Erasmus+ Europe: terms and conditions

If you are currently a student of the University of Tartu, you may submit an application to participate in the Eramus+ programme at a European university. Please keep the following rules in mind:

• You must be classified as a degree-seeking student over the entire duration of your studies abroad (external learners, guest students, and residents may not apply);
• Master’s and doctoral students can apply as early as their first year; students of bachelor’s and applied higher education programs must have completed at least one year of their studies;
• You must ensure that your studies abroad fit into your study programme at UT.

You may participate in the Erasmus+ programme more than once during each level of your studies at UT. Keep the following in mind when planning your time abroad:

• In order to participate you need to move to the receiving country, Erasmus+ exchange cannot be performed at distance (even if there are on-line courses offered);
• Your studies at one foreign university may last for 2-12 consecutive months; 
• Each study abroad experience must fit within one academic year; 
• Your time abroad must allow you to complete the coursework for the designated period (a trimester, the autumn or spring semester, or the entire academic year);
• At each level of study, you may participate in the Erasmus+ program for up to 12 months total; Erasmus+ traineeships, blended mobility (physical/on-site period only) and  Erasmus+ International also count toward this number. For bachelor's and master's integrated studies, the maximum duration of studies abroad is 24 months total. Time spent in the Erasmus+ program while you were completing another degree at the same level of study will also be factored in (e.g., if you are currently completing a second master's degree and also studied abroad while you were completing your first one);

Keep in mind that while you are studying abroad with the Erasmus+ programme, you are still a student of the University of Tartu, and your studies at a foreign university are counted towards your studies at UT. The University of Tartu's Study Regulations document establishes the regulations for studying abroad, selecting courses and making sure these courses suit your study programme. These regulations apply whether you go study through study abroad programmes, partnership agreements or on your own.

Please see also the information on Study Abroad Regulations and consult study adviser in your faculty if needed.

While you are studying abroad: 

• The host university is not permitted to require exchange students to pay tuition fees or additional charges (fees for course attendance, registration, examinations or lab use). You can only be charged small fees such as insurance, student association membership fees and fees for study materials on the same basis as local students.
• If you are a tuition-paying student in an English-language programme or studying part-time in Estonian (with the exception of doctoral students), you must pay 30% of the tuition fee to the UT during your studies abroad, please see here; 
• You may continue to receive study allowances;
• You will receive Erasmus+ grant for onsite (physical) study period, including top-ups for students with disadvantage background.  Please see more information on Erasmus+ grant.

If you are interested in applying for the Erasmus+ Europe programme:

• Pay attention to the application submission dates. The call for applications for the following academic year is announced in February and an additional application period for remaining sports for spring semester is held in the beginning of September;
• If you already know where you would like to go, apply during the first round of applications, as later there might not be any free spots at your preferred university; 
• Keep track of program announcements on the UT student newsletter and the Currently open offers page

Choosing a host university

In order for the study abroad experience to meet your expectations, you should take special care while choosing a host university. Keep the following in mind:

• You should choose your host university from the list of partner institutions offering your area of study or a closely related area of study;
• Look at the list of Erasmus partner institutions for each faculty of the University;
• Check the exchange student section of the receiving university's homepage to find out more information about the coursework, language of instruction, academic calendar, accommodation, and other topics. 

Even if your faculty has an agreement with a certain university, you may still not be able to find enough interesting and appropriate courses during any given semester. There may also only be a few courses taught in English, and proficiency in the local language may be required in order to attend courses in your field of study.

To increase your chances of being chosen to study abroad, indicate your top two university choices on your application. You can also apply to study for one semester at one university and a second semester at another university as long as the total duration of your studies abroad does not exceed 12 months at your current level of study. Also make sure that the semesters at the host universities do not overlap.

Application process, documentation

Information on the conditions, deadlines and required documents will be available in the competition call. In general, you are required to submit the following:

• an on-line application in SoleMOVE system;
• a letter of motivation;
• a transcript of records (current studies, kindly ask from the study adviser at your faculty);
• proof of proficiency in the language in which you will be studying at the foreign university.

Enclosures of the application should be uploaded in SoleMove.

Please see the tips for applying!

The selection is made by the Erasmus departmental coordinators in each of the academic units. You are not competing with all UT students interested in studying abroad, only those applying to the same area of studies at the same host university. Candidates are selected on the basis of their academic achievements, motivation, command of languages, the connection between their study programme at UT and their studyies abroad, and other factors. As far as foreign languages are concerned, students should make sure that their language skills allow them to successfully cope with studies at the foreign university (this usually means a level of B2, in some cases C1) and there is an official proof (language certificate) to confirm it. There is no exception for students of the curriculum delivered totally in English. In some cases the requirement of the host university for the language level for the local language (Spanish, German, French) might be slightly lower (B1).

You will be informed of the results by your Erasmus coordinator by the end of March (for the first application round) or the end of September (for the additional application round).