Erasmus exchange in Europe

• Up to twelve months can be funded per study cycle (bachelor's, master’s, doctoral programme).
• Up to 24 months can be funded in long cycle degree programmes/integrated study programmes (Psychology, Law, Medicine for example).
• The funding period depends on the amount of days you will be studying abroad or a specific maximum funding period, respectively.
• The amount of the mobility grant depends on the country of destination (grant for academic year 2021/2022):
  • 460€ per month: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Sweden or UK
  • 410€ per month: All other countries
  • Traineeship: + 150 € per month
  • Student with minor children: +250€ per month

As soon as you have received a letter of acceptance from your European host university, you should send a copy of it to erasmus@uib.no. You are then automatically eligible for the Erasmus scholarship, as long as you fulfil the formal requirements (see checklist below). You will receive information about the necessary Erasmus documents in information meetings and via e-mails, in addition on how to proceed with the signing of the Erasmus Grant agreement.

Before going abroad you must:

• Send a copy of the letter of acceptance, which you will receive by the host university, to erasmus@uib.no.
• Check and sign the grant agreement at the International Centre (Parkveien 1, Bergen) or by e-mail
• Fill in the online learning agreement (OLA) and ensure that you, the responsible person at your home university as well as the responsible person at the host university have signed the document.
• Take the OLS language test, if required.
• Read the Erasmus Student Charter 
• Obtain a European Health Insurance Card and inform yourself about private insurance
• Find general information at the exchange website www.uib.no/utveksling (Norwegian): Apply for pre-approval, register for the semester, read information about emergency preparedness.

Payment of Grant

The mobility grant is paid in two instalments. The Erasmus scholarship is tax-free and is granted in addition to all loans and scholarships from the State loan fund (Lånekassen). You will receive the first instalment (approximately 70 percent of total grant) right at the beginning of your stay abroad, as long as the following documents have been marked as received:

• Letter of Acceptance
• Erasmus+ grant agreement
• OLS online language test in the main language of instruction before the stay abroad (does not apply if the main language of instruction is your native language)
• Erasmus+ Learning Agreement (OLA)

Please ensure to submit the required documents by 30 January (Deadline for Spring Semester) or 30 August (Deadline for Autumn Semester). If you submit the documents after the deadline, you will receive your grant payment later.

We will send the signed scholarship agreement and detailed information on the Erasmus scholarship to all students who receive an Erasmus scholarship in February (Spring Semester) or September (Autumn Semester).

You will receive the second instalment (30 percent of total grant) after the end of your stay abroad or after the following documents have been marked as received:

• Get the semester dates confirmed with Confirmation of Erasmus Period signed and stamped by host institution,
• Survey from the European Commision

Please ensure to submit the required documents by 30 January (exchange in Autumn semester) or 30 August (exchange in Spring semester). 

The Erasmus agreement requires a sufficient language level in the teaching language of the host university, in order to ensure a successful semester for the exchange students. Most universities require level B1 or B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). However, some European universities have specific requirements for the documentation of language skills. Please enquire the language preconditions for the corresponding university and ensure to get specific language proof, if needed.

OLS Language Test

All Erasmus students must take a language test before their exchange. The aim is to measure the linguistic competence of all exchange students, and to make sure that you know your language level well before the start of the exchange semester, and have the possibility to improve your language skills if necessary.

• UiB students who are to be taught in Scandinavian languages do not have to take the test.
• Native speakers can apply for an exemption from the test.

After sending your prospective teaching language to erasmus@uib.no, you will automatically receive an e-mail by the OLS system and can take the test. We are automatically informed about the test result. Correspondingly, there is no need to send it to us.

Further information concerning the OLS test can be accessed via the following website:
https://erasmusplusols.eu/en/

All Erasmus students must generate a Learning Agreement prior to the exchange. The student, the study coordinator/advisor at your study programme or department and a responsible person at the host university must sign this document.

