Erasmus+ traineeship grant

Applications are accepted during the following periods:

• 15 August to 8 December 2024
• 8 January to 8 June 2025

Your application should be uploaded to the Erasmus Database at least one month before the start of your traineeship. Mobility days that take place before your complete application has been registered are not eligible for a grant.

You cannot apply for a grant retroactively.

If you wish to apply for a traineeship grant for use directly after graduation, you must apply while you are still registered as a full-time student at Lund University, and before you graduate. You are not eligible to apply for the grant after completing your studies.

Part of placement course or degree project

As part of a placement course or your degree project at Lund University. Please note, if your main activity is to work on your thesis*, you should apply for the Erasmus+ grant for exchange studies instead. However, it is possible to do a traineeship to collect data, do fieldwork or conduct experiments or similar for a thesis or degree project.

*reading, writing and being supervised.

A voluntary traineeship outside your study programme

You can choose to undertake an optional traineeship that is not part of your study programme at Lund University. The traineeship must still be relevant to your studies, and be undertaken before you graduate.

Traineeship immediately after completing your studies at Lund University

If you wish to do your traineeship immediately after graduating from Lund University, it is important that you apply for the grant during your last semester as a full-time student and before you graduate. The traineeship must start within three months and end no later than twelve months after you have finished your studies. You must also apply for your degree certificate before the start of the traineeship.

Traineeship in conjunction with exchange studies

You can also choose to combine your traineeship abroad with exchange studies within Erasmus+.

Erasmus+ grant for exchange studies

Shorter traineeship abroad combined with a virtual component

If you are unable to do a longer traineeship abroad, you may be able to take part in what is known as 'blended mobility'. This combines a shorter physical traineeship of 5 to 30 days with a virtual component before, during or after. There are no time limits for the virtual component, but it must

• be full-time
• have clear learning objectives and link to the physical traineeship, and 
• be organised by the host organisation. 

The virtual component should also be clearly and extensively described in your Learning Agreement. You should also explain in your Motivation Letter why you cannot do a traineeship abroad for at least two months.

You can only receive a grant for the physical stay abroad, not for the virtual component.

To be eligible to apply for an Erasmus+ traineeship grant, you must

• be registered for full-time studies at Lund University at the time of application
• intend to graduate from Lund University.
• have found a traineeship that is relevant to your field of study and that is approved by your department.

Furthermore, the traineeship must be covered by one of the five options listed above and be full-time.

You must live in the host country for the entire duration of the traineeship. Remote working is not allowed, nor is commuting from Sweden.

Traineeship at a higher education institution

If you do your traineeship at a higher education institution, it is important to make it clear in your application that you are there as a trainee and not studying. You may not take courses or credits at the host institution during your traineeship. Also, if you do a traineeship as part of your degree project, the main aim cannot be to write your thesis.

Unapproved host organisations

You cannot receive an Erasmus+ traineeship grant in the following types of organisations:

• EU institutions and other EU bodies including specialised agencies (see link below)
• Organisations managing EU programmes such as Erasmus+ National Agencies (in order to avoid a possible conflict of interests and/or double funding).

See a complete list of EU institutions on the EU website

Conditions that make you ineligible for an Erasmus+ traineeship grant

Erasmus+ aims to promote international mobility and to help students gain international experience. Therefore, you cannot receive an Erasmus+ grant:

• for a traineeship in Sweden
• for a traineeship in the country where you live while studying at Lund University
• for a remote traineeship 
• if you commute from Sweden to your traineeship location.

Erasmus+ covers countries in Europe, as well as certain island groups and other territories around the world that belong to a European country – see the list below.

Note that you cannot do a traineeship in Sweden or the country in which you live while studying at Lund University (this also applies if you are studying remotely from another country).

Participating Erasmus+ countries divided into three categories:

• Europe
• Outermost Regions
• Overseas Countries and Territories

Europe

• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Cyprus
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Greece
• Ireland
• Iceland
• Italy
• Croatia
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• North Macedonia
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Serbia
• Slovenia
• Slovakia
• Spain
• Czechia
• Turkey
• Germany
• Hungary
• Austria

Outermost regions

• France (including Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Martinique, Mayotte, and Saint Martin)
• Portugal (including the Azores and Madeira) 
• Spain (including the Canary Islands)

Overseas Countries and Territories

• Denmark (including Greenland)
• France (including French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Territories, New Caledonia, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Wallis and Futuna)
• Netherlands (including Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten)

Traineeships in the United Kingdom

Following its exit from the EU, the United Kingdom is no longer part of the Erasmus+ collaboration. 

