The Erasmus program has been one of the great success stories of the European Union. Since 1987, the program has promoted cross-border mobility and exchange between European higher education institutions. The new programme generation started with the academic year 2021/
Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. It has an estimated budget of €26.2 billion. This is nearly double the funding compared to its predecessor programme (2014–2020). The 2021–2027 programme places a strong focus on social inclusion, the green and digital transitions, and promoting young people’s participation in democratic life. It supports priorities and activities set out in the European Education Area, Digital Education Action Plan and the European Skills Agenda. The programme also
The programme also includes the European cooperation programmes in higher education:
You can find more information on Erasmus+ on the website of the European Commission.
Erasmus+ promotes the following types of mobilities:
Erasmus Charter for Higher Education
Every higher education institution that wants to take part in the Erasmus program needs to have a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE).
The ECHE is awarded by the European Commission. It confirms that the institution fulfills all requirements for a successful participation in the Erasmus+ program.
The University of Mannheim was awarded the Erasmus+ university charter for the current period from 2021–2027 on the basis of the European Policy Statement and is thus entitled to participate in the program.
Further information on Erasmus+ mobilities is available from the
German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
Nationale Agentur für EU-Hochschulzusammenarbeit
Kennedyallee 50
53115 Bonn
Phone: +49 800 2014 020
Fax: +49 228 882-555
E-mail: erasmus daad.de
Website: www.eu.daad.de
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
At present, all 28 EU member states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey, and North Macedonia participate in the program. The database of partner universities gives an overview of those European universities that have already concluded an exchange agreement with the University of Mannheim. Yet, stays abroad in countries participating in the ERASMUS program can also be funded if you decide to go to an institution other than the partner universities; this applies, in particular, for staff members going abroad with ERASMUS.
Though, at present, Switzerland does not take part in the ERASMUS program, funding terms for stays abroad in Switzerland are similar to the ERASMUS exchange program as the country finances a similar program with national funds (SEMP program).
Current Information on Erasmus funding for exchange programs with the United Kingdom:
Exchanges with universities in the United Kingdom (Great Britain and Northern Ireland) will be financially supported from the academic year 23/
When applying for an exchange place in the UK, however, you must select 'Sonderprogramm' as the program in the database of partner universities and not Erasmus. You will then automatically receive all information about the Erasmus funding from the International Office.
The University of Mannheim supports employees and researchers in gaining international experience. There are several funding options, depending on the type and duration of the stay abroad. Learn more on the stays abroad for researchers and employees at the University of Mannheim page.
For university staff with disabilities, special grants can be applied for to cover additional costs during an Erasmus stay. Please contact us as soon as you are planning a stay abroad.
By undertaking an ERASMUS+ teaching or training placement, researchers from the University of Mannheim can, for example, gain experience at a European partner university, share approaches and content with international colleagues, and take good ideas back home with them. Find out more on the teaching abroad with ERASMUS+ page.
For university staff with disabilities, special grants can be applied for to cover additional costs during an Erasmus stay. Please contact us as soon as you are planning a stay abroad.
The Erasmus mobility grant does not include insurance coverage. Neither the University of Mannheim nor the European Commission nor the National Agency for Erasmus of the DAAD are liable for damages caused by illness, death, accident or injury of a person and the loss or damage of belongings during the course of stays abroad through the Erasmus program (studies, internships, teaching staff mobility, or training events). Every scholarship holder is responsible for arranging for his or her own insurance coverage.
The participant's national health insurance usually covers basic insurance needs during stays in EU countries by means of the European Health Insurance Card. However, insurance coverage of the European Health Insurance Card may not be sufficient, especially in case of complex medical needs or medical repatriation. The University of Mannheim therefore strongly recommends taking out additional private insurance. Participants have the option to take part in the group insurance offered by the DAAD to all students and researchers who are funded as part of the ERASMUS program.
After completing the first year of their program, students in bachelor's, master’s and doctoral programs can study at a European higher education institution in one of the participating countries through Erasmus. The program promotes the development of social and cultural skills and has a positive effect on career prospects. You will get to know the academic system of a foreign higher education institution as well as its teaching and learning methods.
Generally, all students and doctoral candidates who have been admitted to one of the Erasmus exchange programs at the partner universities of the University of Mannheim are eligible for funding through Erasmus. This also applies to participants of the European double degree programs. However, funding depends on the annual Erasmus budget of the University of Mannheim. So far, it has always been possible to grant a scholarship to every eligible student each year.
