Funding
The Erasmus+ grant can help with the extra costs of undertaking a traineeship or placement abroad.
Erasmus+ traineeship funding
The Erasmus+ programme is funded by the European Commission and provides funding for students to study or work abroad in Europe.
To claim Erasmus+ funding for a traineeship, you must:
- Be currently registered on a degree programme at the University of Edinburgh
- Apply for a study or work placement in an Erasmus+ programme country
- Submit your Erasmus+ documents in due time once your application has been approved
Applying for funding
Eligibility
You must secure a suitable work placement before you can apply for Erasmus+ Traineeship funding.
For further details, please visit:
What can I do on a traineeship?
You must also meet the eligibility criteria:
Participants can be studying at any level and in any subject.
Application form
Once you have found a placement, simply send an online application for Erasmus+ funding about four weeks before your start date.
Erasmus+ funding online application form
You will receive an email within two weeks to confirm if we are able to allocate Erasmus+ funding to your placement.
Applications for Erasmus+ Traineeship funding are open all year round.
Repeat applications
You can apply for Erasmus funding more than once as long as each of your Erasmus placements individually meets the eligibility criteria in terms of minimum duration and activity.
For more information:
What can I do on a traineeship?
If you have already received Erasmus funding before, please remember you can only claim a maximum total of 12 months’ Erasmus funding within the same degree (Bachelor/Master/PhD).
Funding amounts
Grant amounts
Your Erasmus+ grant is calculated based on the duration and destination of your placement and your activity. The table below shows current Erasmus+ Traineeship grant rates:
Please note:
Students undertaking an Erasmus+ study/work placement (either virtually or physically) in their home country (country of origin) are not eligible for Erasmus+ funding, in accordance with recently updated guidance issued by the European Commission. This means that, for example, a UK student who is a Spanish national, currently residing in Spain and wishing to undertake their mobility in Spain, isn’t eligible to receive the Erasmus+ grant.
| Country |
Grant rate 2021/22 |
| Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden | €520 / month |
|
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey |
€470 / month |
Supplementary grant
A supplementary grant is available for students from lower-income backgrounds who are undertaking an Erasmus+ traineeship, in addition to the regular Erasmus+ grant.
The amount you will receive if you are eligible for a supplementary grant is an extra €20 per month (€0.66 per day).
Eligibility for the supplementary grant depends primarily on your fees status - read our guidelines below to find out if you are eligible and submit an application form:
Remember to submit your application and supporting evidence for the supplementary grant two weeks before the start of your placement. Applications received after the deadline may incur a delay in paying your supplementary Erasmus+ grant.
Funding for students with disabilities
Additional funding is available for students with special needs, where participation would not be possible without extra financial support (e.g. where additional costs would exceed the normal grant allocations and funds cannot be obtained from other sources).
You can notify us of any requirements using the "Specific requirements" question on the application form. Alternatively, if you wish to discuss your situation in confidence, you can contact us by email at erasmus.outgoing@ed.ac.uk (study placements) or workabroad@ed.ac.uk (traineeships).
Receiving the grant
How
Once your application has been approved for funding, we will be asked to save your bank details in our online system. Your grant will be transferred directly into your account once you have submitted the required documents (payments to UK bank accounts only).
Your total grant is calculated in euros, but will be paid in pounds to your UK bank account, using a fixed exchange rate set up by the British Council. Your total grant entitlement will be shown on your Erasmus+ grant contract, which you must sign before the start of your placement.
You won't be asked to send any receipts or justify how you spend your Erasmus+ grant. You can also cumulate the grant with other sources of funding, such as student loans, bursaries, salary from your employer or a private source of funding. However, please bear in mind that the Erasmus+ grant is intended to be a contribution towards your living expenses and will not cover all the costs of your time abroad.
When
Your grant will be paid in two instalments:
First instalment
This will be 70% of your total grant amount. We will pay this at the start of your placement, and upon submission of the following completed documents:
- Risk assessment
- Grant contract
- Learning agreement or training agreement
- Certificate of arrival
- Online Linguistic Test (if applicable)
Second instalment
This will be the remaining amount of your total grant. We will pay this once you have completed your placement, and upon submission of the following:
- European Commission online feedback report
- Certificate of Departure or Traineeship certificate
- 2nd Online Linguistic Test (if applicable)
Once we have sent a payment request for your grant, you should receive it in approximately two weeks.
Whilst we endeavour to process all payments as soon as possible, during busy periods it may take a little longer for the grant to reach your account.
Your grant may also be delayed or withheld if you do not submit your documents in time, or if the University of Edinburgh experiences a delay in receiving Erasmus+ funding from the British Council. We strongly advise not to rely solely on the Erasmus+ grant for urgent expenses such as rent or core living needs.
Conditions of funding
Tuition fees
Please note that you will only be considered an Erasmus+ trainee once you have applied and been approved for funding.
This is particularly important if you are undertaking a placement as part of your degree, as not having Erasmus status may significantly affect the amount of fees you have to pay. For full details of the fees you should pay whilst studying/working abroad, please visit the Scholarships and Student Funding website.
Scholarships and Student Funding website
Interrupting your placement or coming back early
If you change your placement dates, cancel or shorten your Erasmus+ placement, we will recalculate your Erasmus+ grant accordingly. This means you may have to repay part of the funding you've already received, based on your placement duration - so bear this in mind if you change your plans!
If your placement is shorter than the minimum duration (2 months for traineeships, 3 months for study placements), you will lose your eligibility for Erasmus+ funding and you might be required to repay the totality of the grant you've already received.