"with the support of the Commission of the European Communities within the framework of the LLP Erasmus Programme". The content is the sole responsibility of the publisher and the European Union is not liable for any use that may be made of the information.

Erasmus grants are available for students who undertake either a period of study or a period of work abroad in Europe. The period abroad must be a minimum of three months and a maximum of an academic year (for study) or 12 months (for work). For unpaid work placements this can be 30 weeks. A student may have multiple mobilities to different host institutions in the same or different countries, as follows:

• One study and one work placement period in the same or different years   or
• Two study periods in the same or different years  or
• Two work placement periods in the same or different years

Students can thus only carry out two single Erasmus mobilities in total over a 24 months period. It is possible to be funded for two consecutive periods of study or work, provided these meet the course requirements, and you can study in one year and do a work placement the next year if your course allows that.

Erasmus students can study or work in any of the countries listed:
- an EU Member State country – Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.
- an EEA country – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway.
- a Candidate country - Turkey

To be eligible you must:
- have completed at least one full year of study
- have successfully completed the course requirements to proceed to the next stage of the course.

Erasmus grant application procedure

You need to complete an Erasmus Study Application Form and get your Erasmus Study exchange coordinator, if you are studying, to sign it. Deadline for submission is 31 January 2013. Details can be found here. We will then inform you if you have been successful in getting a place at the partner university.

If you are going on an Erasmus work placement your Senior Tutor for Professional Training will need to nominate you on a separate form once your placement is secured.

If you are eligible and have the support of your coordinator or Senior Tutor, you will receive a grant. At present Erasmus students who complete a year are eligible for an Erasmus fee waiver which means they pay no tuition fees to the University of Surrey. This applies to all students whether they are paying fees at the home /EU or overseas rate. You will then not be able to take out a loan for the tuition fees for that year. This arrangement is under review and may change for future years. (Note: if you fail to complete the minimum three month period you will be required to re-pay any grant received).

You will also need to apply to the partner university if you are studying abroad, or to a work placement organisation to work abroad.

How much Erasmus grant will I receive?

The University applies annually for its Erasmus funding and receives a contract in June for the coming academic year. This may not be known at the point that you make the decision to go so you should not plan on receiving a specific amount. Guidance will be given prior to the award of the contract and the figures for the previous year will be published. You need to be aware that the national allocation has to cover all UK students who will be funded. At present, the numbers are showing an increase and this means that the level of grant may be less in future years.

The value of the grant for the last full year (2012/13) was € 370 (c. £300) per month for most countries, apart from Bulgaria and Romania (€270 per month) and Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey (€310 per month).

Once we receive the grant from the National Agency and all your paperwork we will pay you the first instalment of your grant. The second instalment will be paid once you have completed the placement and your report.

A one-off Supplementary Allowance of €400 is given to students studying or working in priority countries: Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania.

A one-off Supplementary Widening Participation Allowance is paid to all students whose family household income is below £25,000.

What does the grant cover?

The grant is a flat-rate payment, which means you will be awarded an amount per month of study or work. If you study for one semester this will usually be three to five months, depending where you go. If you study for a full academic year it will be a maximum of 10 months. Work placements are more variable, but must be between three and 12 months.

You use the grant to pay your living costs and travel abroad. You are not required to provide any receipts.

Insurance

As an outgoing Erasmus student you will be covered by the university's insurance policy.  However, you are strongly advised to take out additional insurance cover for the duration of your study or work period. Further information on insurance cam be obtained from Mrs Nicky Routh n.routh@surrey.ac.uk.

European Intensive Language Courses (EILC)

EILC are specialised courses in the less widely used and less taught languages organised in the countries where these languages are used as teaching languages in universities to prepare students for their Erasmus period. We would strongly encourage you to attend one of these and we will send you further details once you have been nominated.  Erasmus covers the tuition fees of these courses and you will receive the relevant monthly grant towards your living costs. Spanish, French and German are not covered. Courses last 2-6 weeks and must be attended just before you start your placement.

When is it paid?

You will be paid a proportion of your total grant entitlement as soon as the details of your period abroad are confirmed and your grant contract is established. You will also have completed and returned the first set of contract documents, i.e. Erasmus Mobility Agreement and/or Erasmus Training Agreement (for work placements), ECTS Learning Agreement (for study exchange). The balance is paid on completion and once all forms and a report have been received. It is also part of your contractual requirement to attend a de-briefing session which will be organised at the beginning of the Autumn semester.

If you have any further questions, please contact us or come to 3rd floor Senate House and we will be happy to help.