Erasmus+

Recognition of academic achievements

The participating universities undertake to grant full academic recognition for successfully completed courses and certificates of achievement.

The ECTS recognition system (ECTS = European Community Credit Transfer System) was introduced for this purpose. ECTS points are awarded for academic achievements abroad, which are used in Bielefeld for recognition. The respective programme representatives and the examination office are responsible for recognition.

Partial scholarships and BAföG

Erasmus+ awards partial scholarships that are independent of academic achievements. The monthly scholarship instalment is based on two country groups and is awarded as follows:

1. Group 1: (600 euros per month): Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Sweden
2. Group 2: (540 euros per month): Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, Hungary

Travelling expenses:

In addition to partial funding, you will receive a travel allowance (based on the distance to the partner university) and a lump sum of two daily rates for travelling to and from the partner university.

The EU also awards top-ups:

• for climate-friendly travelling: a higher travel allowance and up to four additional daily rates for additional days of travel required. You will receive further information on the Mobility Online database after registering.
• For participants with fewer opportunities: €250.00 per month/in addition to the grant. This includes:
  • Students who are travelling with their child(ren)
  • Students with a disability from GdB 20 or chronic illness
  • First-time academics (students from a non-academic family)
  • Working students who have to give up their job for the Erasmus semester

In addition to the Erasmus+ partial scholarship, BAFöG recipients can apply for BAFöG abroad. Anyone who has not yet been able to receive BAFöG should have this checked, as the income limits for BAFöG abroad are different from those for BAFöG in Germany. The application must be submitted to the BAFöG office responsible for the country in question.

Facilitating your studies

There are no tuition fees for Erasmus+ students and the enrolment procedure is usually simplified. In addition, further support is offered in many places, e.g. introductory days, language courses for Erasmus+ students or support in finding accommodation. No semester fee has to be paid at Bielefeld University while studying abroad (in the case of leave of absence).

Step by step to the Erasmus+ Semester

Application deadline: yearly on 31st of January

• Step 1: Get first information

The most important point of contact for students who intend to study with Erasmus+ in another country is the respective programme officer. The programme officers in the Faculties are responsible for sending students to the partner universities and they provide information about Courses offered by the partner universities.

• Step 2: Application

The application for participation in the Erasmus+ programme also takes place via the programme officers. The application is made via the database Mobility Online. Instructions on how to do this can be found here.

• Step 3: After the acceptance

As soon as you have received an acceptance letter from your programme officer, please go to the homepage of the host university to find out about the registration requirements and the registration deadline. Please register at the host university by the deadline. The Erasmus+ code for Bielefeld University is: D BIELEFE01.

Under Downloads you will find a checklist to download and print out.

Contact the host university

Contact your host university as early as possible to enquire about accommodation, course start, language and preparation courses. You will often find the most important information, contact details and enrolment forms on the university's website. If this is not the case, please contact the university's International Office or Erasmus+ office. Please note the deadlines there!

Payment of the Erasmus+ grant

Your grant will be paid out in two instalments. In the first instalment at the beginning of your stay abroad, you will receive 75% of the total funding. You will only receive the second instalment after your return and after submitting the necessary documents. The second instalment (25%) will be paid according to the period specified in the confirmation.

Please note: In order to support as many students as possible, the scholarship is not calculated on a daily basis. We will be able to fund Erasmus stays for the 2026/27 academic year as follows:

-    One-semester stays: up to 113 days of funding (maximum funding period)

-    Two-semester stays: up to 226 days of funding (maximum funding period)

Language preparation

Some universities require proof of sufficient language skills. You should contact the Fachsprachenzentrum [Language Centre ] for such proof. But even if you do not have to provide proof of language proficiency, you should take advantage of the services offered by the Fachsprachenzentrum [Language Centre] to prepare for your stay with the help of language courses.

BAföG abroad

In addition to the Erasmus+ partial scholarship, BAFöG recipients can apply for BAFöG abroad. If you have not been able to receive BAFöG so far, you may want to have this checked, as the income limits for BAFöG abroad are different from those for BAFöG in Germany. The application must be submitted to the BAFöG office responsible for the country in question. Information is available on the Internet under BAFöG.

Learning Agreement

To ensure that the coursework you complete at the host university is recognised after your return, you should enter all the courses you wish to take there in the Learning Agreement. It is best to discuss your choice of courses with your Erasmus+ programme officer. The Learning Agreement must be signed by you, your programme coordinator, the recognition officer at the Bielefeld faculty and the Erasmus coordinator at the host university before you leave. Changes can be made to the Learning Agreement after arrival in the host country.

Health insurance

Apply for the European Health Insurance Card for those with statutory health insurance or talk to your insurance company about insurance cover abroad if you have private insurance. It is also recommended that you take out additional accident and liability insurance (this is possible via the DAAD ).

Leave of absence/re-registration at Bielefeld University

You can take a leave of absence for the duration of your stay. To do this, you will need the application for leave of absence from the student office and confirmation of your Erasmus+ nomination, which you will receive by post from the International Office. Please note: A leave of absence is not possible if you want to take an examination or complete your studies at Bielefeld University during the semester in which you are studying abroad. For more information, please contact the student office.

Information event organised by the IO

In April/May, the International Office organises an information day especially for Erasmus+ students, where you will receive lots of additional information and have the opportunity to talk to former Erasmus+ students.

Interim rent

If you would like to offer your room in a shared flat or your flat for interim rent to international students/promotion students, you can do so via the International Office.