Students must be enrolled at their home institution and must have completed at least one year of (bachelor) studies. All full-time students enrolled at the University of Mannheim can apply for the Erasmus+ program regardless of their nationality.
All funding recipients participating in an Erasmus program have to submit the documents required for funding in due time. The International Office will inform you on the requirements in due time. After completing their stay abroad, students also have to write a report describing their experiences.
If you are interested in an Erasmus stay abroad, we recommend visiting the Introductory Study Abroad Meetings organized by the International Office. Here, you will be provided information on exchange programs, application processes and possible funding options. The staff of the International Office is happy to answer your questions.
As soon as you have received confirmation of your placement at a European partner university, you automatically enter the pool of potential Erasmus scholarship recipients. This also applies for participants of the European double degree programs.
You will receive information on all Erasmus documents and the deadline for submission of the Erasmus grant agreement, the basis for an Erasmus grant, via e-mail
All necessary Erasmus forms will be provided in the Mobility Online portal in the download section as soon as they are available.
Generally, all students who have been admitted into the selection process for exchange programs of the University of Mannheim are eligible for funding through Erasmus+. Should the university’s budget for the Erasmus scholarship not cover funding for all students, there will be another selection process among the applicants according to the same criteria.
The grants for Erasmus+ stays are based on the differing costs of living in the receiving countries. The monthly rates may change every year. In addition, every higher education institution can determine a maximum funding period depending on their budget. That means that depending on the respective university’s financial resources, in some cases, only part of the stay abroad can be funded. For example, in some past academic years, the maximum funding period was e.g. 102 or 145 days per semester abroad.
For outgoing students from German universities the following funding rates apply for three groups of countries in the academic year 2023/
Group | Destination Country | Rates 2023/ | Daily rate |
Group 1 Countries with higher living costs | Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, | 600 EUR / Month | 20 EUR / Day |
Group 2 Countries with medium living costs | Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain | 540 EUR / Month | 18 EUR / Day |
Group 3 Countries with lower living costs | Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Turkey | 490 EUR / Month | 16,33 EUR / Day |
Beginning with academic year 2024/
Group | Destination Country | Rates 2024/ | Daily rate |
Group 1 | Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom | 600 EUR / Month | 20 EUR / Day |
Group 2 | Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Cyprus | 540 EUR / Month | 18 EUR / Day |
Group 3 | Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Republic of Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Turkey | 540 EUR / Month | 18 EUR / Day |
An Erasmus scholarship is not a complete scholarship, but a partial grant meant to balance out the additional costs of staying abroad. Erasmus students therefore have to secure funding from other sources to cover the basic costs of their stay abroad.
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BAföG recipients will receive the same amounts of funding as other students. As soon as the amount of Erasmus+ funding exceeds EUR 300 it will be deducted from the amount of BAföG the respective student receives. For further information please contact your BAföG office.
International exchange through physical encounters is a core value of the Erasmus program. At the same time, the Erasmus program aims to motivate participants to use environmentally friendly means of transport and thus contribute to reducing the ecological footprint of their trip abroad.
If you travel at least one way (outward or return) by a sustainable means of transport (e.g. bicycle, train, long-distance bus, carpool) to/
The increase in funding rates for most destination countries in the academic year 2024/
All information on how to apply for this grant will be automatically sent to Erasmus students of the University of Mannheim with the information on the Erasmus scholarship contract.
The Erasmus program intends to provide special support for students for whom a stay abroad may be more challenging. This includes students from a non-academic family background.
Studies have shown that students whose parents have not already studied themselves are less likely to consider a stay abroad. With additional funding, the Erasmus program aims to encourage these students to take the step abroad. In this case, students whose parents or caregivers do not have a degree from a university or university of applied sciences are considered first-time academics. For this group, an additional funding of 250 euros per month is available in addition to the regular monthly Erasmus grant.
A degree from a university-like university of cooperative education is considered an academic degree. Likewise, courses of study completed abroad count as academic degrees, even if they are not recognized in Germany. A master craftsman's diploma is not considered an academic degree.
This 250 euro supplementary grant can only be awarded once, even if several criteria for other special grant groups apply to you.
Erasmus students at the University of Mannheim automatically receive all information on how to apply for this grant with the information on the Erasmus scholarship contract. We will be happy to advise you on planning your stay abroad.
This additional support does apply to stays in the United Kingdom with the start of the Academic Year 23/
The Erasmus program intends to provide special support for students for whom a stay abroad may be more challenging. This includes students who earn a significant amount of their own living, as they are often unable to continue working while abroad and earnings are lost.
