European Commission

ERASMUS Student Mobility for Placements

What are the objectives of student placements?

To help students to adapt to the requirements of the EU-wide labour market;
To enable students to develop specific skills including language skills and to improve understanding of the economic and social culture of the country concerned in the context of acquiring work experience;
To promote cooperation between higher education institutions and enterprises;
To contribute to the development of a pool of well-qualified, open-minded and internationally experienced young people as future professionals.

Who can benefit?

Students registered at a higher education institution holding an Extended ERASMUS University Charter.
Enterprises, training centres, research centres and other organisations.

For how long can students go abroad?

Students can do a placement between 3 and 12 months or at least two months for students in short-cycle higher vocational education.

What are the preconditions?

ERASMUS students are selected by their home higher education institution in a fair and transparent way.

Where do placements take place?

Host organisations for student placements may be enterprises, training centres, research centres and other organisations.
Excluded are European Union institutions and other EU bodies including specialised agencies, organisations managing EU programmes (in order to avoid possible conflict of interests and / or double funding) and national diplomatic representations (embassy and consulate) of the home country of the student.

What arrangements are made for the students?

Prior to their departure, students are provided with:

A placement agreement (grant agreement) covering the mobility period and signed between the student and his or her home higher education institution.
A "Training Agreement" regarding its specific programme for the placement period; this agreement must be endorsed by the home higher education institution and the host organisation;
A "Quality Commitment" setting out the rights and obligations of all the parties specifically for placements abroad.
The ERASMUS Student Charter setting out the student's rights and obligations with respect to his/her period abroad.

At the end of the period abroad:

Full recognition must be given by the home higher education institution for the period spent abroad as agreed in the Training Agreement, preferably by using ECTS credits. Recognition shall be based on the training agreement approved by all parties before the period of mobility starts.
In the particular case of a period of placement that is not part of the curriculum of the student, the sending institution shall provide recognition at least by recording this period in the Diploma Supplement or, if not possible, in the student's transcript of records. In addition, the use of Europass mobility documents is encouraged.

Will financial support be provided?

Students may be awarded an ERASMUS grant to help cover the travel and subsistence costs (including insurance and visa costs) incurred in connection with their placement period abroad.
Students may get a financial contribution or a contribution in kind by the host enterprise/organisation.
Students may only receive two ERASMUS grants: one grant for a study period and one for a placement period.
The payment of any national grant or loan to outgoing students should be maintained during the ERASMUS placement period abroad.
Students enrolled in an Erasmus Mundus Course, who do not get an Erasmus Mundus grant, may qualify for an ERASMUS grant under the genera ERASMUS conditions.

Are language courses provided?

An ERASMUS student may follow, if offered, an ERASMUS Intensive Language Course in the host language before the placement period, for which a grant may also be awarded.

Who can apply?

The home institution of the students or a consortium of home institutions applies for ERASMUS mobility grants to its national agency while the students apply to their home institution.

For higher education institutions or consortia:

The sending institutions must be holders of an Extended ERASMUS University Charter. The receiving enterprise or organisation does not need such a Charter. At least the sending or the receiving country must be an EU Member State.
In case the placement is organised by a consortium, the placement consortium must hold an ERASMUS consortium placement certificate.

For students:

The student must either be a national of a country participating in the Lifelong Learning Programme or a national of other countries enrolled in regular courses in institutions of higher education in a participating country, under the conditions fixed by each of the participating countries, taking into account the nature of the programme.
The student applying must be registered at a higher education institution which holds an Extended ERASMUS University Charter and be enrolled in higher education studies leading to a recognised degree or other recognised tertiary level qualification up to and including the level of doctorate (please refer to the relevant National Agency website).
A placement can be done from the first year of higher education studies.

How to apply?

The interested student has to turn to the international office and / or ERASMUS office of his or her higher education institution. The office will inform her or him of the modalities to get an ERASMUS student placement and to receive an ERASMUS grant for it.

What are the arrangements for students with special needs?

Students with special needs may apply for a specific ERASMUS grant after they have been selected for a mobility period.

See information on special needs arrangements.

Where can one find data on mobility flows, demographics and grant levels?

See ERASMUS statistics and charts.

ERASMUS success stories in the field of student placements

Lifelong Learning ERASMUS Award in Silver 2009 – Student Mobility
University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Italy - Improving job opportunities with Erasmus

- The University of Calabria, founded in 1972, is one of the few campus universities in Italy. Against a background of high youth unemployment in Calabria - over fifty per cent – the university has particularly focused on the opportunities for work placements in the Lifelong Learning Programme. The services that the university’s International Relations Unit has successfully developed for exchange students are now also helping to promote work placements, and a database has been created for European enterprises, organisations and other intermediaries willing to host students for quality placements.