Erasmus+ grants for Traineeships

Conditions for Erasmus+ applications 

In order to qualify for a grant, you must at least comply with the following conditions:

• You must be registered in a study programme at Bachelor's or Master's level, or for a supplementary/Doctorate programme, which culminates with a diploma from a recognised institution of higher education (pre-master not applicable).
• The traineeship or courses taken at the receiving institution/enterprise must be integrated and recognized in your study programme at UU.
• You have successfully completed a first year of higher education studies and started the second year.
• You will register for and complete a full-time (see below) study/work load at the receiving institution/enterprise.
• You will be physically present at the receiving organisation and undertake your Traineeship in another country than The Netherlands, and in another country than your current country of residence.
• If (during your Traineeship) your situation changes and you no longer meet these requirements, then you retroactively lose your right to the grant (see Grant Amount for further information).

Language assessment

• Each Erasmus+ grantee must undertake an online language assessment both at the start and at the end of the mobility period if the language of instruction during studies abroad is one of the following: Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Spanish or Swedish. Exceptions are made for native speakers in the language, but please know that the rules regarding exceptions are very strict.
• We will send you an invitation for the online test in due course. Your results do not influence whether you are eligible for the grant, but you do have to take the test as a requirement to complete your file. This is to see whether students' linguistic capacities improve during the traineeship period, as this is an important pillar of the Erasmus+ programme. 

Restrictions 

• Under Erasmus+ the same student may receive grants for mobility periods totaling up to 12 months maximum per study cycle (Bachelor, Master, PhD), irrespective of the number and type of mobility activities. 
• Utrecht University does not award Erasmus+ Traineeship grants to students who will receive an internship allowance from the receiving organisation as high as the grant amount (see below) or more per month.
• Traineeships at the European Union institutions and National Agencies for Erasmus+ are not eligible for Erasmus+ grants.

Application deadlines 2022-2023

Please note: the sooner you submit your application, the sooner we can process it. We realize that students with a start date in August or early September would like to receive their grant soon. We will do our best to check your file as soon as possible, and process applications in order of start date when possible.

Deadlines report requirements at the end of your Traineeship

Grant Amount

The Erasmus+ grant is meant as a contribution to cover additional travel and living costs abroad. The grant amounts per month have been determined by the National Agency Erasmus+. In the table below you will find the amounts per Traineeship month for each of the three country groups.

TopUps and Special Needs Funding

Under some circumstances, students may receive additional funding for Green Travel, Fewer Opportunities, or Special Needs. Please see 'TopUps and Special Needs Funding'.

Erasmus+ TopUps

The Erasmus+ Programme aims to promote sustainable travel, as well as inclusive opportunities for international mobility. Under certain conditions, students can therefore receive an Erasmus+ TopUp, an extra amount on top of their normal Erasmus+ Grant (the TopUp cannot be applied for on its own without also applying for the Erasmus+ Grant). If you want to receive one of the two TopUps listed below: first make sure you are eligible, and then follow the necessary steps. 

1. Green TopUP

If you use an environmentally friendly means of transport to travel to and from your host country, you are eligible to receive a Green Travel TopUp.

• You will travel by train, bus, or ride-share to your traineeship destination.
• You are willing to sign a Declaration of Honor to this effect.
• The Green TopUp is a one-time payment of € 50,- 
• It is not possible to receive this TopUp if you are going to the UK. 

To apply for the Green TopUp:

• In your Erasmus+ Grant application in Osiris, choose the option for the Green TopUp. 
• Upload your signed Declaration of Honor (download).
• We will inform you about the payment of the TopUp at a later stage.
• It does not matter if you also apply for/receive a Travel Green Grant. These are separate processes.

2. TopUp for Fewer Opportunities

Erasmus+ offers a TopUp for Students with Fewer Opportunities. The TopUp amount is € 250,- per month, based on the duration of your Erasmus+ Grant period. You are eligible if one of the following two situations applies to you:

1. You receive a supplementary grant (i.e. aanvullende beurs) from DUO.
2. You have a disability or a diagnosed (chronic) medical condition which may influence and complicate travel and/or studying abroad.

To apply for the Fewer Opportunities TopUp:

• The application process for the Fewer Opportunities TopUp will open in Osiris on December 16th, 2022.
• Go to Osiris > Stay Abroad > Grants, and select the TopUp process.
• In the TopUp application process, you will have to upload the official letter from DUO granting your supplementary grant (i.e. the DUO Toekenningsbericht - the date, your name, and the grant amount must be clearly visible), OR a medical statement. A medical statement can be a statement from your doctor, or a copy of an official document which states that you have a diagnosed (i.e. recognised) condition. If you want to keep your condition private then you may upload a statement from a medical professional which makes it clear that you have a diagnosed condition which can impact travel/study abroad, but which does not explicitly name the condition.
• It is not possible to receive this TopUp twice, even if you fall under both categories. If you fall in both groups, then you may upload EITHER a DUO-statement, OR a medical statement, whichever is easiest for you.
• It is not possible to receive this TopUp if you are going to the UK. 