Commonly, UiB uses the Online Learning Agreement (OLA), which is digitally signed by all parties:

• You must create the Online Learning Agreement yourself. Please ensure to use Chrome or Firefox. The necessary information is accessible via this website.
• You may logon via eduGAIN/Feide or Google. We recommend you to use eduGAIN/Feide logon, and note that you will have to register the first time.
• You must fill in all fields before signing the OLA digitally, use the detailed manual if you need.
• Once you have signed, your OLA will be sent to your study programme at the UiB (Sending Institution). If everything is fine, your study programme will sign the OLA and will be forwarded the document to the host university (Receiving institution) for the final signature.

You will be notified by e-mail and/or in the Erasmus + App as soon as one party has signed. You can also login to your Online Learning Agreement to check the status of the process.

If the host university requests a paper version, you can download a PDF version of the online learning agreement. This paper version can then be signed by all parties. In this case you must send a scanned copy of the fully signed learning agreement to the Erasmus Coordinator (erasmus@uib.no).

If the host university is not connected via Erasmus Without Paper, you may download a Learning Agreement here, to be filled out and signed by all parties.

If you need further help or advice, you can contact the study advisor of your department or your faculty’s Information Centre at UiB.

An Erasmus+ Traineeship is a form of exchange that allows you to work in an organization, institution, or company abroad. The traineeship must last between two and twelve months.

This type of exchange should, in the same way that the study exchange does, be included in your degree, either as a replacement for obligatory subjects or as free study points. You will receive additional 150€ Erasmus Grant, on top of the ordinary Erasmus Grant. The ordinary Erasmus Grant is 460€ to Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Sweden, and the UK, and 410€ to all other programme countries.

As part of the Erasmus Traineeship, you need a Training Agreement. This is signed by the student, a representative person of the institution at UiB (oftentimes the study coordinator) and the workplace. The agreement ensures that the traineeship is approved as a part of the study programme at UiB. You can find the Training Agreement here.

UiB does not usually have agreements with external partners to send their students on Erasmus traineeship. This means that the student him-/herself has to find a workplace/organisation/institution to perform the traineeship at and contact the department/faculty in order to ensure approval of the traineeship as part of the degree. You can look for traineeship places either here: https://www.arqus-alliance.eu/internships, http://www.erasmusintern.org/ (run by the organization Erasmus Student Network, ESN) or http://www.iaeste.no/ (The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience).

Erasmus+ Traineeship for recent graduates

It is also possible to take part in an Erasmus+ Traineeship after you graduated from your study programme. The traineeship has to be agreed and the training agreement signed by all parties before your final exam. The traineeship itself can be carried out within 12 months after the graduation. Generally, the same rules apply to the post-graduate traineeship as to the regular one, except for the inclusion in the degree. There is a maximum of 12 months Erasmus exchange per degree level, s in case you have already been on Erasmus exchange in the current degree you are graduating from, the number of months to receive the Erasmus Traineeship Grant for might be limited.

How to apply

We have two deadlines each year to apply for the Erasmus+ traineeship and Grant: 1^st June for a traineeship in the autumn semester and 1^st December for a traineeship in the spring semester. The application must include a completed and fully signed Training Agreement. By signing the Training Agreement, the study programme/department confirms the pre-approval of the traineeship exchange.

The application should be sent to erasmus@uib.no. Students that apply for a traineeship as part of their degree will be prioritised in case of a high number of applications. If there are more Grant funds available, we will process late applications as well.

Students with disabilities or chronic diseases often do not have the same opportunities as others to participate in exchange activities. All educational institutions participating in Erasmus + are committed to providing support for people with special needs or disabilities.

If you think that this is the case for you, please contact the study advisor or the Erasmus coordinator (erasmus@uib.no). We will then apply for additional funding from Diku (Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education), which can cover documented additional costs related to the exchange. A medical certificate or a similar record must document your need.