Erasmus + funding

Erasmus + funding

The amount of funding is determined by the German Academic Exchange Service for the whole of Germany. It may vary from year to year. Nominated Erasmus students can refer to their scholarship agreement to see the exact amount. This grant is intended to cover extra costs incurred for spending time abroad. If all available funds have been allocated, remaining students can only take part in the Erasmus+ program as ‘zero grant’ students. They can still benefit from all the other advantages of the program (including a waiver of tuition fees at host universities).

The funding period does not have to correspond to the actual length of the stay.

The Erasmus+ program offers various lines of funding for studying abroad. The amount of funding depends on the host country and the exchange agreements that FAU has entered into with its partners.

  • Program countries: EU countries plus Turkey, Liechtenstein, Norway, Serbia, Iceland, North Macedonia
  • Partner countries: Selected countries outside the EU
  • International mobility: United Kingdom, Switzerland

Funding in the academic year 2024/25 is as follows:

  • Waiver of tuition fees at the host university
  • Monthly mobility grant (not a full scholarship): Erasmus mobility grants are determined according to the costs of living in the host country for the following country groups.
    • Country group 1: approximately 600 euros per month = 20 euros/funded day: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden
    • Country group 2: approximately 540 euros per month = 18 euros/funded day: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain
    • Country group 3: approximately 540 euros per month = 18 euros/funded day: Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Turkey
  • Students who choose to travel abroad or back home using environmentally friendly means of transport, such as bus, train, bike or car sharing are eligible for “green travel” funding for up to 6 travel days in addition to their normal Erasmus+ funding.  Further information is available on the DAAD website. (The website is only available in German)

A mobility grant can only be paid if the Erasmus stay abroad lasts between a minimum of two and a maximum of 12 months. If students return early and fail to stay abroad for the minimum required length of time, any mobility grant which has already been paid must be paid back. Exceptions apply in the case of force majeure or illness.

The current options for completing an exchange in partner countries outside the EU (does not apply to International Mobility Region 14, UK and Switzerland) are listed in our list of partner universities.

Funding for funding period 2024 covers (this is expected to apply from 2025/2026):

  • Waiver of tuition fees at the host university
  • Monthly mobility grant (not a full scholarship) from €700 = €23.33/day.
  • Funding for travel expenses, depending on the travel distance according to the EU calculator:
km Funding
10 – 99 €28
100 – 499 €211
500 – 1,999 €309
2,000 – 2,999 €395
3,000 – 3,999 €580
4,000 – 7,999 €1,188
Over 8,000 €1,735

Switzerland

Due to the result of the referendum held on February 9, 2014, the European Commission has suspended the conclusion of the participation agreement with Switzerland for the Erasmus+ program until further notice.

That means Switzerland has the status of a partner country, but not of a program country. Accordingly, there are now two options available for obtaining funding, depending on which type of exchange agreement applies.

  • Erasmus+ international mobility: The funding is equivalent to country group 1 for program countries.
  • SEMP: Swiss universities have initiated their own replacement program, the Swiss European Mobility Program, funded by the Swiss host university for students who wish to study abroad in Switzerland. The host university will tell you the exact amount of funding.

United Kingdom

As of funding year 2022, the United Kingdom is no longer a program country. For selected exchange agreements, however, it is still possible to receive Erasmus funding via international mobility. The funding is equivalent to country group 1 for program countries. For more information please contact your department. Please also bear in mind that, depending on the length of your stay, you may need to apply for a visa in good time. For further information, please contact your department.

Special funding available from Erasmus+ comprises a basic top-up in funds with a lump sum of 250 euros per month for:

  • People with a degree of disability over 20% and those with chronic illnesses
  • Students going abroad with one or more children
  • Students who are the first in their family to study for a degree
  • Working students (certain formal requirements must be met)

International Affairs will provide students selected for an Erasmus exchange with more details on special funding during the application process. If you would like more details beforehand, please contact the mobility team.

The following groups are eligible to apply for funding based on real costs, up to a maximum of 15,000 euros per semester and 30,000 euros per study year and per mobility.

  • People with a degree of disability over 20% and those with chronic illnesses
  • Students going abroad with one or more children

In addition, these people can conduct a funded visit abroad in order to research the situation in the host country before submitting their application.

Information is available from the university coordinator Bianca Köndgen. As applications must be received by the funding provider no later than 2 months before you start your exchange, we would advise you to get in touch well in advance.

Useful information about universities with disabled access is available on the website of the European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education.