For who

You must be registered at Leiden University as a bachelor's or master's student; or as a PhD candidate but not on the basis of an employment contract with Leiden University.

Employed as a PhD candidate? 

Do you have an employment contract with Leiden University as a PhD candidate? Instead, apply for the Erasmus+ for training or Erasmus+ for teaching assignments.

Doing a traineeship in the UK?

You can unfortunately not apply for Erasmus+. Instead, apply for a LUSTRA+ scholarship. 

Eligibility requirements

• Your  traineeship must be a recognised part of your Bachelor, Master or PhD  programme at Leiden University.
• You must have an address in The Netherlands at the time of requesting the scholarship.
• You may apply for an Erasmus+ grant totaling up to a maximum of twelve months per study cycle (BA/MA/PhD).
• The duration of your Erasmus+ traineeship must be between 2 months (60 days) and 12 months (360 days).
• Your traineeship must be full time (35-40 hours per week).

Obligations

• During your stay abroad you must continue to pay the statutory tuition fee to Leiden University.  
• You must complete an online language assessment before and at the end of your Erasmus+ period.
• You must complete an online participant report after your Erasmus+ period.
• You must submit all the required documents on time before, during and after your Erasmus+ period (see the checklist below). Failure to do so will result in you being obliged to pay back the full Erasmus+ grant.

Exclusions

• Erasmus+ Traineeships may not take place at European institutions, or agencies that manage EU funding. See the European Union website for further information.
• If you receive a salary or allowance for your traineeship, which is equal to or more than the Erasmus+ grant, you can only apply for a zero-grant status.

Scholarship amount

The amount granted is calculated based on the exact number of days spent abroad and the destination country. Erasmus+ countries are divided into three groups in terms of the amount of funds awarded:

Group 1 - € 540 per month
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway and Sweden.

Group 2 - € 510 per month
Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Türkiye.

Switzerland
Students planning to study in Switzerland cannot apply for an Erasmus+ grant. Swiss higher education institutions can apply for Swiss grants to finance incoming student mobility via the Swiss – European Mobility Programme. Traineeships in Switzerland are only possible if the traineeship is coordinated by a Swiss higher education institution. If you want to apply for a grant through the Swiss – European Mobility Programme, then you need to contact your receiving institution to discuss the possibilities.

Application process

1. Go to the Study Abroad Portal and request your Erasmus+ grant for traineeships at least one month before the start of your Erasmus+ period. For instructions on how to do so, please download the Erasmus+ Checklist of administrative procedures.
2. As soon as your scholarship application has been approved, you will receive notification by email. This email will instruct you to log into the Study Abroad Portal and go to the Acceptance tab.
3. On the Acceptance tab:
   • Download your Grant Agreement, read it carefully, then sign it.
   • Download your Learning Agreement for Traineeships, complete the 'Before the Mobility' section, then sign it. 
4. Ask the relevant persons at both Leiden University and the receiving organisation to also sign your Learning Agreement. Then save it as a PDF file.

5. Upload the completed and signed Grant Agreement and Learning Agreement on the Acceptance tab. Make sure to click on Submit! 
   Important: your Learning Agreement must be signed by both coordinators (i.e. at Leiden University and the receiving organisation), otherwise it will not be approved.

6. Your Erasmus+ grant will be transferred to your bank account at least 2 weeks before the start date of your period abroad. 

Important

• Due to limited funds available in the academic year 2024-2025:
  • We cannot guarantee that all applicants who meet the eligibility criteria will be awarded a grant. Funds will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so the earlier you apply, the greater your chance of being awarded a grant. 
  • Students will receive a grant for a maximum period of 6 months (180 days); for any additional days they will be given 0-grant status.
• Make sure to download the Erasmus+ checklist of all procedures to be taken care of before, during and after your stay abroad.
• If you cannot submit a required document before the relevant deadline, due to circumstances beyond your control, notify the Scholarships Team via outbound@sea.leidenuniv.nl as soon as possible and at least before the deadline in question.  

Additional financial support for (sustainable) travel

If you use an environmentally friendly, sustainable means of transport for your journey to and from your host country, you may be entitled to a higher 'Green travel' payment. By sustainable is meant travel by bus, train or bike. If you travel sustainably you can also receive 2 or 4 days of additional 'individual support' to cover your travel days. This is calculated on the basis of your outbound and inbound journeys together and depends on the distance to/from your desitination.

Travel distance*	Green travel	Non-green travel
10 – 99 km	€ 56	€ 28
100 – 499 km	€ 285	€ 211
500 – 1999 km	€ 417	€ 309
2000 – 2999 km	€ 535	€ 395
3000 – 3999 km	€ 785	€ 580
4000 – 7999 km	€ 1188	€ 1188
8000 km or more	€ 1735	€ 1735

*The distance is calculated using Leiden as a starting point and the city of the host institution as the destination.

More information on sustainable travel options and tips on how to travel sustainably can be found on our Sustainable travel page.

Additional financial support for students with diagnosed medical condition and/or DUO supplementary grant  

If you receive a supplementary grant from DUO and/or have a diagnosed medical condition that influences and complicates travel and studying abroad, you may be entitled to an 'Inclusion' top-up payment of € 250 per month. 

• If you receive a supplementary grant from DUO: in your Erasmus+ application, upload the official letter granting these funds (toekenningsbericht).
• If you have a diagnosed medical condition: a medical statement from your doctor confirming that your condition influences and complicates travel and studying abroad. The statement does not need to mention the nature of your condition and may be no older than 6 months.

Additional financial support for students with a disability and/or special needs

If you have a disability and/or special needs and you are eligible for an Erasmus+ for traineeships grant, Leiden University can apply for additional financial support from the Erasmus+ programme on your behalf.

• Read more detailed information about the application procedure and eligibility requirements, and download a financial support agreement form for students and staff with disabilities.  

Background

For more than 35 years, the European Union has funded the Erasmus+ programme, which has enabled over five million European students to spend part of their studies at another higher education institution or with an organisation in Europe.

Disclaimer Leiden University

The Scholarships Team of Leiden University is responsible for the administration of the Erasmus+ programme for outgoing student mobility. It is, however, at all times the responsibility of the student to ensure that all the required documents are complete, signed and submitted within the timelines given. If you do not submit the required documents on time, no claim can be made on the Erasmus+ grant and you will need to pay back the full Erasmus+ grant.
Please note: If you have to return early you may have to pay back (part of) your Erasmus+ grant.

Disclaimer European Commission

Erasmus+ for Traineeships is funded with support from the European Commission. This publication (webpage) reflects the views only of the author. The European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained on this webpage.

Documents

• Annex 1 - Checklist administrative procedure Erasmus+ grant for Traineeships for mobilities with a start date after 1 June 2024.
  Make sure to study this checklist carefully.
• Annex 4 - Erasmus+ Student Charter  
  Highlights your rights and obligations as an Erasmus+ student.
• European Charter for Higher Education (ECHE)
  Provides the general framework for the European cooperation activities, that a higher education institution (HEI) may carry out within the Erasmus+ programme.
• Leiden University's European Policy Statement
  Sets out Leiden University's agenda on international mobility and collaboration and higher education modernisation.

Only for mobilities with a start date before 1 June 2024:

• Annex 1 - Checklist administrative procedure Erasmus+ grant for Traineeships with a start date before 1 June 2024.
  Make sure to study this checklist carefully.