However, Lund University has decided to continue to provide the opportunity for students to apply for Erasmus+ traineeship grants for traineeships in the United Kingdom in the 2024/2025 academic year. The monthly grant amount is EUR 710. Note that the budget for Erasmus+ traineeships in the UK is very limited and that grants are approved on a first come first served basis.

In order to do a traineeship in the UK, you will need a Certificate of Sponsorship to be able to apply for a compulsory visa. This is a time-consuming process, so bear this in mind when planning your traineeship.

It is the host organisation that applies for a Certificate of Sponsorship. The Erasmus+ team at Lund University cannot assist in this process.

The Certificate of Sponsorship – gov.uk

Work from the assumption that your grant application must reach us at least two months before the start of your traineeship.

Erasmus+ grants for traineeships at higher education institutions in the UK can only be awarded if there is a bilateral exchange agreement between Lund University and the higher education institution in question.

Erasmus+ grants for traineeships in the UK also apply to the British Overseas Territories:

• Anguilla
• Bermuda
• The British Virgin Islands
• The Cayman Islands
• The Falkland Islands
• Montserrat
• The Pitcairn Islands
• Saint Helena
• Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha
• Turks and Caicos Islands

Traineeships in Switzerland

Lund University has also decided to offer students the opportunity to apply for Erasmus+ traineeship grants for traineeships in Switzerland in the 2024/2025 academic year. The monthly grant amount is EUR 710. Note that the budget for Erasmus+ traineeships in Switzerland is very limited, and that grants will be approved on a first-come, first-served basis.

Erasmus+ grants for traineeships at Swiss higher education institutions can only be awarded if there is a bilateral exchange agreement between Lund University and the higher education institution concerned.

The grant should be considered a contribution to expenses and other costs related to the traineeship period and is therefore not comprehensive. The amount is calculated according to the length of the traineeship (number of months and days) and is based on the host country. Note that Erasmus+ considers a month to be 30 days, regardless of its actual length.

Monthly amounts are set annually by the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) and are the same for all higher education institutions in Sweden. (Note that you are not allowed to receive other EU or UHR grants or subsidies at the same time as you are in receipt of an Erasmus+ traineeship grant).

For traineeships starting after 29 February 2024, the monthly amounts vary between EUR 660 and EUR 710 depending on the host country. The amount is based on living costs in the various countries. Outermost Regions, Overseas Countries and Territories have the same monthly amount as their respective countries.

Countries with high living costs (EUR 710 per month)

• Denmark
• Finland
• Ireland
• Iceland
• Liechtenstein
• Luxembourg
• Norway
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom

Countries with low to moderately high living costs (EUR 660 per month)

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czechia
• Estonia
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Italy
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Malta
• Netherlands
• North Macedonia
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Serbia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Turkey

Additional funding

In addition to the grant, you have the opportunity to apply for extra financial support if you

• travel by train or other sustainable mode of transport
• have children
• have a long-term disability

See 'Additional funding you can apply for' further down the page

The traineeship period is usually between two and twelve months.

If you are unable to do a traineeship abroad for a longer period, it may be possible to combine a shorter stay abroad (of 5 to 30 calendar days) with a virtual component. This is called 'blended mobility'. Read more about what this means in the section 'Five options for an Erasmus+ traineeship' above.

It is not possible to receive an Erasmus+ grant for traineeship periods longer than 30 calendar days and shorter than two months.

The start date of the mobility period should be the first day on which the participant is required to be physically present at the host organisation. The end date should be the last day on which the participant is required to be physically present at the host organisation.

Your Learning Agreement is generated after you have filled in the application form. This is then to be

• printed out from the Erasmus Database
• signed by all three parties (you, the person responsible at your home department or faculty and the host organisation) and then
• uploaded to the Erasmus Database.

In your letter of motivation (in English, around one A4 page) you should explain why you wish to apply for the grant.

In it, you should also explain

• the academic connection between the traineeship and your field of study
• how the traineeship will help you develop new knowledge and skills
• how the traineeship will contribute to increasing your employability. 

If you are applying for a short, blended mobility, you should also explain

• why you are unable to do a traineeship for at least two months.

Your CV (in English) should include your contact details, as well as information about your

• education
• work experience and
• language skills.

A certificate of registration, which you can download from Ladok showing that you are an active full-time student at the time of application.

