Erasmus+ funds voluntary, recommended and mandatory study stays or doctoral studies abroad. Our university will recognise your academic performance from abroad as far as possible as part of your degree programme. You can use Erasmus+ exchange places based on Erasmus+ agreements of your department in your field of study. There are also university-wide exchange places for students to take part in an Erasmus+ course at partner universities that are part of the Utrecht Network and the Arqus European University Alliance.
Requirements
- You are planning to study at a partner university in one of the 27 EU countries or in other possible non-EU European countries.
- You are enrolled on a degree or doctoral programme at our university.
- You have completed at least one full academic year before the semester abroad and have the required knowledge of the language of instruction at the partner university.
An Erasmus+ exchange lasts at least two calendar months, usually one semester or a whole academic year. Your study regulations usually recommend when and how long you should participate in a study stay abroad. You can receive Erasmus+ funding several times in each study cycle (bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, doctoral studies) and in any degree programme. Erasmus+ is open to everyone, regardless of where you come from. Mobile students are considered to be full-time students and should complete a number of credits proportional to the duration of their mobility.
Partner universities
Our university has arranged Erasmus+ exchange places with approximately 300 partner universities. This means that you can study tuition-free in EU countries as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, the Republic of Northern Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey. There are also Erasmus+ agreements with the United Kingdom and Switzerland, among others.
Our university is a member of the Utrecht Network and the Arqus European University Alliance. You also have the opportunity to take part in a study stay or do your doctoral studies at these partner universities.
You will find current Erasmus+ exchange places on the portal for study stays abroad. Furthermore, this portal provides you with further information on the exchange, the partner university and the contact details of the responsible departmental coordinator at our university.
Partner universities in the Utrecht Network
| Country | University |
|---|---|
| Austria | University of Graz |
| France | Université Lille-I |
| Latvia | University of Riga |
| Lithuania | Vilnius University |
| Netherlands | Utrecht University |
| Norway | Universitetet i Bergen |
| Switzerland | University of Basel |
| Spain | Complutense University of Madrid (philology only) |
Partner Universities in the Arqus European University Alliance
| Country | University |
|---|---|
| Austria | University of Graz |
| France | Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University |
| Italy | University of Padova |
| Lithuania | Vilnius University |
| Norway | Universitetet i Bergen |
| Poland | University of Wrocław |
| Portugal | University of Minho |
| Spain | University of Granada |
Application and registration
Exchange places based on agreements of your department
You must apply to be nominated for an Erasmus+ exchange place in your field of study in your department.
Please check your department’s websites and ask your Erasmus+ coordinators at the beginning of the winter semester about how the application process works, which application documents you will need and when the closing date for applications is. If your application is successful, you will receive a nomination for an exchange place for one or two semesters at the partner university from your Erasmus+ coordinator.
Your Erasmus+ coordinator will send your nomination to the partner university. You will then receive your nomination and enrolment information on the exchange directly from the partner university. Please follow these instructions and register independently at the partner university with the necessary documents by the given deadline.
University-wide exchange places
Please find out at an early stage whether your field of study is offered at the desired partner university and whether your study plan is feasible. You can list a maximum of three network universities in your application.
The application deadline at the International Centre is 15 February for stays starting the following academic year.
You need to be nominated by your department/Erasmus+ coordinator. This has to be applied for in the same ways as via nomination by your department. Please ask your Erasmus+ coordinator about the procedure and deadlines at the beginning of the winter semester. You have to submit your nomination to the International Centre when you apply.
If you have been nominated, apply at the International Centre by submitting an
- Application form
- Study plan for each of the maximum 3 listed partner universities (informal with study programme name as well as potential courses abroad)
- Nomination for each partner university
Please send these documents in the specified order and as one PDF file by email to the International Centre.
The International Centre makes a formal selection on the basis of these documents, which depends on the number of places and the allocation among study fields (max. 2 places per study field). You will receive feedback by email regarding which partner university you have been selected for as soon as possible (approx. 2 weeks) after the application deadline.
Online Registration
Students must register individually online on the International Centre’s website. You can only register online within a two-month period.
- Log in to the website with your university login details
- Fill out the Online Registration carefully, especially if you are applying for a top-up amount (see further down on this page). The information you provide is used for your grant
- Upload the nomination from your Erasmus+ coordinator
- Submit the Online Registration. You will then receive a PDF document
- Print out the registration PDF document, check your details again and sign it.
