Higher education institutions participating in Erasmus+ have committed themselves to respect the principles of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education to facilitate, support and recognise your experience abroad.
On your side, you commit yourself to respect the rules and obligations of the Erasmus+ Grant Agreement that you have signed with your sending institution.
The Erasmus+ Student and Alumni Association (ESAA) offers you a range of services to support you before, during and after your experience abroad.
I. Before your mobility period
Once you have been selected as an Erasmus+ student, you are entitled to receive guidance regarding the partner institutions or enterprises where you can spend your mobility period and the activities that you can undertake there.
You have the right to receive information on the grading system used by your receiving institution, as well as information on obtaining insurance and finding housing, and securing a visa (if required). You can find the relevant contact points and information sources in the inter-institutional agreement signed between your sending and receiving institutions.
You will sign a Grant Agreement (even if you do not receive financial support from EU funds). If you are enrolled in a higher education institution located in a Programme Country, you will sign the Grant Agreement with your sending institution. If you are enrolled in a higher education institution located in a Partner Country, you may sign it with your sending or receiving institution, depending on the agreed arrangements. In addition, you will sign a Learning Agreement with your sending and receiving institution / enterprise. Thorough preparation of your Learning Agreement is crucial for the success of your mobility experience and to ensure recognition of your mobility period. It sets out the details of your planned activities abroad (including the credits to be earned and that will count towards your home degree).
After you have been selected, you will undergo an on-line language assessment (provided this is available in your main language of instruction / work abroad) that will allow your sending institution to offer you the most appropriate language support, if required. You should take full advantage of this support to improve your language skills to the level recommended by your receiving institution.
II.During your mobility period
You should take full advantage of all the learning opportunities available at the receiving institution / enterprise, while respecting its rules and regulations, and endeavour to perform to the best of your ability in all relevant examinations or other forms of assessment.
Your receiving institution / enterprise commits itself to treat you in the same way as its home students / employees and you should make all the necessary efforts to fit into your new environment.
You could benefit from networks of mentors and buddies where available at your receiving institution / enterprise.
Your receiving institution will not ask you to pay fees for tuition, registration, examinations or for access to laboratory and library facilities during your mobility period. Nevertheless, you may be charged a small fee on the same basis as local students for costs such as insurance, student unions and the use of study-related materials or equipment.
Your student grant or student loan from your home country must be maintained while you are abroad.
You can request changes to the Learning Agreement only in exceptional circumstances and within the deadline decided by your sending and receiving institutions. You must ensure that these changes are validated by both the sending and receiving institutions / enterprise within a two-week period after the request has been submitted and keep copies of their approval. Any request to extend the duration of the mobility period must be submitted at least one month before the end of the originally planned period.
III. After your mobility period
In accordance with your Learning Agreement, you are entitled to receive full academic recognition from your sending institution for activities that you have completed satisfactorily during your mobility period.
- If you are studying abroad, within five weeks of the publication of your results, your receiving institution will send a Transcript of Records to you and to your sending institution, showing your credits and grades achieved. Upon receipt of your Transcript of Records, your sending institution will provide you with complete information on the recognition of your achievements. If you are enrolled in a higher education institution located in a Programme Country, the recognised components (e.g. courses) will appear in your Diploma Supplement.
- If you are doing a traineeship[1], your enterprise will give you a Traineeship Certificate summarising the tasks carried out and an evaluation. Your sending institution will also give you a Transcript of Records, if this forms part of your Learning Agreement. If the traineeship was not part of the curriculum but you are enrolled in a higher education institution located in a Programme Country, the mobility period will be recorded in your Diploma Supplement and - if you wish - in your Europass Mobility Document. If you are a recent graduate from an institution located in a Programme Country, you are encouraged to request the Europass Mobility Document.
You should undergo an on-line language assessment, if available in your main language of instruction / work abroad, to monitor linguistic progress during your mobility.
You must fill in a questionnaire to provide feedback on your Erasmus+ mobility period to your sending and receiving institution, to the relevant National Agencies and to the European Commission.
You are encouraged to share your mobility experience with your friends, fellow students, staff in your institution, journalists etc. to let other people benefit from your experience, including young people.
If you encounter a problem:
- You should identify the problem clearly and check your rights and obligations under your Grant Agreement.
- There are a number of people working in your sending and receiving institutions whose role is to help Erasmus+ students. Depending on the nature of the problem and the time it occurs, the contact person or the responsible person at your sending or receiving institution (or receiving enterprise in case of a traineeship) will be able to help you. Their names and contact details are specified in your Learning Agreement.
- Use the formal appeal procedures in your sending institution if necessary.
- If your sending or receiving institution fails to fulfil the obligations outlined in the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education or in your Grant Agreement, you can contact the relevant National Agency.
Find out more: ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus [1] Not available between Programme and Partner Countries before 2017.