The Erasmus+ programme’s European mobility (KA131) supports physical and blended mobility and blended intensive programmes of higher education students and staff in Programme Countries located in Europe and, to a limited extent, also in Partner Countries across the world.
Pile of study books in the foreground and some students sitting at the background
Photo: Mikko Lehtimäki

During the periods abroad, participants will be exposed to different views, knowledge, teaching and research methods, and work practices in their field of study. During the exchange, they can improve their communication, language and problem-solving skills, intercultural competence, research competence and other skills, such as digital competence. The periods abroad may also contribute to participants’ personal development, such and self-confidence and adapting to new situations.

Erasmus+ covers all fields of study and degree levels in higher education. The exchanges between Finnish and foreign higher education institutions (HEIs) are based on agreements between the institutions. Companies and other public and private organisations and their staff may also participate in some of the actions.

EDUFI awards the funding to higher education institutions, which award grants to students and staff

Universities and universities of applied sciences apply for funding from the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) for organising periods abroad. Students, teachers and other staff in higher education apply for grants from their own HEI. To participate in Erasmus+, the HEI must hold the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) granted by the European Commission. The Erasmus Charter for Higher Education was awarded to all Finnish HEIs for the programme period 2021–2027 in December 2020.

Mobility consortia can also organise exchanges

Erasmus+ mobility can also be organised by mobility consortia formed by HEIs and other organisations. The mobility consortium applies to EDUFI for consortium accreditation, which is required for the grant. When the consortium has been accredited, it can apply for a mobility grant on the same principles as an individual HEI. The accreditation for mobility consortia and the mobility grant can also be applied for during the same application round.

Erasmus+ Higher Education Mobility Handbook for Beneficiaries
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Regardless of their nationality, degree students in higher education can go abroad to complete a part of their studies or a traineeship related to their studies through Erasmus+ European mobility. They may get an Erasmus+ grant to cover part of the expenses of the exchange. Students may complete more than one student exchange or traineeship abroad during their studies. The maximum total duration of a student’s Erasmus+ mobility periods is 12 months during one degree cycle. In long one-cycle programmes such as those in the field of medicine, the maximum total duration is 24 months.

Studying abroad

Students and doctoral students in all fields of study in higher education can participate in student mobility for studies. Through Erasmus+ mobility, they can deepen their knowledge in their own field and get new insights to their studies. A foreign HEI may also offer a wider range of courses than the student’s own HEI or special expertise in some field. It is also possible to combine physical mobility with a virtual period.

Principles of long-term student mobility for studies:

  • The minimum duration of long-term mobility is 2 months (or one term) and the maximum duration 12 months.
  • A physical student mobility period can also be combined with a virtual period.
  • Student mobility for studies may also include a complementary traineeship lasting less than 2 months, in which case the total period is considered mobility for studies.

 Principles of short-term blended mobility:

  • The duration of physical mobility is 5–30 days, and a compulsory virtual period must be combined with it.
  • The minimum extent of the blended period is 3 ETCS credits, including both the physical and the virtual component.

Principles of both short and long-term student mobility for studies:

  • The exchanges are based on cooperation agreements concluded by HEIs.
  • The HEIs select the students for the exchanges.
  • The receiving HEI will not charge exchange students any tuition fees.
  • The studies completed by students during their exchange will be recognised in the degree they are completing.
  • Students can go on exchange as early as in their first year of study.
  • The student and the sending and the receiving HEI sign a digital Learning Agreement for Studies.

Traineeships abroad

Students and doctoral candidates in all fields of study can complete a traineeship related to their studies abroad. Recent graduates can do this within 12 months of their graduation.

Principles of student mobility for traineeships:

  • The uninterrupted duration of a long-term traineeship is a minimum of 2 months and a maximum of 12 months. A virtual period may also be combined with it.
  • Short-term mobility for traineeship may be implemented as blended mobility, which includes a physical period lasting 5–30 days and a compulsory virtual component completed as remote work.
  • Suitable places for completing a traineeship are companies and most private and public organisations, including research institutes, higher education institutions, other educational institutions, foundations and NGOs.
  • The traineeships may also be aimed at improving digital skills.
  • Completing study modules at a HEI cannot be considered training.
  • Obtaining a suitable place for the traineeship is the responsibility of the student, but the HEI can help the student in finding it.
  • If the traineeship is completed before the student’s graduation, the traineeship will be recognised in the student’s degree.
  • Recent graduates may also undertake student mobility for traineeships within 12 months of their graduation. In this case, they have to apply for the grant before their graduation. The traineeship completed by a recent graduate will be included in the maximum duration of the degree cycle that the student has graduated or will graduate from.
  • The student and the sending and receiving HEIs sign a Learning Agreement for Traineeships.

