Erasmus+ for Internships in Europe

Only internships in Erasmus+ Programme countries can be funded. You can find the current overview of the Erasmus+ Programme countries on the website of the NA DAAD (opens in a new window). Note: Internships in Erasmus+ Partner countries are not eligible for funding.

From the academic year 2025/26, Erasmus+ funding for internships and theses of Bachelor and Master students will consist of funding rates as well as a one-time travel allowance with travel days (if applicable).

A funding period is approved for which the Erasmus+ scholarship will be paid. This funding period does not have to correspond to the actual duration of the stay. The amount of funding and the duration of the maximum funding period depend on the total Erasmus+ budget approved by the NA DAAD and the number of funded participants. It is not possible to adjust the funding period - and therefore the funding amount - at a later stage.

In the academic year 2025/26, the maximum funding duration is 4.0 funding months (= 120 funding days) per semester abroad. The following countries and funding rates apply (funded from project 2025):

The travel allowance is based on the real distance between the starting point and the destination, which is calculated using the distance calculator (opens in a new window) of the European Commission.  Neu-Ulm is always the calculated starting point.

Erasmus+ aims to reduce the environmental footprint generated by stays abroad. Therefore, participants who use a means of transport classified as sustainable by the Erasmus+ Programme for their stay abroad can receive a supplement to the regular travel allowance and travel days.

The following are categorised as sustainable: Train, long-distance bus, carpooling (min. 2 Erasmus+ students/car), bicycle or walking. The HNU welcomes the decision to favour a sustainable means of transport over the car or plane. You can find tips on alternative travel options and sustainability in the Green Travel tab below.

The following travel allowances apply and travel days (funded from project 2025):

Note: One travel day corresponds to one funding day, which is 20.- EUR / day for country group 1 and 18.- EUR / day for country group 2. The travel days above have been calculated based on average travel time in relation to distance. The maximum is 6 days for sustainable travel and 2 days for regular travel. Participants who travel sustainably must be able to provide appropriate proof (e.g. tickets) of eligibility upon request. The travel days are granted as a lump sum and do not depend on individual travel plans. If the trip (sustainable or regular) requires more travel days, the International Office may review the travel documents on an individual basis.

One focus of the Erasmus+ Programme is social participation and equal opportunities. For this reason, access to the programme is made financially easier for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and participants with special needs.

Following participants therefore receive a social top-up of 250.- EUR / funding month (= 8.33 EUR / funding day) in addition to the regular Erasmus+ scholarship for their internship abroad:

• Students with a degree of disability of 20 or more or a proven disability that will lead to additional costs during the stay abroad
• Students with a chronic illness that will lead to additional costs during the stay abroad (see Bundesministerium für Gesundheit)
• Students who take their child(ren) with them abroad
• Students from a non-academic background (neither parent has a university degree)
• Employed students: at least 6 months of employment within the last 12 months before the start of the semester abroad (it is possible to achieve the six-month period by adding up several periods of employment); net income within the 6-month period of employment average above 450.- EUR / month and below 850.- EUR / month; the employment contract may continue during the semester abroad, but it does not have to. However, it is important that the employment is suspended during the semester abroad if the contract continues (i.e. the employer does not pay during the semester abroad)

Note: Only one target group feature can be applied for payment of the social top-up.

If you belong to one of the target groups mentioned here, you can apply for the social top-up via Mobility-Online - as soon as the section "Erasmus+ Scholarship" is activated. Proof is provided in the form of a Declaration on Honour in which participants sign a declaration stating that they fulfil all the relevant eligibility criteria. Participants must be able to provide proof of eligibility upon request. 

Students with a degree of disability of 20 or more or a proven disability / a chronic illness, that will lead to additional costs during the stay abroad, as well as students with child(ren) are entitled to apply for the assumption of real costs ("long application") as an alternative to the social top-up. In this case, the application amount (max. 15,000 .- EUR / semester) is calculated according to personal needs and paid out in addition to the regular Erasmus+ scholarship. Students with a disability also have the opportunity to receive funding for a preparatory trip for themselves and, if applicable, an accompanying person, in order to be able to assess whether a longer stay at the foreign place of work is possible. For more information on the Erasmus+ additional funding, please visit the NA DAAD website (opens in a new window).

