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Scholarship

Erasmus+ for Traineeships

You can apply for an Erasmus+ traineeship grant if you are a Bachelor/Master/PhD student and want to do a traineeship at a partner university, organisation or enterprise in Europe.

Deadline
One month before the start date of your Erasmus+ period
Target group
Bachelor, Master, PhD
Countries/ nationalities
You can do a traineeship in any of the Erasmus+ programme countries, which include the EU member states plus the Republic of North Macedonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Serbia and Turkey. Be aware that your Erasmus+ period cannot take place in the Netherlands.
Scholarship type
Internship
Faculty
Archaeology, Humanities, Medicine/LUMC, Governance and Global Affairs, Law, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Science, Interfacultair Centrum voor Lerarenopleiding, Onderwijsontwikkeling en Nascholing (ICLON), African Studies Centre, International Institute for Asian Studies

Leiden University travel policy

You may only go abroad for study-related activities to destinations to which travel is permitted according to Leiden University’s travel policy. See the Study abroad - Health and Safety page for details.

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 no longer 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 - € 510 per month
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Norway and Sweden.

Group 2 - € 450 per month
Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain.

Group 3 - € 390 per month
Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey.

Switzerland
Students planning to study in Switserland 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 Internships 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 the scholarship application is approved, you will receive a notification via email. Within this email you will find instructions to log in to the Study Abroad Portal where you will see the Acceptance tab. Here you can download the Grant Agreement, read it carefully and sign it.
  3. On the same Acceptance tab you can download the Learning Agreement for Traineeships. Fill out the 'Before the Mobility' section of this document. 
  4. Sign the Learning Agreement and ask the relevant persons at both Leiden University and the receiving organisation to do the same. Save this document as a PDF file.
  5. After signing your Grant Agreement and completing your Learning Agreement, you can upload both documents on the Acceptance tab. Be sure to click on Submit! 
    Please notice that you upload the Learning Agreement that is signed by both coordinators. Learning Agreements that are not signed by both coordinators 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 2023-2024:
    • 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 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 'Green travel' top-up payment. By sustainable is meant travel by train, bus or carpooling. More information on sustainable travel options can be found here.

  • You can receive a one-off contribution of € 50.
  • If applicable, 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. Payments amount to € 8 to € 12 per travel day, depending on the distance to/from your destination
  • See the Overview of Erasmus+ countries - Green travel for more information.

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: in your Erasmus+ application, upload 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.

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.

Background

For more than 30 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.

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