Erasmus+ 2021-2027

Erasmus+ is the EU programme for education, training, youth and sport for the period 2021-2027. It offers individuals the opportunity to spend, for example, a period of their studies in another European country. Students can study at a partner higher education institution abroad. Students and graduates can do a traineeship abroad. University staff have the opportunity to stay abroad for further education and training purposes or to teach abroad at a partner university. Future graduates thus acquire foreign language skills and intercultural competences that they need for a successful transition into the labour market.

The Erasmus+ exchange programme was launched by the European Union in 1987. The focus is on lifelong learning for participants across national borders. This strengthens people's educational, professional and personal development. This is of particular importance for growth in the European Union, in Europe and beyond. High-quality jobs are created and secured, social cohesion is strengthened and innovation is stimulated. Finally, Erasmus+ also contributes to strengthening European identity and active citizenship. The programme's objectives are in line with, among others, the guiding principles of the European Area of Education, the European Higher Education Area, the European Renewal Agenda for Higher Education and the Union's Youth Strategy 2019-2027.

With the 2021 project, a new era of the Erasmus+ programme has begun, the 2021-2027 programme generation.

The cross-cutting themes of inclusion and diversity, sustainability, digitalisation and participation in democratic life receive special attention in this period.

• Inclusion and diversity

The cross-cutting theme "Inclusion and Diversity" is intended to contribute to more equal opportunities in education in the new programme generation. "Participants with fewer opportunities" (Fewer opportunities) are therefore specifically promoted. This refers to participants with a degree of disability of 20 or more, with a chronic illness, first-time graduates, working students/graduates and participants with children. Special grants are available for this purpose, which can be paid in addition to the regular mobility flat rates.

Students/graduates who cannot participate in long-term mobility (2 months or more) due to special circumstances have the opportunity to complete a "blended short term mobility". In this new mobility format, the funded students spend between 5-30 days physically abroad and also complete a virtual phase.

• Sustainability

In line with the European Green Deal, participants are encouraged to use sustainable means of transport during their stay abroad. Financial incentives will therefore be provided for green travel.

• Digitalisation

The digitalisation of the Erasmus+ programme is one of the priority objectives for the new Erasmus+ era. This is in line with the strategic priorities of the Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027). The management of mobilities is to be fully digitalised, including the introduction of the digital paperless file. FH Aachen has joined the Erasmus Without Paper (EWP) network for this purpose.

Important steps on the way to complete digitalisation include the use of the OLA (Online Learning Agreement), the EWP Dashboard or the introduction of the Erasmus+ App and the European Student Card. The individual digital projects are grouped under the European Student Card Initiative (ESCI).

In addition, in the new era there is the possibility to carry out mobilities in a mixed format (blended mobility). The physical stay abroad is combined with a virtual phase.

The cross-cutting theme of "digitalisation" will thus make a further contribution to sustainability and additionally to the simplification of processes.

• Participation in democratic life

Erasmus+ aims to create interest in the European Union and participation in democratic processes among participants. Active citizenship is to be strengthened and the growing together of Europe beyond national borders is to be promoted in order to ultimately create an awareness of the common European identity and to advance the European integration process.

Erasmus+ in Higher Education distinguishes between 3 Key Actions.

• Erasmus+ Key Action 1: Learning Mobility of Individuals

The first Key Action, Individual Learning Mobility, specifically promotes the mobility of higher education staff in the spirit of lifelong learning. Students and graduates can be funded for a study period abroad or an internship abroad. Employees can receive funding for a stay abroad for teaching purposes or for further education and training.

Information for individuals - National Agency for Erasmus+ University Cooperation - DAAD

Funding mobility - National Agency for Erasmus+ University Cooperation - DAAD

• Erasmus+ Key Action 2: Partnerships and Cooperation Projects

Key Action 2 aims at establishing and implementing strategic partnerships and cooperation projects. Cooperation between higher education institutions and partners from the non-academic sector is possible. The internationalisation of higher education institutions is therefore specifically promoted in this key action.

Promotion of Higher Education Cooperation - National Agency for Erasmus+ Higher Education Cooperation - DAAD

• Erasmus+ Key Action 3: Policy Support

Key Action 3 "Policy Support" provides targeted funding for projects that strengthen political cooperation at the European Union level. The aim is to advance European reform processes and provide impetus in the fields of education, training, youth and sport.

Erasmus+ Policy Support - National Agency for Erasmus+ University Cooperation - DAAD

An Erasmus+ stay abroad can be planned in an Erasmus+ Programme Country or Partner Country.

There are currently 33 Programme Countries:

Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden, Turkey, Northern Macedonia, Serbia, Iceland, Liechtenstein & Norway.

In contrast to the programme countries, the partner countries have an international dimension. At the FH Aachen, the partner countries are currently Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Information on programme and partner countries in the Erasmus+ programme - National Agency for EU Higher Education Cooperation - DAAD

Students of FH Aachen who would like to complete an Erasmus+ study visit can do so at an official Erasmus+ partner university.

