Erasmus+ accreditation means a quality-assured “Erasmus+ membership”. The organisations and networks applying for accreditation demonstrate the long-term nature of their activities from operative and strategic points of view and commit themselves to complying with the quality standards of the Erasmus+ programme. During the programme period 2021–2027, the programme will place special emphasis on inclusion, digitalisation and environmental responsibility. Accredited organisations also commit themselves to these key principles. 

In higher education, accreditation (i.e. applying for the Mobility Charter) is already an established practice and in the vocational education and training sector, it has been used since 2014. As from 2021, accreditation will also be used in the fields of general education, adult education and youth.

Flow chart on Erasmus+ accreditation (full texts under the chart)

Accreditation makes it possible to determine the quality of the international activities and the ability to cooperate reliably at an international level. The application form and the documents guiding the application process help you plan high-quality international mobility regardless of whether you are an experienced participant or new to Erasmus+. 

1. Identify the needs and challenges  

  • You can use mobility activities to improve the quality of teaching and activities  
  • Establish a team for international activities if you do not have one yet 
  • You may find deeper reasons behind visible problems. Various tools are available for identifying them
  • Even though the diagram has a beginning and an end, remember that development is a continuing process  

2. Link to the strategy  

  • Identify your organisation’s strategies and strategic documents that affect international activities  
  • You can use the analysing tool at the end of this page to identify the documents  
  • Engage the management from the beginning 

3. Define the goals and the number of mobilities  

  • Your organisation will define its concrete objectives itself and monitor their progress
  • You will choose yourself how fast you want to proceed  
  • You can focus on long-term objectives 
  • The number of mobilities may be small or large, depending on your need  

4. Pay attention to the Erasmus+ quality criteria  

  • Accredited organisations comply with the common Erasmus+ quality requirements  
  • When the foreign partner has been accredited, you can rely on the quality of its mobility cooperation  
  • The quality criteria guarantee the effectiveness of the mobility periods and ensure that those participating in the mobility periods are treated equally  
  • The quality criteria are key to success for accredited organisations 

5. Apply for funding on a yearly basis  

  • The funding for mobility activities is continuous 
  • You can apply for funding on a yearly basis by sending a grant request to the National Agency 
  • A grant request is different from an application for a short-term project. Only the basic information, such as the activities and the number of participants, is required for assessing how much funding you will need
  • The National Agency distributes the available funding annually between accredited organisations 

6. Review the objectives regularly  

  • High-quality development activities are a continuous process 
  • You can update your Erasmus+ plan  

7. Transition to permanent and effective international activities  

  • You need to get the accreditation only once to receive funding for the mobility activities for the entire programme period 
  • You can offer opportunities for professional and personal development to learners, teachers, trainers and other education staff  
  • Make mobility an integral part of strategic development
Brochure on accreditation
Read more about accreditation in the brochure below
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Accreditation for the programme period 2021–2027 can be applied for by actors that want to implement systematic international mobility of learners and staff over a period of several years. The applicant may be an organisation or a consortium. 

Organisations that are awarded the accreditation receive a formal acknowledgement that their international activities meet the quality criteria of the European Commission. 

Accreditation is awarded to the organisation or consortium until the end of the programme period. This means that funding for the learner or staff mobility is guaranteed for the entire programme period. Accreditation thus enables long-term and strategic international cooperation.

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Accreditation in the field of youth enables organisations to plan and implement long-term international activities so that they can carry out high-quality international youth work and engage young people.

An accredited organisation receives annual funding for youth exchanges, mobility projects of youth workers and, as from 2022, also for youth participation activities. Organisations can apply for accreditation throughout the year.

In the field of youth, only organisations can apply for accreditation, not consortia.

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In the higher education sector, all higher education institutions that have received the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) have been accredited.

Mobility consortia of at least three organisations can also apply for accreditation. The application can be submitted once a year, together with the first grant request. 

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The Finnish National Agency for Education EDUFI allocates funding to grant requests that have been submitted by the deadline and accepted in the eligibility check. Funding is allocated within the scope of the annual Erasmus+ budget. 

You will find the criteria for allocating Erasmus+ funding to accredited organisations and consortia on EDUFI’s website. 

Accredited organisations and consortia have a more straightforward (fast track) application process for KA1 funding than those applying for funding for short-term projects. The content of the grant requests of accredited organisations and consortia is not evaluated ꟷ except for grant requests for global mobility in higher education.

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The European Commission has produced the Go International guide, which provides practical tips for the strategic planning of international activities. 

Both the Go International guide and the below tools for refreshing the internationalisation strategy are aimed at actors in vocational education and training but can also be applied by organisations in other fields.

Tools for refreshing your internationalisation strategy (in Finnish)
KV-tarinan tunnistaminen (pdf, 199.66 KB)
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The report looks at good practices in the Erasmus+ plans of organisations and consortia in general and adult education. The purpose of the report is to support organisations that are planning to apply for accreditation and help already accredited organisations and consortia in the development of international activities. 

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