To alleviate this problem, there is now a top-up amount of 250 euros per month if the following criteria apply:
Stay abroad in/
Stay abroad in spring semester: 1 February of the previous year through 31 January of the year abroad
The employment may be a single one or several immediately following each other. An interruption within the regular vacation period during employment is not a problem.
This 250 euro supplementary grant can only be awarded once, even if several criteria for other special grant groups apply to you.
Erasmus students at the University of Mannheim automatically receive all information on how to apply for this grant with the information on the Erasmus scholarship contract. We will be happy to advise you on planning your stay abroad.
This additional support does apply to stays in the United Kingdom with the start of the Academic Year 23/
The Erasmus+ program strives to promote equal opportunity and inclusion. This is why students who take their child or children with them during their stay abroad are eligible for additional funding. If this applies to you, please let us know as soon as you start planning your stay abroad. We are happy to assist you in planning your stay abroad.
Students who take their child or children abroad with them can receive an additional 250 euros per month. The prerequisite is that the child or children is/
This 250 euro supplementary grant can only be awarded once, even if several criteria for other special grant groups apply to you.
If particularly high additional costs arise from taking your child/
For stays in the United Kingdom, this type of special funding is available with the start of the Academic Year 23/
The Erasmus+ program strives to promote equal opportunity and inclusion. This is why students with a degree of disability (GdB) of 20 or higher are eligible for additional funding. We are happy to assist you in planning your stay abroad.
Students with a degree of disability of 20 or more or a proven disability due to which there is an additional financial need can receive a top-up on their grant of 250 euros per month.
This 250 euro supplementary grant can only be awarded once, even if several criteria for other special grant groups apply to you.
If particularly high additional costs arise due to your stay abroad, a so-called “real cost application” can be submitted instead with a few months' notice, through which up to 15,000 euros per semester can be covered, e.g. for an accompanying person. It is also possible to receive a grant for a preparatory trip to explore the local conditions. The trips are usually intended for potential beneficiaries with a disability and their accompanying persons, who need to explore the local conditions in order to assess whether a longer stay is possible.
This requires a lot of time in advance, so we ask students to seek advice early.
For stays in the United Kingdom, this type of special funding is available with the start of the Academic Year 23/
The Erasmus program intends to provide special support for students for whom a stay abroad may be more challenging. This is why students with a chronic illness that leads to additional financial needs for the stay abroad can receive an additional 250 euros per month.
This 250 euro supplementary grant can only be awarded once, even if several criteria for other special grant groups apply to you.
If particularly high additional costs arise due to your stay abroad, a so-called “real cost application” can be submitted instead with a few months' notice, through which up to 15,000 euros per semester can be covered, e.g. for an accompanying person. It is also possible to receive a grant for a preparatory trip to explore the local conditions. This requires a lot of time in advance, so we ask students to seek advice early.
For stays in the United Kingdom, this type of special funding is available with the start of the Academic Year 23/
With Erasmus+, students can receive funding for studying and internships abroad during every phase of their studies (bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral program) for up to twelve months. If you are studying in a long-cycle degree program (for example a state examination program), you can receive funding for up to 24 months.
Like all other exchange programs offered by the University of Mannheim, stays abroad with Erasmus include:
In addition, the Erasmus+ program offers:
The Online Language Support (OLS) aims to support students in acquiring the language skills they need for an Erasmus stay abroad. As part of OLS, the language tests assess the language proficiency level of the participant for the courses. OLS makes language support accessible in a flexible and uncomplicated way, helping to promote language learning and linguistic diversity.
Online language support is available to students for three years, giving them the opportunity to improve their language skills before, during as well as after your stay abroad. A total of 24 languages are currently available at different learning levels. Access to language courses includes a wide variety of interactive and customized activities. Students can take language courses in any of the languages available on OLS with no limit on the number of languages or learning units and improve their language skills over a total period of three years.
This learning offer is voluntary. At the present time we cannot check the test results, so the OLS language test is not mandatory.
Agreements between partner universities on certain levels of language proficiency are therefore not the same as the OLS test. That is why students need to supply other proofs of their foreign language skills throughout the selection process.
The Erasmus+ Student Charter contains the rights and duties of students as well as information about what can be expected of the sending and receiving home or host universities and/
If you have any questions regarding your stay abroad, here you can find the respective competent contact person at your school. They will advise you on any study-related aspects of your stay abroad, including the question of when a stay abroad can be best integrated in your degree program.