Erasmus+ Grants for Studies

Conditions for Erasmus+ Applications

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

• You will undertake your Exchange in a country other than The Kingdom of the Netherlands.
• You are registered in a study programme at Bachelor's or Master's level, or for a PhD, which culminates with a diploma from Utrecht University (pre-master not applicable).
• Your study programme is eligible for the Erasmus+ Grant (see Table A below).
• The duration of your Exchange is 2 months or more.
• You have successfully completed a first year (i.e. Bachelor's year 1) of higher education studies when your Stay Abroad begins.
• You will register for and complete a full-time study/work load (see Table B below) at the receiving institution (i.e. your host university). Virtual/online courses do not count for the minimum ECTS requirement.
• Your courses abroad will be recognized on your diploma supplement.
• You will live in the country of the receiving institution.
• You have not been living in the country of your exchange during your regular study programme at UU (not counting previous Stay Abroad periods). 

Table A

Table B

Maximum Erasmus+ grants in total

Under Erasmus+ rules, the same student may not receive Erasmus+ grants for Mobility Periods totaling up to more than 12 months within the same study cycle (study cycle = Bachelor, Master, or PhD). If you have received an Erasmus+ grant before during the same study cycle (either from UU or another institution), then you are obliged to report this in your grant application. 

Maximum grant period 2026-2027

Due to limited budgets, the maximum Erasmus+ Grant Period for UU students going abroad in academic year 2026-2027 is 3 months + 22 days (except for students from the Master's programme Global Challenges for Sustainability). If your Exchange lasts longer, the remaining days will be awarded as 'Zero Grant Days' (you will still be an Erasmus+ student for the remaining period, but you will not receive funding during that time). See 'Grant Amount' below for more information. 

Apply on time

If you want to receive an Erasmus+ Grant from Utrecht University, then your Grant Application has to be submitted in Osiris by the deadline below. Your application deadline is based on your start date. Your start date is the first day on which you need to be physically present for a mandatory activity (i.e. an introduction, or your first day of classes) at your host university.

Start with your Learning Agreement

You cannot submit your Grant Application unless you have a fully approved Learning Agreement (i.e. approved by you, your UU International Office, and the Receiving Organisation). This can take several weeks to arrange. See 'How to apply' for further information about the Learning Agreement. 

Deadlines 2026-2027

Basic Grant Amount

The Erasmus+ grant is a contribution to cover 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 basic grant amounts per month in academic year 2026-2027. The amounts below are per full month of the Grant Period (Erasmus+ always counts a full month as 30 days), any additional grant days are calculated proportionally (monthly amount / 30). 

Maximum Grant period

Utrecht University receives a limited budget from the European Commission for the Erasmus+ Grants. To give as many students as possible an Erasmus+ Grant, we have to set a maximum grant period per student (based on available budget for the academic year). Erasmus+ budgets differ between institutions, so other universities may be able to give their students an Erasmus+ Grant for longer or shorter periods. 

Erasmus+ Top-up

Students who experience economic or medical/health-related barriers may receive additional funding on top of the Basic Grant Amount. Please see 'Erasmus+ Top-up' below for further information. 

Travel Allowance

In addition to the Basic Grant Amount, students will receive 'Travel Allowance' to help cover travel to and from the exchange destination. This is a one-time amount (i.e. not per month) which is automatically added in full to the first Grant Payment (see: 'Grant Payments' below). Travel Allowance is based on:

• Distance to your destination, as calculated using the Erasmus+ Distance Calculator ('start' is always Utrecht, 'end' is the city/town where your host institution is based), and;
• The main mode of transport used for at least half of your round trip (in terms of distance travelled in km). Below 500 km, you are in principle expected to travel sustainably.

In order to receive the Travel Allowance amount for Green Travel, you have to travel by sustainable means and upload a Declaration of Honour in your application (see 'Green Travel' below for further information). 

Green Travel According to Erasmus+

In your Erasmus+ grant application in Osiris you will have to specify the main means of transportation you intend to use for at least half of your round trip (in terms of distance travelled in km). This determines your Travel Allowance amount (see 'Grant Amount' above). If you are travelling sustainably, and upload a Declaration of Honour (see below), then you are eligible for a higher amount of funding. Erasmus+ regards only the options in right column in the table below as sustainable/green travel:

Sign your Declaration of Honour

In order to receive the higher amount of Travel Allowance for Green Travel, you have to sign the Declaration of Honour and upload it in your Erasmus+ Grant application in Osiris. 

Interrail Pass for Erasmus+

If you want to travel by train, make sure to take a look at the Interrail Pass for Erasmus+. This is an Interrail Pass with a longer validity period, so that you can use it at the beginning and at the end of your exchange semester. Be aware that place reservations on high speed trains will cost extra, and can get expensive. Calculate your costs before deciding on the best type of ticket to buy.

Tips & Tricks 

• Buy your tickets as soon as possible, because ticket prices for trains tend to go up and travel options disappear once you get closer to your travel date. Buying ahead saves money!
• NS International and Omio.com are handy websites for booking tickets. Combine different online search engines to get a fuller picture of all available options.
• Night trains such as European Sleeper and Nightjet run from the Netherlands to many locations in Europe. Taking a night train (in a sleep cabin) may seem expensive but for longer journeys this can be the most economical option, as this allows you to save on hotel/hostel costs along the way. 

Top-up for Fewer Opportunities

Erasmus+ offers a Top-up for students with Fewer Opportunities of € 250,- per month on top of your Basic Grant Amount and Travel Allowance. The Top-up amount, like the Basic Grant Amount, is based on the duration of your Erasmus+ Grant Period. You are eligible if:

• you experience economic barriers and therefore receive (or have received, see below) a supplementary grant (i.e. aanvullende beurs) from DUO, and/or;
• you have a disability or a diagnosed chronic medical condition which may complicate travel and/or studying abroad.