Please note that international students who live in Bielefeld for longer than 90 days must register with the City of Bielefeld (Citizens' Advice Centre). This requires a tenancy agreement + the document "Wohnungsgeberbestätigung". Therefore, please clarify with your landlord in advance whether you are authorised to rent for an interim tenancy and who issues these documents.

International Mentoring Programmes

If you would like to get a taste of the Erasmus+ atmosphere, you can take part in the International Mentoring Programme and mentor Erasmus+ students who are currently spending one or two Erasmus+ semesters in Bielefeld. You can find more information about the programme and how to apply here.

Experience reports

There are certainly many things you would like to know about your future place of residence and the university. In order to get a little insight and increase your anticipation, it is worth reading the testimonials of former Erasmus+ students. You can find them here. You can find a guide to writing experience reports under Downloads.

"Confirmation of Participation

Please have your date of arrival confirmed as soon as possible after your arrival. The "Confirmation of Participation" must be signed and stamped by the host university. Before your departure, you should also have the end of your stay confirmed.

Learning Agreement

Adjust the Learning Agreement if necessary: Changes to your original study plan must be agreed with both the academic coordinator at the host university and the programme officer at Bielefeld University.

"Transcript of Records

Ask your host university to issue a "Transcript of Records" (ToR) at the end of your study stay (most universities do this automatically). The ToR contains an overview of the courses you attended and the results. You need the ToR for the recognition of study requirements / credits. Please also submit a copy to the International Office after your return.

In case of problems: IO

If there are any problems at the host university, you can contact us (the International Office) at any time.

Submission of documents

Please upload the following documents to the database after your return:

• Confirmation of Participation
• Transcript of Records from the host university
• Confirmation of recognition of academic achievements
• Experience report

Country ambassadors

Country ambassadors are contact persons for students who are planning a stay abroad in the same country. For country and university-specific questions, they provide useful tips about the host university, the city and the country of the stay abroad. They can also inspire students who have not yet made up their minds to go abroad. If you are interested, please send an e-mail to
auslandsaufenthalt@uni-bielefeld.de.

International Mentoring Programme

Would you like to stay in contact with international students? How about volunteering for the International Mentoring Programme? In this mentoring programme, Bielefeld students can personally look after international students, support them during their stay in Bielefeld and make international contacts. You can find more information and register for the International Mentoring Programme here.

• Your project duration is at least two months (= 60 days). Under Erasmus+, one month is exactly 30 days.
• The host company is located in an Erasmus+ Programme Country (EU Member States, Northern Macedonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey or Serbia).
• The traineeship is full-time (>35 hours/week).
• The internship can be a compulsory internship or a voluntary internship - but in any case it must have a clear connection to your studies.
• You must be enrolled as a student of Bielefeld University or a graduate of Bielefeld University during the entire internship period. A graduate internship can be sponsored within one year (12 months) after the degree if the sponsorship was applied for in the last year of the respective study phase.

These are some of the departments that can offer internships:

• Universities
• Public and private small, medium or large enterprises
• Local, regional or national public bodies
• Social partners or representatives of the labour market (e.g. chambers of commerce, trade unions)
• Research institutions
• Foundations
• Schools, institutes and training centres
• Non-profit organisations, associations, non-governmental organisations
• Career guidance, counselling and information services

 

Erasmus+ cannot fund placements at these institutions:

• EU institutions and other EU bodies
• Departments managing EU programmes

An application for an Erasmus+ traineeship grant is possible at any time. Please upload the complete application documents to the application portal at least 6 weeks before the start of the internship:

• Application portal
• Letter of motivation (max. 1 page)
• Curriculum vitae
• Certificate of study
• Learning Agreement (can be downloaded from the application portal)

Selection criteria for the award of Erasmus scholarships are:

• complete application documents submitted on time (six weeks before the start of the internship)
• a suitable internship placement that takes up the content of the degree programme and corresponds to the current level of study
• a convincing written statement of motivation

The amount of your Erasmus grant depends on the exact duration and destination country of your placement. The monthly grant amounts may vary from year to year.

Project 2026 (for traineships ending before 31 July 2028:

Following the necessary budget planning for the Erasmus+ 2026/28 project, we have had to make cuts.

The following funding rule has been established:

•    Stays of 60 to 74 days: funding calculated to the exact day

•    Stays of 75 to 134 days: funding for 75 days

•    Stays of 135 days or longer: funding for 135 days

All days (including weekends) from the start to the end of the placement count as days of stay. One month counts as 30 days.

1. Group 1: (750 euros per month, daily rate €25): Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Sweden
2. Group 2: (690 euros per month, daily rate €23): Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, Hungary

Travelling expenses:

In addition to partial funding, you will receive a travel allowance (based on the distance to the partner university) and a lump sum of two daily rates for travelling to and from the partner university.

The EU also awards top-ups:

• for climate-friendly travelling: up to four additional daily rates for additional days of travel required. You will receive further information on the Mobility Online database after registering.
• For participants with fewer opportunities: €250.00 per month/in addition to the grant. This includes:
  • Students who are travelling with their child(ren)
  • Students with a disability from GdB 20 or chronic illness
  • First-time academics (students from a non-academic family)
  • Working students who have to give up their job for the Erasmus semester

The scholarship is paid in two instalments:

• 1st instalment: 75%, before the start of the internship abroad
• 2nd instalment: 25%, after completion of the internship abroad, after you have submitted all the necessary documents

For more information, see Downloads.