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Essential Facts about ERASMUS and
Interuniversity Cooperation Programmes (ICPs)

* Contents

• Introduction
• Financial Support to Universites
• Mobility Grants for Students
• Visit Grants for Higher Education Staff
• Other Financial Support
• I M P O R T A N T

* Introduction

ERASMUS (EuRopean Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) is one of the subprogrammes of SOCRATES, initiated for education at all levels by DGXXII. ERASMUS concerns only higher education. In the context of ERASMUS, the term "university" is used to describe all types of higher education institutions - regardless of their designation in the individual Member States, the subjects they offer, and the level of study (up to and including the Ph.D.). The Bureau is pleased to reply to any enquiry from persons seeking more detailed information about the programmes. DGXXII is assisted by the SOCRATES and YOUTH Bureau.

SOCRATES and YOUTH Bureau E-mail: info@socrates-youth.be

70, rue Montoyerstraat 70
B-1040 BRUSSELS
Tel.: (32)(2)233.01.11
Fax: (32)(2)233.01.50
Telex: 63528

The Web-site of SOCRATES is at: http://europa.eu.int/en/comm/dg22/socrates.html

Each year the SOCRATES Bureau publishes "Guidelines for Applicants" describing the financial support and the grants available for cooperation and mobility in higher education in the Member States of the European Union (A, B, D, DK, E, F, GR, I, IRL, L, NL, P, S, SF, and UK) and the countries of the European Economic Area (EEA), i.e. Iceland (IS), Lichtenstein (FL), and Norway (N). Since the academic year 1996 / 97, Switzerland (CH) is not longer eligible under the SOCRATES programme.

ERASMUS comprises four actions.

* I. Financial Support to Universities

This support is offered to the ICPs upon proposal of an ICP-coordinator, acting in mutual agreement with the participating university departments of a given discipline and with the full endorsement of the highest academic authority of each participating university. Following given rules, the support encompasses expenditures of staff for meetings, travels, daily subsistence, language preparation and other expenditures (administration, translation, etc...) for running the ICP and its programmes. The awarded support may be subdivided as follows :

• Support for the Student Mobility (SM), excluding the student mobility grants itselves;
• Support for Teaching staff Mobility (TM).Teaching staff may teach abroad for a period between 1 week and 6 months. Like student mobility (SM), staff mobility (TM) is subject to preparations within the framework of a given ICP. Staff mobility is most important for monitoring the student mobility.

• ICPs may wish to develop joint curricula in undergraduate, post-graduate or in doctoral programmes.
• Joint Curriculum Development may take the format of a European Course programme taught at several participating universities with Teaching staff Mobility involved.
• It may also take the format of a Joint Programme among some universities where parts are taught during given periods (semesters) of the year, ááinvolving Student Mobility.
• Joint Curriculum Development may also lead to a Double Degree of European Studies when a double degree is awarded by both the home and host ááuniversities following a specific agreement about the course contents and the timing and length of the study period abroad.

* II. Mobility Grants for Students

• Students - citizens of the EU- and EEA-countries and fully registered in an undergraduate, postgraduate or doctoral/PhD programme of a recognized university of these countries, can spend a study-period, not less than 3 months and not more than 12 months, at a host-university of another EU- or EEA-country.
• Students, having an official status of refugee or stateless person, or recognized as being permanently resident by one of the Member States, are also eligible.
• Following given conditions, the study period abroad is fully credited by the home-university when awarding the final degree for which the student registered at the home-university. It is the home-university and NOT the host-university which awards the final degree.
• The credits awarded by the host-university are accepted by the home-university following a procedure wherein course-contents and exam regulations are prepared by a so-called Learning Agreement and agreed formally and in advance by both universities (see hereafter : ECTS).
• It is not possible for an individual student to prepare all the above steps : therefore, ERASMUS prefers students to move within an accepted ICP. Other students are called "free movers" (see hereafter).
• An ICP is responsible for
  • all the above preparations
  • the application for the mobility grants for students, once a year and one year ahead of the planned mobility.
• An ICP is NOT responsible for awarding the mobility grants for students. It does support the language training of selected students.
• The application for the mobility grants requires an early and close contact with the prospective students because the awarding of the grants is :

1° subject to a selection procedure outside the ICP and following an overall country-to-country balance. E.g. a given ICP may apply one year ahead for the following mobility grants but the actual grants awarded by the NGAA (National Grant Awarding Authority) of each country may be quite different :

* this means: 2 students from a Belgian university participating in the given ICP , are applying for a study period of 6 months in an italian university, also partner of the given ICP.

2° not the responsibility of the ICP, but the NGAA or the home-university will be responsible for the administration of the student grant.

• The amount of the student mobility grant (approximately 200 ECU/month) is solely decided by the NGAA and cannot be changed in any way by the ICP nor by the university.
• It should be carefully noted that student mobility grants are only intended to assist with the extra costs involved in study abroad. They cannot be expected to cover all the costs that students would normally incur at their home institution.
• Not all students of an approved ICP can automatically expect to receive a student mobility grant, although it is hoped that most will do so and the universities, in agreement with their NGAA may reallocate the grants among different ICPs within an academic year.
• The student shall not be required to pay tuition fees (or fees for the use of library or laboratory facilities, or for the right to sit examinations) at the host university; the student may however be required to continue to pay normal tuition fees to the home university during the study period abroad, even if she/he spends a 12-month period abroad. Insurance costs, student union fees, charges for the use of miscellaneous material (photocopies, laboratory products, etc.) are not regarded as tuition fees.
• However, students are entitled to continue receiving any other grant from their home country during their stay abroad.
• Students who are free movers (i.e. those who do not form part of an ICP of the European University Network) may also apply for student mobility grants provided they satisfy all the conditions of eligibility for such grants. The overall number of "free mover" grants is very limited and the availability of student mobility grants for "free movers" will depend on the policy of the National Grant Awarding Authority (NGAA) in the country concerned. In certain Member States no "free mover" student mobility grants are available.
• Students are not entitled to student mobility grants from NGAAs principally to cover the costs of attending intensive programmes. Nor can they use their student mobility grant given in respect of an eligible study abroad period to cover identical costs associated with an intensive programme already covered by an ERASMUS grant. They should apply to the organizer of the intensive programme for travel and subsistence support.

* III. Visit Grants for Higher Education Staff

For preparatory visits, study visits and teaching visits. The maximum duration of these visits is 4 weeks. Application is always open but selections are made 5 times a year. These grants are not available to students, nor are they available to conduct research or to attend symposia, seminars or conferences.

* IV. Other Financial Support

Grants for associations, publications, the dissemination of information and other initiatives in order to promote the ERASMUS activities.

* I M P O R T A N T

NO financial support by ERASMUS is available to conduct research or to take part in symposia, seminars or conferences. Although the initiative for proposing an ICP may be made by individual staff members, or by departments, in several universities, a single application only must be submitted by the Head of one of the universities acting on behalf of all those participating, irrespective of the number of participating universities in a given Inter-university Cooperation Programme. In addition each application must contain an endorsement letter from every other participating university stating its willingness to cooperate as outlined in the application presented by the coordinating university. These endorsement letters must be signed by the administrative or academic Heads of the partner universities (and not by Heads of faculty/department) and appended to the application form.

NOTE: The above information about the ERASMUS subprogramme of the SOCRATES programme is subject to changes under the Institutional Contract scheme which will become operational in the academic year 1997 / 98.