All you need to know about the Erasmus Grant

The European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students, otherwise known as Erasmus is an EU student exchange programme that has been helping people study internationally for 30 years. Nowadays, a semester or year abroad has become a compulsory part of many university degrees. If you decide to spend any of your time anywhere in Europe, you are entitled to the Erasmus grant, regardless of whether you chose to study at a foreign university, be an assistant at a school or do an internship for a company.

Are you eligible?

All that you need, to be able to participate in the Erasmus Programme, is to be registered at an institution of higher education that holds an Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (they almost all do). You must be doing a recognised degree or some other form of higher education, and there’s no restriction on what subject you study or whether you are a full-time or part-time student (although you must be studying full-time when abroad).

How much is it?

As a UK Erasmus student, it may vary slightly from year to year, but at the moment, you are entitled to get €250-330 per month for studying abroad, and €350-430 per month for working abroad. This grant is a contribution to living costs, so these amounts vary depending on whether you are going to what is considered a high or low cost country, with places like France, Norway and Italy being high cost places to live and Spain, Germany and the Netherlands lower cost countries to name a few. What’s more, if a student’s annual household income is below around £25,000, they could be eligible for further funding, so they should consider this when applying. Students should also remember that this is a grant rather than a loan therefore it does not need to be paid back so you’re missing a trick if you don't apply for it!

Brexit?

It seems very unclear how the Erasmus grant will be affected by Brexit for UK students, however for the moment, it is staying exactly how it is and only time will tell for the future of students in the UK and this wonderful scheme.

For more information on the ERASMUS grant, click here or here for the more official sites.

Author: Roomlala