We will judge your application and inform you of the result in due course. Please note: the TopUp can only be officially awarded once the Erasmus+ Grant has been awarded to you. You cannot receive a Topup if you are not eligible for the Erasmus Grant. You can apply for the TopUp simultaneously, but note that we can not fully process your TopUp request before your Erasmus+ Grant application is complete and approved by the Erasmus Office.

If your application for the Fewer Opportunities TopUp is successful, then the total amount will be calculated (retroactively) based on the dates on your Learning Agreement and/or CoA.

Additional Special Needs Funding

Students who have a diagnosed medical condition or disability which makes it impossible to study abroad without additional financial support (i.e. who need to cover costs which cannot be covered by the regular Erasmus Grant and the Fewer Opportunities TopUp) may be eligible to apply for Special Needs Funding. Applications are based on an estimation of actual (expected) costs, so that the National Agency Erasmus+ may grant the student a specific personal budget in addition to the regular grant amount. 

This extra funding may cover, for example:

• Costs for specific housing-needs, such as wheelchair-accessible housing.
• Costs for renting medical equipment abroad.
• The travel costs of an additional person if the student cannot travel alone.

This is not an exhaustive list and other types of costs may be eligible as well. If you have any questions about this or if you believe you may be eligible to apply, please feel free to send an e-mail to erasmus{at}uu.nl.

Grant application step-by-step

1. Before you can apply for an Erasmus+ grant, you need to register your traineeship/internship abroad period in OSIRIS Student. Go to the Stay abroad (Buitenland) section in OSIRIS and start a new request for Internship / research / other stay abroad. Do not forget to submit your application. 
    

2. You can continue preparing your grant application (step 3 and 4), but the online application for the Erasmus+ Traineeship grant (step 5) can only be started after your traineeship/internship registration has been approved by your faculty. More information can be obtained at the International Office of your faculty. Please contact them as soon as you have finished step 1. Contact details can be found on this page. 
    

3. Download the Learning agreement for Traineeships 2022-2023 (for all destinations except the UK) 
   Download the Learning agreement for Traineeships with a UK destination 2022-2023 (for UK destinations only, see below for more information)
    

4. Complete the Learning agreement by filling out the general part, and the BEFORE THE MOBILITY part (including your signature). Get the document signed by your UU (faculty) exchange coordinator or placement coordinator for the Sending Institution and your supervisor/coordinator at the Receiving Organisation. Digital and scanned signatures are allowed, if necessary you can arrange all per email.
    

5. Have your IBAN (International Bank Account Number) ready. You MUST enter your IBAN in the online application, we cannot disburse an Erasmus+ grant without your IBAN! Payments to foreign bank accounts take more time and require more bank details. If you have a non-Dutch account, you have to fill out the BIC/SWIFT and address for your bank (main branch), otherwise we cannot process the payment.
    

6. Start your online grant application in Osiris Student. Go to the Stay Abroad (Buitenland) section in Osiris and you will find the Grant option behind your (conditionally) approved Stay Abroad request. Fill out all the questions and upload the correct documents. All uploads in Osiris have to be in a commonly used format (.docx, .pdf, .jpeg). ZIP files cannot be opened. Don't forget to press submit.
    

Going to a UK destination?

Despite the consequences of Brexit, it is still be possible to apply for an Erasmus+ grant if you are going to the UK in academic year 2022-2023 and your Traineeship takes place before June 2023. There are a few points to take into account:

• You need to use a different Learning Agreement (see point 1 above).
• For UK destinations, the Stay Abroad needs to last at least 3 months.
• Please note that the start date of your Traineeship cannot be later than February 28. 
• Please note that the end date of your Traineeship cannot be later than May 31.
• When you get to point 6 (see above) choose the grant application for UK destinations in Osiris.
• Students who are going to the UK can not apply for any of the Erasmus+ TopUps (exceptions are not possible).

When will I receive a decision?

Once you have submitted your application, please wait for us to inform you about your application. Sometimes, one or two things need to be adjusted in your application or Learning Agreement before we can process your file further, but we will contact you if this is the case. If everything is in order, we will e-mail you in due course to inform you that your application has been (conditionally) approved. Please be patient, as the Erasmus Office deals with many files at once, so it may take a while before you hear from us. 

Conditional grant award

Once you have received the e-mail that your application has been conditionally approved, read the Erasmus+ TRAINEESHIP timeline and instructions (which we will send to you by e-mail). This document will guide you through the Erasmus+ process and help you to complete all the necessary steps so that you do not lose the right to your Erasmus+ grant. For each stage in the procedure a new question or upload option will be opened in Osiris in due course.