Information on the procedure of an Erasmus+ study grant can be found here.

With Erasmus+, students from all three study cycles (Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate) of all subject areas can be supported during their stay abroad. Students thus have the opportunity to get to know teaching and research methods on an international level during their studies, as well as to acquire intercultural competence and foreign language skills. The work done abroad is recognised at FH Aachen as agreed in the Online Learning Agreement.

On this page we have compiled the information on Erasmus+ study funding for you.

Erasmus+ offers students from all subject areas the opportunity to put the theoretical knowledge they have acquired during their studies into practice during an internship in a company in another European country and to get to know the culture, language and working methods of the host country. To be eligible for funding, the practical training must last at least 60 days and be a compulsory or optional part of the degree programme. Research placements at universities, for example as part of a final thesis, can be funded through the Erasmus+ programme.

On this page, we have compiled information on the Erasmus+ Internship Funding Programme.

The following rules currently apply:

"Participants with fewer opportunities"

In the 2026/2027 academic year, FH Aachen will provide special support to “participants with fewer opportunities” as part of the Erasmus+ programme. This means that participants on a long-term stay of two months or more can apply for a supplement of €250 per month for the period during which they receive financial support. For short-term stays of between 5 and 14 days or 15 and 30 days, a one-off payment of €100 or €150 respectively may be applied for.

All proofs and certificates must generally be submitted as originals or certified copies.

The following groups of people are classified as ‘participants with fewer opportunities’:

• Participants with a disability

A degree of disability of at least 20 or a disability resulting in additional financial needs whilst abroad.

proof:

Disability card, a decision from the regional social welfare office, or a medical certificate

• Participants with a chronic illness

The participant has a chronic illness that entails additional financial costs whilst abroad.

proof:

Medical certificate

• Participants travelling with a child

The participant’s own child is accompanying them for the entire duration of the stay abroad. If several of the participant’s own children are travelling with them, the supplement may only be applied for once. The supplement may also be applied for if the partner is travelling with the participant. However, double funding for the child is not permitted. If both parents are undertaking an Erasmus+ stay abroad and at least two children are travelling with them, both the father and the mother may apply for a supplement for one child each.

proof:

The child’s birth certificate and travel documents

• First-generation university students

First-generation university students are participants from a non-academic family background. This means that neither parent nor any other primary caregiver holds a degree from a university or university of applied sciences.  A degree from a vocational academy leading to a degree comparable to a university degree is to be regarded as an academic degree. A master craftsman’s certificate is not an academic degree. If a parent has completed a degree programme abroad that is not recognised as such in Germany, the participant’s family background is considered to be an academic one and the supplement cannot be applied for.

proof:

Sworn statements from both parents or their qualification certificates (e.g. vocational training certificates)

In the 2026/27 academic year, the target group of working students will no longer be eligible for the top-up allowance for participants with fewer opportunities.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please note:

Submitting an application for the top-up does not automatically entitle the applicant to receive it. The Department of International Affairs will assess the application and the required supporting documents, which must be submitted by the deadline.

Those who belong to more than one of the above categories may only apply for the top-up once.

Participants with a disability, a chronic illness or a child may, as an alternative to the top-up, submit an application for actual costs. If, after receiving the top-up, there are still uncovered costs, an additional application for actual costs may be submitted. Information on this is available on request from the Department of International Affairs.

Participants with a disability, a chronic illness or a child who submit an application for actual costs may also apply for the top-up for ‘participants with fewer opportunities’ if they also belong to the group of first-time university students.

Participants undertaking practical training may do so on a part-time basis if they are unable to undertake it full-time due to a disability, a chronic illness or the need to care for a child.

The special grants (practical trainings / participants with fewer opportunities / Green Travel) can be combined.

University staff (STT and STA) with a disability, a chronic illness or a child may claim actual expenses.

Further measures may be introduced during the course of the programme.

Further information on the topic of “social participation” can also be found on the relevant page of the DAAD website.

One of the aims of the current Erasmus+ programme is to make the exchange programme ‘greener’ and to promote environmentally conscious travel. To ensure the programme and its environmental impact are as climate-friendly as possible, journeys of less than 500 km should, as a rule, be undertaken using low-emission modes of transport. Environmentally friendly travel is defined as travel in which low-emission modes of transport are used for at least half of the journey (including train, bus, carpooling, cycling, walking and horse riding). Furthermore, travel by ship is considered a sustainable mode of transport when used in combination with low-emission modes of transport. Since summer 2024, there has been a new Interrail Pass specifically for the Erasmus+ programme. The pass is valid for 6 months, so it can be used for both the outward and return journeys. It can, of course, also be used to travel within the host country. More information is available here.

