Erasmus+ Guide: Study in Europe With a Monthly Grant and No Host Tuition
by MixKhazana Research Team · Published: 4 November 2026 · Updated: 4 November 2026
Erasmus+ is the European Union's flagship exchange programme, and its offer is unusually generous: you study at a partner university abroad, you pay no tuition fees there, your credits count at home, and you receive a monthly grant towards your living costs. Under the Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026, the study grant ranges from €292 to €606 per month, and a traineeship adds a €150 monthly premium, giving a traineeship range of €442 to €756 per month. The programme runs to 2027 with a budget of over €26 billion for 2021–27. This guide explains the grant, the fee exemption, who can take part, and the one application route that matters: your home university.
The grant: what you actually receive
The grant is a contribution towards the extra cost of living abroad — not a full scholarship, and not a salary. The exact amount depends on the destination country, because living costs differ across Europe, and it is set by the national agency of the country where your home university sits. That is why this guide gives the overall range rather than a table of country groups: published country-group tables differ between sources, and the only figure that binds you is the one your own university's international office confirms for your exchange. Two rules are fixed by the guide itself: the study range of €292–606 per month, and the traineeship premium of €150 per month on top of the study rate.
On top of the monthly grant, Erasmus+ can include travel support based on distance, and additional top-ups exist for students with fewer opportunities, including students with disabilities and students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Ask your international office about those top-ups early, because they are assessed separately and can change the budget significantly. National grants and loans from home normally keep running during your exchange, and your home-institution fees continue as normal — the exemption applies at the host, not at home.
| Mobility type | Monthly grant (Programme Guide 2026) |
|---|---|
| Study exchange | €292 – €606 per month |
| Traineeship (study rate + €150 premium) | €442 – €756 per month |
No tuition fees at the host university
This is the part students most often underestimate. As an Erasmus+ student you are exempt from tuition, registration, examination and library or laboratory fees at the host institution. You remain enrolled at home, you pay your normal home fees, and the host treats you like its own students for teaching purposes. Small charges can still apply on the same basis as local students — things like insurance, a students' union fee, or copying and printing — but no tuition bill will arrive from the host university. If one does, something has gone wrong: contact your home international office before paying anything.
The same exemption applies to zero-grant students: if you are nominated but receive no grant funding, you still hold Erasmus+ status, you are still exempt from host tuition fees, and you must still register your mobility. Funding is not the status; the status is what protects you from fees and guarantees recognition.
Who can take part, and how to apply
Erasmus+ is open to students enrolled at a higher education institution that holds the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education. Your home institution sets its own eligibility rules — some faculties do not allow first-year bachelor students to go, for example — so the first step is always your own international office, not a European website. The application path looks like this:
- Check your university's call. Each university publishes its own Erasmus+ call, deadlines and partner list. Deadlines are usually a semester or more before departure.
- Choose partner universities. You can only go where your university has an agreement, and you need courses that fit your degree.
- Apply and get selected. Selection is by your university, on academic and sometimes language criteria.
- Sign a learning agreement. Before travel, you, your home university and the host agree the courses you will take and the credits they carry. Your home university must recognise those credits afterwards.
- Arrange the grant and travel. Your university confirms the monthly rate, the payment schedule and any travel support or top-ups.
A study mobility normally lasts from 2 to 12 months. Within one study cycle you can accumulate up to 12 months of Erasmus+ status across study and traineeship mobilities. Language requirements are set by the host and your faculty: many hosts teach exchange courses in English, but some require the local language, and an online language assessment or course is usually part of the preparation.
Traineeships: the higher-grant route
Traineeships deserve a separate look because the money is better and the competition is often lower. An Erasmus+ traineeship can take place at a company, a research institute, a non-profit or another organisation abroad, during your studies or after graduation, and it earns the study grant plus the €150 monthly premium. For a student who wants work experience rather than another semester of lectures, a traineeship can be the smarter exchange — and employers notice it. The traineeship must be supervised and agreed in a learning agreement for traineeships, just as study mobility needs its own agreement.
Budgeting honestly: what the grant does not cover
The grant helps; it does not fund a lifestyle. Rent is the biggest variable: a room in Copenhagen or Amsterdam can swallow the whole monthly grant, while a room in Krakow or Porto leaves room to breathe. Before you choose a destination, price three things: accommodation (including deposit and whether the host helps you find it), compulsory local costs such as a transport pass and health insurance, and the gap between the grant's arrival and your first expenses — grants are often paid in instalments, and the first payment may arrive after you have already paid a deposit and a flight. Keep a buffer of at least one month's costs beyond the grant, and check whether your home student loan or grant continues abroad, because that changes the maths completely.