Take the OLS language test

Take the (first) online language test as soon as you receive the invitation by e-mail. You can read more about the mandatory language assessment under Conditions and Restrictions and in the Erasmus+ STUDIES timeline and instructions (see above).

Grant payments

The first payment will consist of 80% of the total grant amount, as calculated based on your Learning Agreement. The total grant amount is the monthly amount for each full month abroad, plus 1/30 of the stated amount for each additional day. The first payment will be made out to you once you have received the notification that your grant has been conditionally approved (see also: step 5 of the Application Instructions below).

Please note: the first payment may arrive some weeks after your start date. The timing is dependent on when your application is complete, processing times at the Erasmus Office, and processing times at the UU Financial Department.

Final payment

The second and final payment will be calculated and transferred after your exchange, and only once your file is complete and everything has been processed. 

Calculation of final payment

Please note that if the actual dates of your Stay Abroad turn out to be different from the dates initially stated on your Learning Agreement, the total Grant Amount will be recalculated and the final payment will be adjusted accordingly. If it turns out that your actual grant period is shorter than initially stated on your Learning Agreement then you will receive a smaller final payment than initially expected. If your grant period is much shorter than initially stated then you may have to pay back part of the already received Grant Amount to the university.

Completing your Erasmus+ file

Your Erasmus+ grant has been awarded conditionally and will only be definitively awarded after you have completed your entire file. This means you have to complete/upload the required report documents and assessments before the appropriate deadlines (see above).

The Timeline and instructions will guide you through all steps you must take to have your Erasmus+ grant awarded definitively, including the Report Requirements at the end of your Stay Abroad. If the grant was already conditionally awarded to you, then his document has already been sent to you by e-mail, but it can also be find below for reference:

Timeline and instructions

Erasmus+ TRAINEESHIP Timeline and Instructions (download)

• Please read the instructions carefully.
• Check the various deadlines.
• Be aware that some requirements are online reports or assessments, for which you will receive the invitation, link and deadline directly from the European Commission by e-mail.
• UU formats for the other obligatory report documents can be found below. Do NOT use other formats!

Report documents 

Traineeship certificate

If you graduate before January 2023 and want to do a Traineeship after your graduation, it may be possible to receive an Erasmus+ grant for your time abroad. This option may also become available for students graduating after that date (please check back for more information at a later date).

Conditions

In order to qualify for a grant, you must at least comply with the following conditions:

• You must be registered at Utrecht University as a student (so not yet graduated) at the moment you apply for the grant.
• Your Traineeship takes place within a year after your graduation.
• You will be physically present at the receiving institution.
• You will undertake your Traineeship in a country other than the Netherlands, and other than your country of residence during your final year at UU.
• Your Traineeship comprises a full-time workload (according to the common rules in the country of destination, usually 38-40 hours per week).
• The duration of your Traineeship period is 2 months minimum (3 months for UK destinations).
• You agree to undertake an online language assessment both before and at the end of the mobility period in order to monitor progress in language competences, if the language of communication (traineeship) is Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Spanish or Swedish. Exceptions are made for native speakers in the language. You will receive a link to this test in due course.

Restrictions

• Under Erasmus+ the same student may receive grants for mobility periods totaling up to 12 months maximum in each cycle of study (bachelor, master, PhD), irrespective of the number and type of mobility activities. The Traineeship after graduation is counted within the study cycle in which the student applies for the grant (so the cycle from which you are about to graduate).
• Utrecht University does not award Erasmus+ Traineeship grants to students who will receive an internship allowance from the receiving organisation as high as the grant amount or more per month. (Grant amounts for Traineeships are listed per country above, under 'Grant Amount'.)
• Traineeships at European Union institutions and National Agencies for Erasmus+ are not eligible for Erasmus+ grants.

Application process 

If you are eligible, and only once you have finalized your Traineeship plans with the receiving institution, then the application process is as follows:

• Inform your faculty's International Office of your plans and apply for a Stay Abroad through Osiris Student.
• You fill out the Learning Agreement for Traineeships 2022-2023. Choose box 3 in Table B of the Learning Agreement.
• Have this document signed by the correct parties: at the Receiving Institution this is your traineeship/internship your coordinator or supervisor, and at UU this is your faculty's International Officer. 
• Start your application in Osiris (Stay Abroad > Grants), upload the signed Learning Agreement in your application, and submit your application by pressing the 'submit' button.
• All of the above steps need to be completed before your graduation date (this is a hard rule, and we cannot make exceptions), and at least six weeks prior to the start of your Traineeship. 
• You will hear from us in due course about your application. If any adjustments need to be made to your Learning Agreement, we will contact you about this as well.