From the 2025/2026 academic year (projects in 2025 and 2026) onwards, the following applies:

From the 2025 call for applications onwards, all Erasmus+ participants (students and university staff) will be entitled to travel allowances, graded according to distance, regardless of the duration of their stay. The distance to your host institution is calculated automatically using the EU’s Erasmus+ Distance Calculator. To ensure equal treatment, the distance from Aachen to the destination is used, even if you are travelling from a different location. The amount of the travel allowance depends on whether participants use environmentally friendly modes of transport or not. In addition, all participants who travel sustainably may be supported with additional travel days during their journey. Up to six travel days will be paid, as required, to cover the travel time before and after the activity abroad.

All participants in the Erasmus+ programme are obliged to take care of sufficient insurance coverage on their own. Erasmus+ does not provide any insurance cover on the part of the programme or FH Aachen. It is the responsibility of the beneficiaries to take out all relevant insurances before leaving the country.

These include the following insurances:

• Liability insurance with international cover (for private damage and damage at the workplace)
• International health insurance with repatriation (also in case of death), which also covers pandemic cases
• Accident insurance with international cover (for private accidents and accidents at the workplace).

It is possible to take out DAAD group insurance (health/accident and liability insurance) at your own expense. Further information is available from the DAAD insurance office.

Promoting foreign language proficiency is a key objective of the Erasmus+ programme. During their stay abroad, participants are supported by the OLS platform (‘Online Language Support’) in learning and improving their command of the working language and/or the national language of the host country.

Before departure, participants must sit the OLS language test in the working language. This test documents their language level prior to the mobility period. However, it is not a selection criterion for receiving Erasmus+ funding.

NOTE:

The requirement to take the OLS test has currently been waived for projects running from 2024 to 2026.

However, all grant recipients have the option to use the self-study programme independently and on a voluntary basis.

This can be accessed via the following link:

https://academy.europa.eu/local/euacademy/pages/course/community-overview.php?title=learn-a-new-language

For technical enquiries, please contact the European Commission’s support team directly:

https://academy.europa.eu/local/euacademy/pages/faq/index.php

Students, graduates and higher education staff with a "zero grant" are participants in the Erasmus+ programme who do not receive any financial support to cover their stay abroad. However, they enjoy all the other benefits of the Erasmus+ programme, such as tuition fee waivers or recognition of achievements abroad. Accordingly, in the case of an Erasmus+ Zero Grant, all documents must also be submitted as for a financial grant.

It should be noted that zero-grant periods also count towards the Erasmus+ mobility account.

Zero-grant periods cannot be subsequently converted into financially funded periods.

In the current generation of programmes, there is the option to take part in a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) or to organise a BIP yourself as the coordinating university.

These are short, intensive programmes that utilise innovative learning and teaching methods, including online collaboration.

A BIP involves a total of at least three ECHE higher education institutions from three different programme countries, with at least two of these institutions collectively sending a total of at least 10 mobile learners to the host institution. Mobile learners include students (SMS) and higher education staff undertaking professional development (STT).

Learners spend between 5 and 30 days at the partner higher education institution and also complete a virtual component of unspecified duration before, during or after their physical stay.

Students must earn at least 3 ECTS credits at the host institution, which must be recognised by their home university.

Working in international teams, learners tackle joint tasks or projects, enabling them, for example, to address socially relevant issues and to enhance their foreign language skills and intercultural competence.

Participants in the BIPs may receive funding from their home universities. University staff may be funded through the Erasmus+ Staff Mobility for Training and Further Education (STT) programme. Students may be sent abroad as part of the ‘Blended Short-Term Mobility’ scheme. The current funding rates for ‘Blended Short-Term Mobility’ can be found on the website of the DAAD National Agency: Funding rates and top-ups for individual mobility (KA131) – National Agency for Erasmus+ Higher Education Cooperation – DAAD

Among other things, the BIPs create the opportunity to integrate a stay abroad into degree programmes where a long-term stay is difficult to arrange due to the way the programme is organised.

Virtual teamwork provides participants with a transnational online learning experience, enabling them to get to know one another gradually in the run-up to the mobility period or to follow up on work carried out during the mobility period afterwards.

In this way, an existing partnership between higher education institutions can be strengthened, or new partnerships established. A multi-year collaboration may develop, and the aim may be to establish the BIP as a compulsory elective module.

Please bear in mind our lead times when planning your project:

If you wish to host a BIP as the coordinating university, please contact us 9 months in advance.

If you wish to take part in a BIP organised by a partner university, please contact us 8 weeks before the programme starts. Please note that both the in-person and virtual phases form part of the programme. The deadline is 8 weeks before the earlier of the two start dates. A maximum of 8 students per faculty/BIP will be funded.

Please also note that a maximum of 4 participations in BIPs per academic year can be funded. The ‘first come, first served’ principle applies. However, places cannot be reserved on a provisional basis. If the number of requests from faculties exceeds the maximum total of 4 BIPs, a ranking list will be drawn up. Preference will be given to those faculties that have participated in the fewest BIPs so far in the current programme cycle.