After you return: recognition, transcripts and the next mobility
The exchange is not finished when you fly home. Your host university issues a transcript of records listing the courses you completed and the grades you earned, and your home university converts those into your degree under the learning agreement you signed before departure. Keep every document from the exchange — the learning agreement, the transcript, the grant agreement and proof of your stay — because recognition problems are almost always paperwork problems: a course missing from the transcript, a grade scale that needs converting, or a stay certificate that was never issued. Raise any mismatch with your international office immediately, while the host's exchange office still remembers you.
Returning students also have an advantage most do not use: the 12-month Erasmus+ allowance runs per study cycle, so a semester abroad as a bachelor student does not exhaust your entitlement as a master student, and a study mobility does not prevent a later traineeship mobility. If you plan a second mobility, start from what the first one taught you about budgeting and course choice, and apply in the next call rather than assuming the opportunity has passed. Alumni networks and buddy programmes at your home university are also worth joining: they turn one exchange into a lasting international circle, and they are free.
Scam warning: Erasmus+ applications are free
Applying for Erasmus+ through your home university costs nothing, and the programme never charges an application fee. Any website, social media account or "agent" that asks you to pay to apply, to reserve a place or to unlock a grant is a scam. Erasmus+ has no paid fast-track, no agent channel and no fee-based placement. If someone charges you in Erasmus+'s name, report them to your university and do not send documents or money.
Other free routes worth knowing
If an exchange semester does not fit your degree, the same ecosystem offers other no-fee routes: the European Solidarity Corps for volunteering projects, short Erasmus+ blended mobilities that mix online learning with a short physical stay, and summer schools at partner universities. None of these charges an application fee either. For students who cannot travel at all, the free-courses route — full university-level courses you can take from home at no cost — is covered in our free courses hub, which lists only platforms that are genuinely free rather than free-trial marketing.
Sources
- Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026 (erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu) — grant ranges, traineeship premium, fee exemption, recognition rules.
- European Commission — Erasmus+ study abroad pages — application through home institutions, 2–12 month durations.
- University Erasmus+ offices (RWTH Aachen, Tübingen, Tartu, Kiel) — host fee exemption in practice, zero-grant status, small-charge exceptions.
Grant rates are set annually and confirmed by your sending country's national agency. Your university's international office has the final word for your exchange; this guide is educational only.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Erasmus+ monthly grant?
Under the Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026, the study mobility grant ranges from €292 to €606 per month, depending on the destination country group. Traineeships add a €150 monthly premium, giving a traineeship range of €442 to €756 per month. The exact amount for your exchange is set by the national agency of the country where your home university is.
Do Erasmus+ students pay tuition fees at the host university?
No. Erasmus+ students are exempt from tuition, registration, examination and library or laboratory fees at the host institution. Small charges such as insurance or students' union fees can still apply, and fees at your home institution continue as normal.
How do I apply for Erasmus+?
You apply through your home university, not directly to the European Union. Your university's international office runs the selection, nominates you to a partner university, and handles the grant. You must be enrolled at a higher education institution that holds the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education.
How long can an Erasmus+ exchange last?
A study mobility normally lasts from 2 to 12 months at a partner university abroad. You can combine study and traineeship mobilities up to 12 months of Erasmus+ status per study cycle, and you can also travel as a zero-grant student, keeping the fee exemption without the grant.
Does the Erasmus+ grant cover all my costs abroad?
No. The grant is a contribution towards the extra costs of living abroad, not a full scholarship. It does not cover everything: you still pay for accommodation, food and personal expenses, and national grants and loans from home usually keep running during the exchange.
Are my Erasmus+ credits recognised at home?
Yes. Before you travel you sign a learning agreement listing the courses you will take, and your home university must recognise the credits you earn abroad, as set out in that agreement.
Can I do a traineeship abroad with Erasmus+?
Yes. Erasmus+ supports traineeships at companies, organisations and institutions abroad, during your studies or after graduation, and traineeships receive the study grant plus a €150 monthly premium under the 2026 guide.
Does applying for Erasmus+ cost anything?
No. Applying for Erasmus+ through your home university costs nothing, and the programme never charges an application fee. Any website or agent that asks you to pay a fee to apply for Erasmus+ is a scam.