- Submit the original signed document with a handwritten signature to the International Centre
- Send to: International Centre, Goethestraße 3 – 5, 04109 Leipzig
- Post in: Letter box for time-sensitive documents, Goethestraße 6, 04109 Leipzig
Please refer to the checklist for further procedures, including the Grant Agreement and Grant Notification, as well as the necessary documents.
Funding
Erasmus+ funds your exchange:
- with Erasmus+ status for the entire duration of the exchange, which is the basis for waiving tuition fees at the partner university;
- if applicable, with financial support, which depends on the duration and destination country and can be granted for part of the stay as a grant for additional costs incurred abroad.
An Erasmus+ study period must last at least 2 calendar months and can last a maximum of 12 funding months (360 days). The Erasmus+ mobility quota for each student comprises 12 funding months per study cycle, i.e. bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, doctoral studies. The maximum funding for state examination and diploma programmes is 24 months. Multiple study stays abroad can also be funded within this quota.
Countries | Funded monthly rate |
|---|---|
Country group 1: | €600 |
Country group 2: | €540 |
Country group 3: | €490 |
Our university usually funds Erasmus+ study stays abroad for one semester. Our total budget is limited meaning that a maximum of EUR 2,400 in financial support is available for this, e.g. in a country from group 1.
One semester
| Duration of stay (0.5 months corresponds to 15 days) | Corresponding number of monthly rates |
|---|---|
| equal to 2 calendar months up to more than 3.5 months of funding | 2 |
| more than 3.5 to 4.5 months of funding | 3 |
| more than 4.5 to 6.5 months of funding | 4 |
| Special case: universities with a trimester structure (according to university websites): more than 5.5 to 6.5 months of funding | 5 |
Two semesters
| Duration of stay (0.5 months corresponds to 15 days) | Corresponding number of monthly rates |
|---|---|
| more than 6.5 to 7.5 months of funding | 5 |
| more than 7.5 to 8.5 months of funding | 6 |
| more than 8.5 to 9.5 months of funding | 7 |
| more than 9.5 to 12.5 months of funding | 8 |
Top-up amounts
Students who receive Erasmus+ financial support can apply for the following top-up amounts. This requires at least a Declaration of Honour regarding the reason for the top-up amount. This declaration is submitted with your signed registration for the study stay abroad. Top-up amounts cannot be applied for retroactively.
However, you must provide evidence of the reasons you need the top-up. You must keep this evidence for a period of up to 6 years after the end of your stay and present it to the International Centre.
No top-up amounts are available for Erasmus+ exchanges with just the Erasmus+ status, such as “zero grant”.
You will receive information about your funding through the Erasmus+ Grant Agreement. This contains the detailed funding conditions and the Grant Notification on the total amount of financial support, including any top-up amounts.
If you use low-emission forms of transport or a carpool for at least 50 percent of your round trip, you are also eligible for a one-time top-up amount of €50. If the journey takes longer than a full day, a maximum of four additional days can be financially supported with the country groups’ corresponding daily funding rate. Bus and train are considered to be low-emission forms of transport. Travelling by plane or ship is not considered environmentally friendly.
You must provide the following evidence:
- generally: tickets and/or receipts that clearly verify your name, the date and the means of transport;
- for carpooling: receipts for booking or informal declaration by the person driving the vehicle, fuel receipt at the destination or screenshot of the route using a suitable tracking app with date information;
- for cycling: screenshots of the route using a suitable tracking app with date information;
- for additional days of travel: evidence for use of transport clearly demonstrates a duration of more than one day.
This top-up amount is aimed at those with fewer opportunities in long-term or short-term mobility so that they can participate in a study stay abroad. If approved, you will receive financial support of €250 per month if one of the following reasons applies:
- Disability or chronic health problems
- Study stay abroad with own child(ren)
- Employment of students
- First generation in the family to access higher education
Disability or chronic health problems
You have a degree of disability of 20 or more or a chronic illness (see the list of the Robert-Koch-Institute), which means that you will have additional financial costs to cover abroad.
You must provide the following evidence:
- Disability: disability card or notice from the state social welfare office
- Chronic health problems: medical certificate confirming that additional financial costs will be incurred abroad because of chronic health problems
Alternatively, an application for real cost compensation can be submitted to the NA DAAD (document only available in German).
