Group of Potential Beneficiaries Significantly Expanded

Extended funding opportunities in the Erasmus+ programme

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New target groups and support options

We have taken the Erasmus+ programme’s increased financial support as an opportunity to expand target groups of persons who receive special funding as a result of fewer opportunities through monthly top-ups or grants based on actual costs. Since the 2022 call, students with disabilities or chronic illnesses, students accompanied by children during studies abroad but also students who work and students from non-academic backgrounds have been supported with supplementary grants every month. Moreover, students with children can now also apply for grants based on actual costs.

Unbureaucratic applications

When implementing the measures, it’s not always easy to maintain a balance between simple access to funding opportunities for participants, minimal administrative effort for universities and the responsible use of funding. To award the top-up grants, we have decided to introduce declarations of honour as proof of eligibility. Other supporting documents only have to be submitted at the request of the university. We hope this simplified verification procedure will help make these offers more accessible to students and streamline administrative efforts for universities.

Applying for and providing proof of actual costs incurred for beneficiaries calls for a slightly more complex procedure because of the high funding levels. This is related to two factors: firstly, costs have to be calculated as accurately as possible to provide universities with the appropriate resources and avoid repayments having to be made by beneficiaries, and proof of incurred costs having to be provided. Secondly, each request is an individual case. The entire process from application and review to payment therefore has to satisfy the individual needs of applicants. Bearing this mind, our goal was to develop an application procedure that is as open, yet as structured as possible.

Improved information for even more applications

Given that we are now addressing a significantly larger group of potential recipients with the extended measures, application guidelines are currently being prepared for students. Since the beginning of 2023, the application process has also been included in our advisory formats for Erasmus+ coordinators.

Initial applications from students wishing to go abroad with children have already proven that there is a high demand. Together with our colleagues at the universities, we are delighted that we are now able to offer even more students and university staff the opportunity to spend time abroad!

Contact:

Frauke Stebner

EU02 – Erasmus+ inclusion officer

Basic grant rates for Project 2022 according to destination country:

€490 / 540 / 600 per month

Top-up for students with fewer opportunities (in Germany, persons from non-academic backgrounds, students who work, students with disabilities or chronic illnesses and students with child[ren]):

€250 + basic grant

Top-up work placement abroad

€150 + basic grant + if applicable top-up fewer opportunities

Maximum funding per destination country:

€490 + €250 + €150 = €890 / month
€540 + €250 + €150 = €940 / month
€600 + €250 + €150 = €1,000 / month

Payment of actual costs:

Students and university staff with disabilities or chronic illnesses and those who go abroad with child(ren) can receive up to €15,000 per semester or mobility for additional expenses that are actually incurred during a mobility period abroad or a preparatory trip.

A small group of drawn people working together with the help of a ladder, putting together large puzzle pieces to form a whole.

Jada-Janay Simmons

Alongside initial insights into professional practice, experience abroad in addition to a successfully completed degree is now a key requirement when embarking on a career – especially if you aim to work for an employer who is internationally active. This is why I decided to spend a semester at Uniwersytet Wrocławski in Poland as part of my MA degree in Social Sciences at Ruhr Universität Bochum. I also hope it gives me the chance to meet people from different backgrounds, gain new perspectives, be part of a cultural exchange and develop personally in this unfamiliar environment.

The special funding played a key role from the beginning because I wouldn’t have been able to afford to live abroad on the support my family gave me and the regular Erasmus+ grant. My Polish isn’t good enough to get a part-time job in Wroclaw either. So the Erasmus+ special funding for first-generation academics was fundamental in making this semester abroad (October 2022 to February 2023) financially possible for me. The fact that you can apply for it with one form and that queries are answered quickly made it all the easier.

Elisabeth Herzog

My Erasmus year at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom is definitely one of the highlights of my programme. The lecturers’ enthusiasm is infectious. I find it really interesting to engage with other students, and the city itself makes every day a new experience.

Planning my stay in Bristol with two children (1 and 4 years old) presented me with a lot of challenges, emotionally, organisationally and financially, especially when it came to finding accommodation and childcare. But in the end, everything worked out – thanks to the support of the mobility team at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. I do think the funding opportunities should be communicated more clearly though.

Despite all the difficulties a visit abroad entails, I would still encourage other students with children to take this step.

Elisabeth Herzog

Despite all the difficulties a visit abroad entails, I would still encourage other students with children to take this step. I’m grateful for the Erasmus+ grant and the special funding for students with children, which together give me financial security. And I look forward to all the things these ten months between September 2022 and June 2023 will bring – for me personally, and for my Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Information Technology.

Woman with stroller walking into an office where a man is sitting at a desk

Jana Reh

The Erasmus+ period abroad was a unique opportunity for me to spend part of my course abroad. I was able to include a language element in my technical studies – I’m doing a Master’s in Materials Science and Materials Engineering at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg – which wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. Apart from all the assistance I got at my home university, my host university in Aix-Marseille in France also did a great job of looking after all international students. There were various contact persons available who always had time to talk to you personally.

Some people may be put off by the effort involved in organising an Erasmus+ trip abroad. But I can say wholeheartedly that it is definitely worth it! Living abroad – I spent almost six months abroad between the end of February and the beginning of July 2022 – not only enables you to gain new experiences of another culture, but you also get to know lots of students from all over Europe.

The special funding I received because of my chronic illness allowed me to spend time abroad despite the pandemic. The general funding is what makes a semester abroad affordable in the first place, and it enabled me to pay for additional expenses. The pro-rata payment made at the beginning of the stay is very useful in this respect.

Veronika Wolff

I’ve been spending a semester abroad at the Blekinge Institute of Technology in the Swedish city of Karlskrona with my two sons since the end of August 2022. What’s unusual about my case is that my sons aren’t accompanying me, it’s me accompanying them. Richard, in particular, needs my help. He has Asperger’s Syndrome, and needs someone he trusts to help him with his studies – organising everyday life, helping him with lectures and offering household support.

I’m a single parent and have no other support, so this period abroad is only possible for Richard, but also for Niclas (who is hard of hearing and wears a hearing aid) thanks to the actual cost grant under Erasmus+. This is generally the case, but especially so for Sweden, which is a very expensive country.

The semester abroad is important in several respects. It’s important for Richard because it’s a required part of his degree programme at Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences. It’s important for Richard and Niclas because it improves their prospects on the job market – because they can develop their spoken and written English skills, and because it gives them the experience of living with people from different countries, religions and cultures. Our stay in Karlskrona is making them become more independent and helping them develop their social skills.

It wasn’t easy getting to Sweden. But ultimately, I’m really glad that something like Erasmus+ exists.

Veronika Wolff

Audio Veronika and Richard Wolff (German)