All EU member states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, and Norway, Serbia and Turkey participates in Erasmus+. Switzerland is not currently participating in Erasmus+.
International Office coordinates Erasmus +
International Office coordinates the university's participation in Erasmus+. Each department at Umeå University also has an international contact person, who coordinates the department's exchange agreements.
Programme period 2021-2027
Key words for the program period 2021-2027 are:
- Inclusion: The programme will be even more inclusive and the focus is on participants with fewer opportunities. New opportunities for shorter and partly digital mobilities exist so that more students can participate in the programme as well as an increased possibility of funding for certain groups of students (more information can be read below 'Support for students with disabilities or children').
- Sustainability: The new component called Green Erasmus+ will focus on sustainability. This part will be developed during the programme, but so far there is the opportunity for extra travel days and extra funds for all participants, students and staff, who choose more sustainable ways of traveling such as by train, bus and boat.
- Digitization: Opportunities for virtual mobility will be added, and the programme will be paperless - all administration and all processes will be digitized.
- Common values and active citizenship: Focus on active participation in the surrounding society and democratic life.
There are three key actions in the Erasmus+ programme:
Erasmus+ mobility higher education (Key Action 1)
Through Erasmus+ mobility higher education, higher education institutions can apply for funds for exchanges and skills development for staff and students.
The programme offers students to apply for scholarships for exchange studies and/or traineeship abroad.
Staff may apply for funding for a shorter exchange to develop their skills or teach a partner university or a company or an organisation in another European country. More information and teacher and staff exchange.
To be able to participate in certain parts of Erasmus+ mobility higher education, an agreement must be established to set the framework of the cooperation. An agreement must always be the basis for exchange studies and teacher exchange.
International Credit Mobility
International Credit Mobility (ICM) aims at cooperation between programme countries and non-European countries. Within ICM, departments can apply for scholarships for incoming and outgoing students, teachers and staff. For student mobility, it is possible to apply for funding for both undergraduate and graduate level as well as doctoral education. The International Office announces ICM once a year, in December. This year there will be no announcement. [2023-11-15] The announcement will be published on: Funding calls and announcements
More information regarding ICM can be found on Swedish Council for Higher Education's webpage: Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility.
New in Key Action 1
- The requirement for the length of exchange studies is reduced from 90 to 60 days.
- The requirement of at least one year of studies at the academic level before the exchange, is removed, which means that students can go on exchange studies during the first year of study.
- Staff training and teacher exchange can take place at several hosts in the same country during a continuous period.
A number of new program components have been added that relate to the focus on increased inclusion and digitalization.
Blended Intensive Programmes
Students, doctoral students, teachers and staff, can participate in blended exchanges that include a virtual part and a shorter physical mobility.
At least three higher education institutions from program countries must be included in the collaboration to organize a so-called Blended Intensive Program (BIP) where they together create a course with common learning objectives.
Other universities/organisations from partner countries can participate in a BIP, but they must finance the mobility themselves. Coordinating higher education institution is automatically the receiving higher education institution, unless otherwise decided.
- The course must have at least 15 participants from the partner universities and the recommendation is a maximum of 60 participants.
- BIPs have to award at least 3 ECTS credits for students and must include a physical mobility of 5-30 days that is combined with a virtual component without requirements for length. Both the virtual and mobile part involve joint work and must be formally recognized.
- The programme should have added value compared to existing courses or trainings offered by the participating higher education institutions.
Coordinating higher education institution applies for BIP and is then awarded so-called 'organisational support' for the coordination of the course. Organisational support is 6000–8000 euros.
The higher education institution that sends students to participate in BIP finances the students' mobility through standard mobility funds. The scholarship fundsCoo are then 70 euros/day for days 5–14, and then 50 euros/day for days 15–30.
Doctoral mobility
The programme gives doctoral students the opportunity to go on an exchange for 5–30 days. Since doctoral students in Sweden are students, or in some cases both students and employees, it has been possible previously to go on exchange studies, do traineeships, or teacher and staff exchanges. This opportunity is under development please read here for more information.
International Mobility
Key Action 1, which previously only included mobility to Erasmus+ programme countries, now opens up for exchanges to Erasmus+ partner countries, outside Europe. More information will be posted.
Support for students with disabilities or children
All individuals, regardless of their circumstances, should be able to participate and develop through Erasmus+. This means that students who, due to a permanent or long-term disability caused by physical or mental ill-health, or illness, find it difficult to participate in Erasmus+ can receive help with guidance, reception, physical accessibility, financial, pedagogical and technical support.
There are different forms of support for outgoing students:
Top-up: Students who have a permanent or long-term disability, caused by physical or mental illness, can apply for an extra top-up in addition to the regular scholarship amount to cover extra costs for e.g. special transport, adapted accommodation, preparatory sign language course, adaptation of teaching materials or similar. The current top-up is 250 EUR/month.
Students with children, regardless of whether the child is joining the mobility or not, can apply for an extra top-up in addition to the regular scholarship amount. The current top-up is 250 EUR/month.
Students who have both a disability and children are only granted a top-up.
Language support: support for language studies through either Erasmus+ Online Language Support (available for all students going on Erasmus+) or through grants to learn languages in other ways. Sign language users have the opportunity to learn the sign language used in the host country.
Inclusion support actual costs: If the student has special needs, you can apply for extra grants for costs such as adapted accommodation, assistance on the trip, medical care, aids, adaptation of teaching materials or companions. The grant is based on the student's actual costs and can be applied for if the costs exceed the amount that the student receives through top-up. The application must be submitted to the Swedish Council for Higher Education and approved before the student goes on exchange.
More detailed information can be found in Internationaliseringsforum on Teams.
Cooperation among organisations and institutions (Key Action 2)
Erasmus + provides the opportunity to apply for funding to develop collaborations in education, such as joint courses and programmes, but also support for digitization and module development.
Key Action 2 is about collaborations for innovation and exchange of experience. It is divided into three levels:
- Partnerships for Cooperation
- Partnerships for Excellence
- Partnerships for Innovation
News in Key Action 2
Preparation for Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees
Under the new programme, it is possible to apply for project funding for preparation for Erasmus Mundus' joint master's program for a consortium interested in starting a joint master's program, but has not yet fully prepared.
Teacher Academies
Teacher Academies aims at creating partnerships among teacher education programmes in the EU. The idea of the programme is to increase the European dimension in teacher education within the Union, to test different pedagogical models and mobilities (virtual, physical and blended) and to create sustainable cooperation between training actors within the EU.
Cooperation Partnerships
The project form is very similar to the form that in the previous programme period was called 'Strategic Partnerships', but with some differences; the opportunity to include different kinds of organisations (and not just universities) and also organisations from partner countries.
Support for Policy Development and Cooperation (Key Action 3)
Key Action 3 is about support for policy and system change at a European level. Under this Key Action is e.g. Jean Monnet.
Note that due to covid-19 and delayed budget negotiations in the EU, unfortunately no funds/programs/projects for Erasmus+ international credit mobility and capacity building will be announced in 2021.
Information for students
Students find information about traineeship and exchange studies on the student web.
Exchange studies in Europe
Traineeship in Europe