travel allowance is based on the real distance between the starting point and the destination, which is calculated using the distance calculator (opens in a new window) of the European Commission. 

Erasmus+ aims to reduce the environmental footprint generated by stays abroad. Therefore, participants who use a means of transport classified as sustainable by the Erasmus+ Programme for their stay abroad can receive a supplement to the regular travel allowance and travel days.

The following are categorised as sustainable: Train, long-distance bus, carpooling (min. 2 Erasmus+ funded persons/car), bicycle or walking. The HNU welcomes the decision to favour a sustainable means of transport over the car or plane. You can find tips on alternative travel options and sustainability in the Green Travel tab below.

For short-term mobilities funded by the 2024 project, the following travel allowances and travel days apply:

For short-term mobilities funded by the 2023 project, the following travel allowances and travel days apply:

One focus of the Erasmus+ Programme is social participation and equal opportunities. For this reason, access to the programme is made financially easier for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and participants with special needs.

Following participants therefore receive a social top-up of 250.- EUR / funding month (= 8.33 EUR / funding day) for long-term mobilities (= semester or year-long stays) or a one-off 100.- EUR for short-term mobilities (= max. 14 mobility days) in addition to the regular Erasmus+ scholarship for their studies abroad:

• Students with a degree of disability of 20 or more or a proven disability that will lead to additional costs during the stay abroad
• Students with a chronic illness that will lead to additional costs during the stay abroad  (see Bundesministerium für Gesundheit)
• Students who take their child(ren) with them abroad
• Students from a non-academic background (neither parent has a university degree)
• Employed students (at least 6-month continuous employment within the last 12 months before the start of the study abroad; net income on average (all activities per month added up) above 450.- EUR / month and below 850.- EUR / month; the employment can, but does not have to continue during the study abroad; it is important that the employment - should the contract continue - is paused during the study abroad)

Note: Only one target group feature can be applied for payment of the social top-up.

If you belong to one of the target groups mentioned here, you can apply for the social top-up via Mobility-Online - as soon as the section "Erasmus+ Scholarship" is activated. Proof is provided in the form of a Declaration on Honour in which participants sign a declaration stating that they fulfil all the relevant eligibility criteria. Participants must be able to provide proof of eligibility upon request. 

Students with a degree of disability of 20 or more or a proven disability / a chronic illness, that will lead to additional costs during the stay abroad, as well as students with child(ren) are entitled to apply for the assumption of real costs ("long application") as an alternative to the social top-up. In this case, the application amount (max. 15,000 .- EUR / semester) is calculated according to personal needs and paid out in addition to the regular Erasmus+ scholarship. Students with a disability also have the opportunity to receive funding for a preparatory trip for themselves and, if applicable, an accompanying person, in order to be able to assess whether a longer stay at the foreign place of study is possible.

For more information on the Erasmus+ additional funding, please visit the NA DAAD website (opens in a new window).

The Erasmus+ Programme aims not only to raise participants' awareness of sustainability, climate change and environmental protection, but also to reduce the environmental footprint generated by mobility abroad. We would therefore like to encourage our students to consider environmentally friendly means of transport for their semester abroad and to make sustainable choices locally during their stay abroad. Green travel includes travelling to/from the host country by rain, long-distance bus, carpooling (min. 2 Erasmus+ funded persons/car), bicycle or walking. Although this makes the journey longer, you already get an impression of the country and its people and can explore interesting destinations along the way.

Travel days
Participants who use a means of transport classified as sustainable by the Erasmus+ Programme for their stay abroad receive a supplement to the regular travel allowance and travel days.  Information on this can be found in the Funding 2025/26 tab.

Plan a train journey through Europe
Depending on the host institution, travelling without a plane is very easy. But even if you want to cover a long distance, you should consider travelling overland. Websites such as Erasmus by Train, Omio (opens in a new window), Trainline (opens in a new window), Rail Planner (opens in a new window), Nachtzugkarte (opens in a new window), DB, Eurolines (opens in a new window) or Flixbus (opens in a new window) will help you to plan your sustainable travel route.

Use the Interrail Pass for your journey!
The new Interrail Pass for Erasmus+ (opens in a new window) offers you a special opportunity to explore Europe. This allows you to travel freely through Europe on any four or six days within six months. Not only do you save money, but you can also explore the diversity of Europe in the surroundings of your host institution - a great opportunity to enrich your Erasmus experience with additional discoveries.

Climate-friendly travelling
In the DAAD brochure "Climate-friendly travel (opens in a new window)" you will find tips and suggestions on how to achieve sustainable mobility.

Green Erasmus Portal
Discover specific information on how you can act sustainably before, during and after your Erasmus stay on the Green Erasmus Portal (opens in a new window). You will find tips on what you should pack and how to equip yourself sustainably abroad. You can also try out the Green Erasmus Quiz and play simulation games to find out how you can make your everyday life as an Erasmus student more environmentally friendly.

Sustainability inspiration
What can I do to improve sustainability during my Erasmus semester? Students answer this question in the sustainability dossier (opens in a new window) on the "studieren weltweit (opens in a new window)" blog (in German).

For the distribution of the Erasmus+ scholarship we need the following documents:

• Grant Agreement - before your stay abroad
• Learning Agreement - before your stay abroad (choose courses with at least 15 ECTS)
• OLS language test - before your stay abroad
• Confirmation of Arrival - upon arrival at the host university
• Confirmation of Stay, EU-Survey, Experience Report and Transcript of Records - at the end of the stay abroad

Erasmus+ Student Charter

The obligations and rights of students in the Erasmus+ programme are set out in the Erasmus+ Student Charter (opens in a new window), which must be given to each student before the start of the study abroad period.

Minimum number of ECTS obtained abroad

Erasmus+ scholarship holders must obtain at least 15 ECTS  abroad (proof is the Transcript of Records of the host university). If the recipient passes fewer ECTS, he/she may have to pay back part of the Erasmus+ grant. This decision lies with the HNU International Office, which must be informed of the reasons in writing why the minimum number of ECTS cannot / could not be achieved.  If no ECTS are earned at all during the studies abroad, the Erasmus+ scholarship must be repaid in full (0 ECTS = 0.- EUR). If no or only a few examinations can be taken at the host university due to illness, this must be confirmed by a doctor.

Reporting obligation

All students who have taken part in an Erasmus+ mobility are obliged to submit an Experience Report and an EU Survey together with evidence of the duration of stay (Confirmation of Stay) and the study/examination achievements at the host university (Transcript of Records) upon completion of the mobility.

Mandatory language test

If the main language of instruction is not the mother tongue of the beneficiary, he/she must take an online language test before the stay abroad. This is not a selection criteria for funding under the Erasmus+ Programme. The aim is to record any progress made by the funded participants in language acquisition.

In addition, HNU students have to prove knowledge of the language of instruction at the required language level (usually B2) when applying for an Erasmus+ exchange place.