How to apply for the Top-up?

In your Erasmus+ Grant application in Osiris, you will be asked if you want to apply for the Erasmus+ Top-up for Fewer Opportunities. If you answer 'yes', you will need to upload one of the following types of proof:

• Official letter from DUO - The official letter granting your supplementary grant, i.e. the DUO Toekenningsbericht (the date, your name, and the grant amount must be clearly visible). This letter should not be older than two years, counting from the end of the allocated supplementary grant period (‘Periode Aanvullende Beurs’ as mentioned in the letter from DUO).
• 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.

If you fall in both groups, then you may upload EITHER a DUO-statement, OR a medical statement, whichever is preferable to you. 

What if I don't have the right proof?

If you believe you have grounds to receive the Top-up (i.e. you fall under one of the two categories described above) but you cannot provide the required documentation, please contact the UU Erasmus Office and explain your situation. In exceptional cases, students are allowed to upload a different type of proof than stated above. 

Grant application step-by-step

1. Read the Conditions (see above) and the information about the Erasmus+ Top-up (see above) carefully before applying for the grant.
    
2. Complete the online Learning Agreement in Osiris. (Click here for technical instructions.)
   
   Important note on dates: Your start date is the first day on which you have to be present at your exchange university for a mandatory activity such as an introduction activity or your first class on location. The end date is not the date on which the semester ends, but (your best estimate of) your last mandatory activity abroad, such as the end of the regular exam period. Resit exams are not included in the grant period.
    
3. Submit your Learning Agreement and wait for your Sending Institution (UU) and your Receiving Institution (host university) to approve your Learning Agreement.
    
4. Before you start the Erasmus+ Grant application in Osiris, have your IBAN (International Bank Account Number) ready. If you have a non-Dutch account, you must fill out the BIC/SWIFT and address for your bank (main branch) as well, otherwise we may not be able to process your grant payment in time.
    

5. Apply for the Erasmus+ Grant by going to the Stay Abroad (Buitenland) section in Osiris and click on your Stay Abroad Request. In the 'Further Actions' tab, choose the Erasmus+ Grant application. Answer all the questions and upload the correct documents. (For further information about the Top-up, Travel Allowance, and the Declaration of Honour for Green Travel, see above.) All uploads in Osiris have to be in a commonly used format (.docx, .pdf). ZIP files cannot be opened. 

   When you are done with the application in Osiris, don't forget to press submit.

    

After you have submitted your application

The UU Erasmus Office will review your application and inform you if there are any mistakes that need to be rectified. You will be notified once your file is deemed complete, and the grant is officially awarded to you. This usually happens within 4 weeks after you submit your application. Please be patient, as the Erasmus Office deals with many applications at the same time. 

Erasmus+ Grant Payments

The Erasmus+ grant is not paid per month, but in two installments. You will receive one larger payment at the beginning of your exchange, and one smaller payment once you have returned home and completed your Grant application file in Osiris.

First payment

The first payment will consist of 80% of the Basic Grant Amount, 80% of any Top-up Amount awarded to you, and the Travel Allowance (100%).(See 'Grant Amount' above for more information.) The first payment will usually be transferred to your account within three weeks after you have received the notification that the grant has been officially awarded to you, but processing times may be slightly longer in busy periods.

Please note: If you submitted in time but your application still needed corrections, the first payment may arrive some time after your start date.

Final payment

The second and final payment will be transferred after your exchange, and only once your file is complete and everything has been processed. At the end of your Stay Abroad, you will hand in a Certificate of Attendance. If the dates on your Certificate of Attendance differ from the Mobility Period as listed on your Grant Agreement, your total Grant Amount may be recalculated. See Checklist part 2 for more information (you will receive this checklist per e-mail).  

IMPORTANT NOTE: The information below is applicable to students who have been on a Stay Abroad in academic year 2025-2026. This information has not yet been updated for students who are going on exchange in 2026-2027. 

Complete 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 Erasmus Grant Checklist document 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. You have received this document by e-mail when your grant was provisionally awarded, but it can also be found below for reference:

Erasmus Checklist Part 2 (download)

• Please read the instructions carefully.
• Check the various deadlines.
• Please be aware that you will receive the invitation for the Participant Report not from UU, but as an e-mail from the European Commission's Erasmus+ system.
• The UU format for the Certificate of Attendance can be found below. Do not use other formats!

Report documents 

Certificate of attendance - Studies 

Deadlines report requirements at the end of your Exchange*

Extra help during your application

If you need extra help during the application process for the Erasmus+ Grant, and you feel comfortable sharing this information: please make sure your Exchange Coordinator or Faculty International Office knows about your situation in advance so that they can give you extra guidance. This may be the case, for example, if you have a medical condition which impairs your visual abilities. 

Additional Special Needs Funding

Students who have a diagnosed medical condition or disability which makes it impossible to study abroad without extra financial support (in addition to the regular Erasmus Grant plus the Fewer Opportunities Top-up) 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. 

Special Needs 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.
• Costs for travelling with a support animal.

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@uu.nl.

Email

You can contact the Erasmus+ Office for questions about your grant through erasmus@uu.nl.

Teams

It is also possible to make an appointment with the Erasmus+ Office via Teams. If you have a question, please use the calendar below to make an appointment. We will call you on Teams (video call) during the appointed time.

When you make your appointment, you should give a good (detailed) description of your question. Otherwise we may not be able to answer your question during the call. 

If you are unable to make it to your appointment, please don't forget to cancel.