Ladok for students – log in

You can apply for an additional grant of EUR 50 if you choose to travel by train, bus or carpool using one of the options below:

• the whole journey in one direction
• most of the journey, in both directions.

The journey must be made within two weeks before and after the mobility period for you to be entitled to compensation for green travel.

You apply for this additional grant at the same time as completing your application for an Erasmus+ grant, by ticking 'Yes' for the 'Green Mobility' option. You also indicate the means of transport.

You provide evidence of sustainable travel by uploading copies of tickets to the Erasmus Database.

To qualify for the car-sharing allowance, at least two people must travel in the car. Proof in the form of a certificate and of receipts for car hire, petrol, road tolls, bridge tolls, etc. must be uploaded to the Erasmus Database.

If you choose to travel sustainably, you will also receive a grant for one day of travel (100% of the journey must be green). If you choose to travel sustainably in both directions, you will receive a grant for two days of travel (more than 50% of the journey in each direction must them be green). These days will be added to your total traineeship period. A travel day cannot be the same day as a traineeship working day, since you cannot receive a double grant for one day.

If you will not be traveling to the traineeship site from Lund, you must contact the Erasmus+ team and explain why. The same applies for returning to a location other than Lund.

Please note that all tickets must be uploaded no later than 30 days after the end of the traineeship period. Receipts received after this date will not be processed.

The additional EUR 50 sustainable travel grant is paid only once per traineeship period, regardless of whether you travel sustainably in both directions.

If you need learning support or special adaptations during your traineeship abroad, there is an option to apply for an extra grant. There are two types of grant available: a top-up grant and inclusion support for actual costs.

Top-up grant

Students with some type of disability are entitled to apply for this grant, for example, if you need

• note-taking support
• adapted materials

or similar. 

The top-up is EUR 250 extra per month, in addition to the regular grant amount.

70% of this top-up is paid together with the first grant payment and the remaining part with the second payment.

The amount is calculated per day (EUR 8.33/day), which means there may be an adjustment if your mobility period is longer or shorter than planned.

You do not need to save receipts/documentation.

If you have not been in contact with Disability Support Services previously and need adaptations, you are to contact them for a consultation.

Disability Support Services

How to apply for a top-up grant:

When you apply for an Erasmus+ grant in the Erasmus Database, indicate 'Yes' for the 'Fewer Opportunities' option.

You will receive an email from the Erasmus Database, in which you are asked to sign your agreement. You are then to upload your NAIS certificate to the Erasmus Database.

You do not need to justify your application for a top-up grant – just upload your NAIS certificate. Please note that other certificates will not be accepted.

Inclusion support for actual costs

You can apply for this grant in addition to the top-up grant. It is intended to cover large actual costs that may arise for you or the host university during your stay abroad, for example:

• special transport
• adapted accommodation
• an assistant/companion
• care or similar in the host country.

How to apply for inclusion support:

Contact your administrator at Disability Support Services in good time to apply for this grant. Please note that the application for inclusion support is to be completed before the mobility has begun. You cannot apply for this grant retroactively. You should preferably apply for Inclusion support at least 6 months before your planned mobility. 

Contact the host organisation to check what costs may be involved.

Disability Support Services will send your application to the grant administrators, who will forward it to the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR). UHR then carries out the assessment and decides which costs can be reimbursed.

Inclusion support is paid after the mobility period has been completed.

The host organisation sends an invoice to Lund University for costs that have been incurred during your exchange. Contact the grant administrators at erasmuspraktik [at] er [dot] lu [dot] se (erasmuspraktik[at]er[dot]lu[dot]se) for invoice details.

To receive reimbursement for the costs you have paid, please remember to save all receipts. These must be uploaded to the Erasmus Database (under the 'Other documents' tab) when the mobility period has ended.

Note that UHR carries out the assessment and decides which costs can be reimbursed.

If you have children under the age of 18, you can apply for grant top-up. The size of the supplement remains the same regardless of the number of children you have and regardless of whether they are accompanying you on the exchange or not. You do not need to keep any receipts or other documents in order to receive the supplement.

The size of the grant depends on the length of your traineeship:

• Two to twelve months: EUR 250 per month
• 15 to 30 days: EUR 150 (one-off payment)
• 5 to 14 days: EUR 100 (one-off payment)

You apply for this top up at the same time as completing your application for the traineeship grant, by ticking 'Yes' for the option 'Children'. A family certificate from the Swedish Tax Agency – or an equivalent national agency – showing that you have children, is required and should be uploaded to the Erasmus database.

