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How to prepare your Erasmus, from start to finish.

Three steps, seven procedures, and who takes action at each one.

1,755 universities with deadlines36 countries7 procedures
The seven stages

Three steps, in this order

The seven stages

From your faculty call to getting your grades recognised back home. Each stage with who's responsible and when it happens.

Internal call

  1. 01Internal call

    WhoYour home university
    WhenBetween autumn and winter of the academic year before you leave

    This is the only stage with dates set exclusively by your faculty, and it doesn't appear on any European calendar. If you don't keep an eye on your notice board, you'll only find out once it's already closed.

    What you need and full details3
    • Up-to-date academic transcript
    • Language certificate, if required by your faculty
    • A list of destinations ranked by preference

    Your university opens its own call each academic year and allocates places across your faculty. The timeline and requirements (grades, language, credits) are set by your university, not the European Commission.

  2. 02Nomination (Key stage)

    WhoYour home university, to the host university
    WhenAs soon as internal selection is resolved, and always before the host's deadline

    The deadline is set by each host university individually: there is no common date. That's why the go-erasmus catalogue ranks this deadline first — it's the one most students miss.

    What you need and full details1
    • Nothing on your part, except confirming you accept the place

    Once your place is assigned, your university nominates you to the host university before their deadline closes. This is the single most critical step: without a nomination, you cannot apply.

  3. 03Host university application

    WhoYou, directly with the host university
    WhenAfter nomination, with its own specific deadline

    Being nominated doesn't mean you're admitted yet. They are two separate steps with two separate deadlines, and you can still miss the second one.

    What you need and full details3
    • Academic transcript, often translated
    • Motivation letter
    • Language certificate or reference letter, depending on destination

    Once nominated, you submit your formal application according to the host university's deadline and document requirements.

  4. 04Learning Agreement (Key stage)

    WhoAll three parties: you, home, and host university
    WhenBefore starting your mobility, with no exceptions

    Without signatures from all three parties, courses you take abroad won't count towards your degree even if you pass them. Everything else depends on this document.

    What you need and full details3
    • Host university course catalogue
    • Your home study curriculum
    • Approval from your academic coordinator

    The study contract signed by you, your home university, and your host university before leaving: it sets out what you'll take abroad and what gets recognised when you return.

  5. 05Acceptance and visa

    WhoHost university issues it; the consulate decides the visa
    WhenWeeks or months before travelling, depending on the country

    What you need depends on your nationality, destination, and duration, and is set by the consulate, not the university. Nobody controls consulate appointment wait times: it's the first thing you should check.

    What you need and full details3
    • Acceptance letter
    • Valid passport or national ID card
    • Whatever the country's consulate requires

    Your acceptance letter arrives. If your destination requires it, you arrange your visa or residence permit.

  6. 06Mobility

    WhoYou, at the host university
    WhenDuring your stay abroad

    If you change any course in the first weeks (which happens often due to timetable clashes or full classes), a Changes to the Learning Agreement must be signed by the same three parties. It's not optional.

    What you need and full details2
    • Signed Learning Agreement
    • Host university enrolment proof

    You enrol in the courses on your Learning Agreement and start your classes.

  7. 07Recognition upon return

    WhoHost certifies; home university recognises
    WhenAt the end of your stay, within your home university's deadlines

    Only what was in the agreement gets recognised. A course taken and passed that never made it onto a signed Learning Agreement doesn't have to be transferred.

    What you need and full details2
    • Transcript of Records
    • The Learning Agreement and any changes made

    The host university sends your Transcript of Records with your grades, and your home university recognises the agreed credits.

Deadlines aren't evenly spread. They pile up.

How many universities close their next deadline across each of the next twelve months. That's 1,755 in total, and the busiest month accounts for 44 out of every 100.

  1. 535oct
  2. 767nov
  3. 237dec
  4. 49jan
  5. 24feb
  6. 48mar
  7. 43apr
  8. 37may
  9. 11jun
  10. 3jul
  11. 1aug
  12. 0sep

Each university publishes its own dates: there is no single deadline for all of Erasmus+. See the calendar month by month →

What documents you need

Five are compulsory for any Erasmus. The other three depend on your destination, nationality, or whether you receive a grant.

Compulsory

Learning Agreement (LA)

Study contract signed by you, your home university, and the host university before your mobility starts. Without all three signatures, what you study there isn't recognised.

Academic transcript from your home university (for the application)

Your academic record back home: you submit it to apply at the host university, before you leave. Applications usually want it translated; each university sets its own translation or legalisation requirements.

Acceptance letter from the host university

Confirms the host university has admitted you as an Erasmus student. Issued by the host before you travel; required at the consulate if you need a visa, and sometimes for housing or opening a bank account.

Erasmus+ Grant Agreement

You sign it with your home institution before you leave, whether you get funding or not: even "zero-grant" students sign it, since it's what gives you Erasmus+ status. If you do get a grant, the amount is set here.

Transcript of Records from the host university (on your return)

Official grade certificate issued by the host university at the end of your mobility. Your home university needs it to recognise your credits.

Case by case

Language certificate

Some destinations require one as part of the application; others don't. The required level (B1, B2, C1) and accepted certificates are set by each host university.

Insurance and travel documents

Depending on destination and duration, you may need supplementary health insurance, liability insurance, or extra paperwork. Check requirements with your university and host country.

Certificate of Attendance from the host university (arrival and departure)

Signed and stamped by the host university, not your own: one part on arrival, one on departure, with the real dates of your stay. If you get a grant, your payment depends on it; exact deadlines and format are set by each university.

Without a signed Learning Agreement, nothing counts.

go-erasmus matches your courses with the host's official catalogue, course by course, and gives you a draft for your coordinator to review and sign.

Create mine

The full month-by-month calendar is at the calendar. If you're still unsure, the frequently asked questions and glossary have the answers.

The process described follows the European Commission's Erasmus+ framework (erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu) and the Learning Agreement platform (learning-agreement.eu). Specific deadlines come from the public Erasmus+ App API. go-erasmus is not affiliated with the European Commission or the Erasmus+ programme.