DAAD info sheets (in German) on the topic

• Inclusion and diversity
• Staying abroad with a disability or chronic illness
• Staying abroad with a mental illness

Inclusive Mobility (opens in a new window) - European platform about inclusion and support services

The Erasmus+ Programme aims not only to raise participants' awareness of sustainability, climate change and environmental protection, but also to reduce the environmental footprint generated by mobility abroad. We would therefore like to encourage our students to consider environmentally friendly means of transport for their semester abroad and to make sustainable choices locally during their stay abroad.

Plan a train journey through Europe
Depending on the host institution, travelling without a plane is very easy. But even if you want to cover a long distance, you should consider travelling overland. Websites such as Go2RAIL - Travel Together (opens in a new window), Erasmus by Train, Omio, Trainline, Rail Planner, Nachtzugkarte, DB, Eurolines or Flixbus will help you to plan your sustainable travel route.

Use the Interrail Pass for your journey!
The new Interrail Pass for Erasmus+ (opens in a new window) offers you a special opportunity to explore Europe. This allows you to travel freely through Europe on any four or six days within six months. Not only do you save money, but you can also explore the diversity of Europe in the surroundings of your host institution - a great opportunity to enrich your Erasmus experience with additional discoveries.

Climate-friendly travelling
In the DAAD brochure "Climate-friendly travel (opens in a new window)" you will find tips and suggestions on how to achieve sustainable mobility.

Green Erasmus Portal
Discover specific information on how you can act sustainably before, during and after your Erasmus stay on the Green Erasmus Portal (opens in a new window). You will find tips on what you should pack and how to equip yourself sustainably abroad. You can also try out the Green Erasmus Quiz and play simulation games to find out how you can make your everyday life as an Erasmus student more environmentally friendly.

Sustainability inspiration
What can I do to improve sustainability during my Erasmus semester? Students answer this question in the sustainability dossier (opens in a new window) on the "studieren weltweit (opens in a new window)" blog (in German).

An application for an Erasmus+ scholarship is possible until four weeks before the start of the internship. In the case of an internship after graduation, the  scholarship application must be submitted at least one day before exmatriculation and the internship must be started within 6 months of exmatriculation.

Application documents

• Online form;
• Photo (it does not have to be a passport photo);
• Online letter of motivation in German; in the case of a final thesis, please state in your letter of motivation who will supervise / recognise your thesis at the HNU (= examiner);
• Online curriculum vitae;
• Certificate of all study and examination achievements;
• Copy of the internship or employment contract* (in German or English); in the case of a final thesis, please upload the confirmation of supervision from the supervisor at the host institution as an internship contract (stating the start and end dates);
  *Please note that an employment contract must at least contain the following information/regulations: 1. Start and duration of the internship, 2. Working hours and tasks, 3. Financial compensation, 4. Insurances (accident, liability, health), 5. Holidays and illness, 6. Supervision / mentoring, 7. Termination conditions.
• Application overview with signature

For the distribution of the Erasmus+ scholarship we need the following documents:

• Grant Agreement - before your stay abroad
• Learning Agreement - before your stay abroad
• OLS language test - before your stay abroad
• Confirmation of Arrival - upon arrival at the host organisation
• Confirmation of Stay, EU-Survey, Experience Report and Traineeship Certificate - at the end of the stay abroad

Erasmus+ Student Charter

The obligations and rights of students in the Erasmus+ Programme are set out in the Erasmus+ Student Charter (opens in a new window), which must be given to each student before the start of the period of internship abroad.

Reporting obligation

All students who have taken part in an Erasmus+ mobility are obliged to submit an Experience Report and an EU Survey together with evidence of the duration of stay (Confirmation of Stay) and the achievements at the host organisation (Traineeship Certificate) upon completion of the mobility.

Mandatory language tests

If  the main working language is not the native language of the beneficiary, he/she must take an online language test  before the stay abroad. This is not a selection criteria for funding under the Erasmus+ Programme. The aim is to record any progress made by the sponsored participants in language acquisition.