In addition to the top-up grant, the grant administrators may apply on your behalf for an inclusion grant for actual costs. Get in touch if this applies to you.

As an Erasmus+ trainee, you are strongly recommended to take an online language test before the traineeship starts, in the language in which your supervision will mainly be conducted during the traineeship period. A link will be sent to you once your application has been approved.

Upload the result of your language test to the Erasmus Database under the tab 'Language test'.

If you want to develop your language skills in the language spoken in your traineeship country, you can access an online language course before and during your stay abroad. There are different levels available, and you can take the course that suits you best.

You can find the available courses and other resources on the website where you take the test.

The grant is paid in two instalments.

• The first part, consisting of 70% of the grant, is generally paid at the start of the traineeship.
• The remainder is paid out after the completion of the traineeship – see the section, ‘After your traineeship’ below.

Should you terminate the traineeship earlier than the agreed end date, you will be liable to repay all or part of the grant.

Changes affecting the traineeship must be reported immediately using the 'L A – Changes During Mobility' form. The form can be downloaded from the Erasmus Database. When you have completed and signed the form, it must be uploaded to the Erasmus Database.

An application for a possible extension of the traineeship grant must be made no later than one month before the original end date.

If you have to terminate your traineeship, you must contact erasmuspraktik [at] er [dot] lu [dot] se (erasmuspraktik[at]er[dot]lu[dot]se) without delay.

If this is due to a situation beyond your control, you can invoke 'Force Majeure'. The Erasmus+ grant administrators will help you with this.

Student OUT

When you travel to a traineeship or studies via Lund University, you are covered by ‘Student OUT’ insurance provided through Kammarkollegiet (The Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency).

More about Student OUT

Read the full terms and conditions for Student OUT at kammarkollegiet.se

Note that the Student OUT insurance only covers you if you travel directly from Sweden to your traineeship location within 14 days. The same rules apply to your return journey.

Certificate of insurance

A certificate of insurance can be downloaded from the Erasmus Database.

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

If you are from an EU/EEA country, take your European Health Insurance Card with you. It entitles you to emergency medical treatment when you are in another EU/EEA country.

Read more and order your card from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Forsäkringskassan):

Travel abroad – forsakringskassan.se

The Interrail Pass for Erasmus+ has been developed by Eurail and Erasmus Student Network (ESN) to suit Erasmus+ students on exchange and traineeships. The Pass is valid for 6 months and offers a sustainable way to travel and gives you flexibility to explore Europe as part of your Erasmus+ experience.

4-travel days or 6-travel days

With the Interrail Pass for Erasmus+ you can travel on as many trains as you like on each of your 4 or 6 travel days. You can use your travel days any time within 6 months of your start date. 

Interrail Pass for Erasmus+

Please note, that Erasmus+ students on exchange or traineeship are covered by the insurance Student OUT in their host country, and during direct travel from home country to host country. So, if you plan to visit other countries while doing your traineeship, remember to get a private insurance for those trips.

Read more about the insurance Student OUT at lunduniversity.lu.se

Our Instagram account @lund_university_abroad is run by students, for students. Each week, a new student from Lund University who is on an exchange or traineeship abroad takes over the account and shares their day-to-day experiences during their period abroad.

Our Instagram account @lund_university_abroad is run by students, for students. Every week, a new student from Lund University who is on an exchange or traineeship abroad takes over the account and shares their day-to-day experiences of their time abroad.

Would you also like to become a guest Instagrammer and inspire other students to do traineeships abroad?

Contact lunduniversityabroad [at] er [dot] lu [dot] se (lunduniversityabroad[at]er[dot]lu[dot]se).

As an Erasmus+ trainee, you must fill in a report/questionnaire in accordance with European Commission requirements. You will automatically be sent a link to the evaluation system after the traineeship via email.

Download the form Traineeship Certificate from the Erasmus Database and ask your traineeship host to complete and sign it. Make sure that the dates in the certificate correspond to the ones in your Learning Agreement and Grant Agreement!

Then upload the completed form to the Erasmus Database.

All documents must be uploaded to the Erasmus database no later than 30 days after the end of your mobility period.

If you wish to have a voluntary traineeship mentioned in your Diploma Supplement, you must request this yourself from the Degree Office.

Write your travel report in Lund University’s travel report portal. Your story could both inspire and help future trainees.

Write your travel report in Lund University’s travel report portal – utlandsstudier.lu.se