Erasmus+ for studies

Erasmus+ continues to include tuition fee waivers and a financial grant for scholarship holders in the student exchange.

On this page you will find all essential information about the application process for an Erasmus study visit.

In the EU program ERASMUS, the acquisition and recognition of study achievements is a basic condition of participation. Students of Fachhochschule Dortmund- University of Applied Sciences an Arts can participate in the Erasmus+ program if they are enrolled in a full-time course of study (BA, MA degree) and are enrolled in at least the 3rd semester at the beginning of their stay abroad (MA students have already completed the Bachelor's degree and thus more than one academic year), and can prove sufficient knowledge of the language of instruction at the partner university (to be proven by language certificate).

Erasmus students can study at an ERASMUS partner university for either one or two semesters within an academic year, depending on the cooperation agreement and the partner university.

The deadline for registration for participation in the Erasmus+ program in the following academic year is 1 March of each year. By then, the nomination must have been made by the department and communicated to the International Office.

At the same time, you must also observe the application deadlines at the host universities, which are often before May 31 for the winter semester, for example.

If you miss the deadline of March 01, financial support cannot be guaranteed.

However, if no financial support is possible, you can study as a so-called "zero grant student" at the partner universities and benefit from the waiver of tuition fees at the host university, if exchange places are still available.

You can only apply for one host university.

Before you apply, please compare the courses offered at your university of choice with the courses offered in your field of study at Fachhochschule Dortmund - University of Applied Sciences and Arts and then ask your departmental representative abroad if the place is still available. Only after an official place has been allocated do you submit an "Application for Erasmus Funding" at the bottom of this page. You will then be officially nominated by the International Office at the partner university and will then receive a message from the partner university about required documents.

If you would like to apply for an Erasmus place in the summer semester after the application deadline, please contact your department's international officer regarding the availability of remaining places.

Please note that late applicants* are also not entitled to a mobility grant. A grant will only be awarded if remaining funds are available.

Applications for a remaining place in the following summer semester are possible from 1 June  to 1 September.

All grantees who have participated in an Erasmus+ mobility action are obliged to prepare a report via Mobility Online no later than 4 weeks after the end of the action and to submit it together with relevant supporting documents (Confirmation of Stay, EU-Questionaire).

If the reporting obligation is not met in due time, the last funding installment may be withheld.

Please submit the application for Erasmus funding at the bottom of this page within the deadlines mentioned above.

You will receive an automatically generated email for registration at the online portal Mobility Online, through which the entire Erasmus process will be handled. Access to the portal with your login details will also be provided at the bottom of this page.

Please also keep an eye on your spam folder in case an email from the system arrives there by mistake.

The funding level depends on the destination country; there are three different country groups, divided into countries with a higher, medium and lower cost of living. The funding amount is calculated to the day.

Please note that there is no legal entitlement to funding or a specific grant amount. 

If no more funding is available, students can still go to partner universities as ERASMUS scholarship holders. In these cases, however, no mobility grant will be paid out (zero-grant scholarship)

Due to the national requirements of the DAAD and the associated funding levels, the maximum funding duration of an ERASMUS study program in the academic year 2023/24 is 110 days.

Students enrolling at a host university for two semesters abroad can be funded for a maximum of 220 days.

The total amount of funding will continue to be calculated to the day at the end of the stay and will in principle only include the proven academic stay at the host university.

The maximum funding period per study cycle (BA/MA) is twelve months, combinable with at least two months of internships and/or at least three months of study.

Examples:
2 x 5 months study abroad + 2 months internship abroad = 12 months of funding.
9 months internship abroad + 3 months study abroad = 12 months of funding.

Students who decide not to travel abroad by plane or their own car will receive a Green Travel Bonus of €50 and up to 4 extra travel days, which will be additionally funded. Travel by train, bus or carpool is accepted. This must be guaranteed by a sworn insurance, it is not necessary to submit separate evidence.

All Top Ups are requested in Mobility Online via the workflow steps.

Students where both parents or reference persons do not have a degree from a university or university of applied sciences will receive a Top Up of €250.00 per month.

This must be guaranteed by a sworn insurance, it is not necessary to submit separate evidence.

The Top Ups for first-time graduates and working students cannot be combined, you only get one of the two!

All Top Ups are requested in Mobility Online via the workflow steps.

Students who were employed before starting the mobility can receive a monthly Top Up of 250,00 € under the following conditions:

- The employment must have been carried out continuously for at least six months with temporal reference to the mobility. Temporal reference means here, between 6 months before the application and the start of the mobility.

- The activity in the sending country is not continued during the stay abroad. Termination is not a requirement, the employment contract can also be paused.

- During the minimum period of exercise, the monthly earnings must be above 450 EUR and below 850 EUR (net earnings of all activities per month added up).

- It is an employment subject to social security contributions

This must be guaranteed by a sworn insurance, and additional documnets like payrolls and a working contract. They should be submitted via erasmusfh-dortmundde.

The Top Ups for first-time graduates and working students cannot be combined, you only get one of the two!

All Top Ups are requested in Mobility Online via the workflow steps.

Erasmus+ aims to promote equal opportunities and inclusion. For this reason, access to the program is facilitated for learners from disadvantaged backgrounds (in Germany, this applies to students who are single parents during their study abroad in the Erasmus+ program) and with special needs.

If it becomes apparent that your stay will extend beyond the previously planned end date entered in the system due to study reasons, you must apply for an extension at the International Office at least one month before the planned end date. This has to be done in your participant account and applies to extensions of a few days up to a few weeks or months and also if you would like to extend by e.g. one semester (the latter is only possible if you are in the winter semester and would like to spend the summer semester at the host university as well).

If you would like to extend your stay by one semester at the host university, please contact the host university and your international representative first, because both of them must agree to the extension in the ERASMUS+ program at the International Office (by sending an informal e-mail to erasmusfh-dortmundde) at least one month before the planned end date.

Only then can the extension be processed. A new Learning Agreement is also necessary in these cases. In all cases of extension, a new Grant Agreement is also required. These steps will be activated in your participant account as soon as the extension has been processed by us.

Please note: An extension must immediately follow the current stay. It is not possible to extend for another semester beyond the summer semester, as the grant period only covers the European academic year. For verified examination phases or additional studies at the host university, an extension may be approved until the end of the funding period (September 30 of each year). The maximum funding period may not be exceeded.

An extension from the summer semester by another semester in the following academic year is only possible with a new application to the responsible international officer at Fachhochschule Dortmund, as it must be checked whether the contingent contractually agreed with the partner university has already been exhausted.

It is not foreseeable whether funds will be available for continued payment of the ERASMUS mobility grant for extension applications received in time at the International Office. This will be communicated when there is an overview of the funding and the number of extension months and ERASMUS reductions. If no or insufficient funds are available, an extension can still take place, the extension period will then not be financially supported (so-called zero grant days).

You are required to notify the International Office as well as the program officers of the home and host universities immediately if you do not start your study abroad program or terminate it prematurely. Even if you terminate your studies planned for two semesters after one semester, this must be explicitly communicated to the host university and the home university (department and International Office).

In case of non-arrival or premature termination and a duration of stay of less than three months, the entire mobility grant received up to that point must be repaid immediately, as the minimum duration of 3 months must not be fallen short of. If the duration of stay exceeds three months, only the portion for the months not taken up or terminated must be repaid to the day.

In the event of return with insufficient exam results, any grant already paid out will be reclaimed.