Traineeship portals

 

Instructions for employers of Erasmus+ trainees

 

Doctoral-level studies and traineeship abroad

Regardless of their nationality, doctoral candidates can complete a part of their studies or a traineeship abroad through the Erasmus+ programme. Doctoral mobility periods may be similar to long-term student mobilities for studies and traineeships, but they may also be short-term mobilities. Doctoral candidates may have either a study or an employment relationship with their own HEI. Traineeships of recent graduates are also possible at the doctoral level ("post-docs"). 

Principles of doctoral mobility:

  • Duration of short-term physical mobility 5–30 days, can be combined with a virtual period
  • Duration of long-term physical mobility 2–12 months, can be combined with a virtual period
  • The study period may also include a complementary traineeship period
  • Mobile doctoral candidates who are employed by their HEI may also take advantage of staff mobility.
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The staff of HEIs may also go on exchange abroad either to teach or obtain training. Individuals with permanent or temporary employment relationships may undertake staff mobility for teaching and training and the HEIs themselves select the persons for it. An Erasmus+ grant covering a part of the costs of the exchange may also be awarded for the exchange. The grant is applied for to the applicant's own HEI and awarded by the HEI. To ensure the high quality and effectiveness of the exchanges, the exchanges must be related to the staff’s professional development and their personal development needs.

 

Teaching abroad

Staff mobilities for teaching are completed in foreign HEIs. In European mobility, the HEIs must be located in Erasmus+ Programme Countries and they must hold the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education. Funding for European mobility may be used to implement mobility to HEIs located in Partner Countries. These HEIs have to be approved or accredited by the authorities in their own country. Staff mobilities for teaching are based on cooperation agreements between HEIs. In addition, a representative of a foreign company or a doctoral candidate with an employment relationship abroad may be invited to teach at a HEI. In European mobility, a bilateral agreement is not required in cooperation with foreign companies. Instead, each exchange is agreed on separately in a work plan. The receiving HEI pays the grant to the person invited from the company.  

Principles of staff mobility for teaching:

  • In European mobility, the minimum duration of staff mobility for teaching in Programme Countries is 2 days and the maximum duration 2 months, excluding travel time. In Partner Countries, the minimum duration is 5 days.
  • The physical mobility period may also be combined with a virtual component.
  • During the mobility, the teacher will teach at least 8 hours. Staff mobility for teaching can also be combined with staff mobility for training, in which case the amount of teaching during the mobility must be at least 4 hours.
  • In mobilities lasting over a week, the minimum number of teaching hours is 8 or 4 hours per week (or for incomplete weeks, a number of hours proportional to the duration of the stay).
  • The minimum duration of mobilities of teachers invited from companies is 1 day, excluding travel time. No minimum number of hours has been determined for mobilities of teachers invited from companies.
  • The teaching provided is part of the destination HEI’s teaching programme or the teacher exchange may also include training aimed at developing the receiving HEI.
  • A work plan/Mobility Agreement is drawn up in advance to agree on the content and objectives of the visit. The plan is signed by the teacher and the sending and the receiving organisation.
  • The grant is applied for to the teacher’s own HEI.

 

Staff training abroad

Erasmus+ offers higher education staff an opportunity for professional development. Any member of staff at a HEI may complete a job-shadowing period or training at a HEI or some other private or public organisation in another Programme Country or Partner Country. The nature of the mobility may be a study visit, a workshop or a job-shadowing period and it may also serve as a training period developing the person's digital skills. 

