Erasmus+ to study

Erasmus+ student exchanges also include a waiver of tuition fees and a financial grant for scholarship holders.

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

In the EU Erasmus+ program, the acquisition and recognition of academic achievements is a fundamental condition of participation. The Erasmus+ program is open to students of Fachhochschule Dortmund who

• are enrolled on a full-time degree course (BA, MA),
• are enrolled in at least the first semester at thebeginning of their stay abroad (MA students have already completed their Bachelor's degree and thus more than one academic year) and
• can demonstrate 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 application deadline for participation in Erasmus+ studies in the following academic year is March 1st of each year. Before applying for Erasmus+ funding, the exchange place must have been registered with the respective faculty and allocated.

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 on March 1st, the available funds are usually already budgeted and it is possible that financial support can no longer be provided.

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

You can only apply to one host university.

Before you apply, please compare the courses offered at the university of your choice with the courses offered in your field of study at Fachhochschule Dortmund and then ask your faculty's international coordinator whether a place is still available. Only after an official allocation of places by the faculty 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 receive a message from the partner university about the required documents.

If you would like to apply for an Erasmus place in the summer semester after the application deadline, please contact the international coordinator of your faculty to check the availability of remaining places.

Please note that late applicants are 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 June 1 to September 1.

All funding recipients who have taken part in an Erasmus+ mobility measure are obliged to complete an experience report via Mobility Online and to submit additional evidence (Confirmation of Stay, EU questionnaire).

If the final documents and the report are not submitted on time (4 weeks after return), the last funding installment may be withheld.

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

You will receive an automatically generated e-mail for registration in the online portal Mobility Online, through which the entire Erasmus process is handled. You will also receive access to the portal with your login details 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.

Further information can be found in the document "Important information on the Erasmus + application".

The amount of funding 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 amounts, the maximum funding duration of an ERASMUS study program from the academic year 2022/23 is 110 days. Two additional flat-rate travel days will be granted.
Payment is made in two installments: 70% after arrival on site and 30% after return from abroad.

Students who enrol 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 on a daily basis at the end of the stay and only includes the proven academic stay at the host university.

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

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 car receive up to 4 extra days of travel funding. Travel by train, boat, bus or carpooling is accepted. This must be guaranteed by a sworn declaration, it is not necessary to submit separate proof, but it must be presented on request.

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

Students where both parents or guardians do not have a degree from a university or university of applied sciences receive a top-up of € 250.00 per month.

This must be guaranteed by an affidavit, it is not necessary to submit separate proof.

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

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

Students who were gainfully employed before the start of the mobility can receive a monthly top-up of € 250.00 under the following conditions:

- The gainful employment must have been carried out continuously for at least six months with temporal reference to the mobility. Temporal reference here means 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. Notice of termination is not a prerequisite; the employment contract can also be paused.

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

- The employment must be subject to social security contributions.

Gainful employment must be guaranteed by means of an affidavit and proof of contract and earnings must be submitted via erasmusfh-dortmundde.

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

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

Erasmus+ aims to promote equal opportunities and inclusion. For this reason, access to the program is made easier for learners from disadvantaged backgrounds (in Germany, this applies to students who are single parents during their studies 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 your studies, you must apply for an extension at the International Office at least one month before this planned end date. This must be done in your participant account and applies to extensions of a few days to a few weeks or months and also, for example, if you would like to extend by a semester (the latter is only possible if you are in the winter semester and would also like to spend the summer semester at the host university).

If you wish to extend your stay by one semester at the host university, you must first consult with the host university and your international coordinator, as the International Office must also receive their consent to the extension in the ERASMUS+ program no later than one month before the planned end date (by informal e-mail to erasmusfh-dortmundde.

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

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

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

It is not possible to predict whether funds will be available to continue paying the ERASMUS mobility grant for extension applications received by the International Office in good time. This will be communicated once 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, but the extension period will not be funded (so-called zero grant days).

You are obliged to inform the International Office and the program coordinators of the home and host universities immediately if you do not start or prematurely terminate your studies abroad. Even if you end your studies planned for two semesters after one semester, you must explicitly inform the host university and the home university (faculty and International Office).

If you do not start or prematurely terminate your studies and the duration of your stay is less than three months, the entire mobility grant received up to that point must be repaid immediately, as the minimum duration must not be less than three months. In the case of a stay of more than three months, only the portion for the months not commenced or terminated must be repaid on a daily basis.

If you return without benefits, any grant already paid out will be reclaimed.