Study stay abroad with own child(ren)
Your own child(ren) will be accompanying you on your study stay abroad. Double funding for a child is excluded if both parents take part in the study stay abroad. If there are two or more children, each parent can receive a top-up amount.
You must provide the following evidence:
- Birth certificate and travel documents for child/children’s round trip
- If applicable, confirmation of being registered at a child care or educational institution
- If applicable, confirmation of joint accommodation abroad through a tenancy agreement
Alternatively, an application for real cost compensation can be submitted to the NA DAAD (document only available in German).
Employment of students
A student’s previous employment of at least six continuous months must be terminated or paused due to their study stay abroad. The end of employment for stays in the winter semester must be after 15 June and after 1 November for stays in the summer semester. Monthly net earnings must be between €450 and €850. In the case of several sources of income, the average per month applies. Exclusions: professional self-employment or a grant received during the study stay abroad (not Bafög support) or a traineeship allowance of €300 or more per month.
You must provide the following evidence:
- Pay slips or tax return
First generation in the family to access higher education
Parents or caregivers do not hold a degree in Germany that is considered academic (a list can be found from the Higher Education Compass and the German Accreditation Council). Qualifications obtained abroad are considered non-academic in the country concerned. If the qualification was gained in a country that has changed to another form of government, the date of the qualification is used for the evaluation.
If you want caregivers other than your parents to be taken into consideration, they should have had a continuous relationship with you for several years up to the start of your academic education. If only one parent or caregiver is available or familiar with you, then only this one person will be considered for the verification.
Exceptions are study stays abroad during which you receive a grant (not Bafög support) or a traineeship allowance of €300 or more per month.
You must provide the following evidence:
- Declaration of Honour from the parent(s) or caregiver(s), which states their highest level of qualifications
Online language test via Online Language Support (OLS)
The usual obligation to take the online language test via Online Language Support (OLS) is suspended for WiSe 2023/24. Nevertheless, we recommend that you take a language test via OLS. Please create an account at EU Academy for this purpose.
If the required language is your native language or is not available at OLS, you are exempt from participation. The OLS test is not a valid language certificate.
Learning Agreement
Enter all the modules/courses that you would like to take at the partner university in Table A1. Please bear in mind the following recognition criteria:
- The courses’ learning objectives and qualifications are comparable
- Level of study and workload in the semester are comparable
- Courses at the partner university fit into the qualification objective and study profile of your degree programme
List modules/courses from your degree programme at Leipzig University that will be replaced by modules/courses on your study stay abroad in Table B1. The sum of the credits in Table A1 and B1 may differ.
Then you and your Erasmus+ coordinator sign the Learning Agreement, followed by the partner university. Send the fully completed and signed document as a scan by email to the International Centre. Please note the further recognition steps during and after your study stay abroad.
The Learning Agreement is a compulsory Erasmus+ study document. Our explanatory video shows you how to create it. Please start early to obtain all signatures before your study stay abroad.
Extending or shortening your exchange
Please inform the International Centre promptly by e-mail at least 30 days before the planned end of your stay if you are shortening or extending your exchange, even if it is only for a few days.
- If you stay for less time than planned, you may have to pay back part of your Erasmus+ financial support. If your stay is shorter than the minimum duration of two months, you will have to pay back the full amount received.
- You may be able to extend your stay if you still have funding months in your Erasmus+ monthly allocation and the end of your study period is before 31 July of the respective academic year of the mobility period 2023. A later extension is ruled out due to the time limit of the Erasmus+ funds.
You must let us know if you want to extend your stay by less than one month by email. An extension of more than one month must be applied for. Depending on the change, further documents may have to be submitted or amended if necessary. You will be informed about this separately.
Exchanges in uncertain times
Have you planned a study stay abroad but certain circumstances (e.g. situation in the destination country) have left you uncertain as to whether you want to or are able to do so? Then please note the following information.
Please always follow the provisions and instructions of your host institution regarding entry, e.g. quarantine regulations or security precautions.
Please stick to cost-neutral planning for your study stay abroad for as long as possible.
We recommend:
- waiting as long as possible to book travel tickets, rent a flat in the destination country or similar;
- taking out travel cancellation insurance and health insurance during your stay. Please seek advice on this from your health insurance provider;
- keeping the option of continuing your studies at our university open for as long as possible;
- regularly keeping on top of all information on the host institution’s websites and to subscribing to any newsletters offered there;
- staying in contact with those responsible for your department at our university and any contact persons at the host institution;
- meeting any deadlines set.