Principles of staff mobility for training:

  • The minimum duration of staff mobility for training under European mobility is 2 working days and the maximum duration 2 months, excluding travel time. In Partner Countries, the minimum duration is 5 working days.
  • The physical mobility period can also be combined with a virtual period.
  • The mobility includes training, development of one's own organisation and exchange of experiences, and it may also be a training period developing the staff’s digital skills.
  • A work plan/Mobility Agreement is drawn up in advance to agree on the content and objectives of the training. The plan is signed by the staff member going on exchange and the sending and the receiving organisation.
  • An agreement between the HEIs is not necessarily needed, as the exchange can be agreed on in the work plan.
  • The grant is applied for to the person’s own HEI.

 

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Blended intensive programmes offer new and more flexible forms of mobility, in which physical mobility is combined with virtual learning. HEIs can in cooperation with their partner institutions organise blended intensive programmes both to students and to staff. In blended intensive programmes, groups consisting of students and/or staff learners participate in short-term physical mobility and the programmes include a compulsory virtual component taking advantage of collaborative online learning or teamwork. During the virtual period, the participants have to simultaneously work online on shared assignments.

Participants from HEIs other than the ones involved in organising the programme may also be invited to blended intensive programmes.

Principles of blended intensive programmes:

  • Include physical short-term mobility lasting 5–30 days, combined with a virtual period taking advantage of collaborative online learning and teamwork.
  • At least 3 HEIs from at least 3 Programme Countries
  • The receiving HEI may be a Programme Country HEI or a HEI member of the applicant mobility consortium.
  • The sending HEI may be a Programme Country HEI, which has concluded an inter-institutional agreement with the receiving HEI. HEIs of Partner Countries may participate at their own cost.
  • There are no criteria for the duration of the virtual period, but the minimum total extent of the virtual and physical period is 3 ETCS credits.
  • The physical period may be take place at the receiving HEI, or somewhere else in the country in which the receiving HEI is located.
  • The minimum number of participants is 15 participating learners from abroad, as of the academic year 2024 - 2025, 10 participants.
  • The participants may be degree students in higher education up to the doctoral level, or staff of HEIs.
  • The teaching staff of blended intensive programmes may be staff of HEIs or teachers invited from companies.
  • The intensive programme must provide added value compared to completing the HEI's existing study modules.
  • Intensive programmes may be multiannual.
  • The coordinating and applicant HEI is awarded funding for the development and organisation of the intensive programme on the basis of the number of mobile participants. Sending HEIs pay the grants of mobile participants from their own budget for European mobility.
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HEIs and mobility consortia are awarded support for organising mobility activities (Organisational Support, OS).

The support may be used for

  • Updating and translating course catalogues for incoming students
  • Implementing digital management of mobility
  • Producing and maintaining websites and other material
  • Promoting the accessibility of the exchanges and inclusion
  • Selecting, guiding and tutoring persons participating in mobility
  • Linguistic and cultural preparation of incoming or outgoing students and teachers
  • Orientation of outgoing and incoming participants and orientation of returning exchange participants
  • Follow-up and assessment visits to partner institutions or preparatory visits aimed at launching new cooperation between HEIs.

Support for organising exchanges may also be used for the salary costs of persons managing the Erasmus+ programme at the HEI.

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Mobility to Partner Countries implemented with funding for European mobility has two objectives. It offers students and staff better opportunities to gain international experience and competence across the world. On the other hand, it enables HEIs in Programme Countries to build lasting and long-term cooperation with HEIs in Partner Countries.

Principles of global mobility implemented with funding for European mobility:

  • HEIs may allocate a maximum of 20% of the funding for European mobility to international mobility.
  • The funding may be used for outgoing student and staff mobility to any Partner Country.
  • The mobility must be implemented in compliance with the conditions for global mobility and the grants for mobile individuals will be calculated on the basis of the grant amounts determined for global mobility. An exception to this are grants awarded to persons completing their mobility in Andorra, the Faroe Islands, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the Vatican City State, which are calculated according to intra-European mobility.
  • Global mobility with funding for European mobility should be implemented with several partners and is expected to cover the widest possible geographic scope.
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The European Commission offers students and staff participating in Erasmus+ mobility periods an opportunity to study languages and test the development of their language proficiency before, during and after the exchange.  Self-assessment tests and the online language courses are a voluntary but an excellent opportunity to improve their language proficiency. The language support offered online is also available international credit mobility participants. 

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