Internship in Europe

An internship abroad has many advantages - participation in the Erasmus+ program offers you, among other things

• financial support
• Support in preparing for your foreign stays
• special funding in certain cases (green travel, limited opportunities)
• support at your home university and host company
• use of the EU's OLS language learning tool
• Intercultural experience and development of intercultural skills
• getting to know a different working environment
• the development of your foreign language skills

You can apply for Erasmus+ internship funding if the following criteria apply to you and your internship:

• You are enrolled at our university during the internship.
• You are completing an internship (project work) of min. 2 and max. 12 months in a company or institution in the EU or associated countries.
• You have sufficient knowledge of the national language or a good command of English.
• The content of the internship has been discussed and approved in advance with the program/internship coordinator in your department.
• Intercultural preparation should have taken place.

The search for an internship is done independently. On our main page on internships abroad, we have listed a number of portals and providers that can help you find a suitable placement. Also discuss the suitability of the place with the person responsible in your degree program or department if it is an Obligatory internship.

As far as the choice of location is concerned, you are free to choose anywhere within the European Union and the associated Erasmus+ program countries (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey). For internships outside the EU, you can apply for PROMOS funding.

You are not restricted to a specific period of time for an internship abroad. Agree with the internship company so that your internship meets the minimum duration for funding (60 days) and is within a period that fits in with your course of study. It is irrelevant whether you choose the semester break as the period or are aiming for an entire internship semester.

An internship abroad and the application for funding require a lot of planning:

• The application deadline for Erasmus+ is at least four weeks before your departure. However, you should apply as early as possible in order to have enough time to obtain/create the application documents, obtain signatures and compensate for any waiting times.
• Talk to the person responsible in your department. You will need the signature of the coordinator of your department or degree program on your Training Agreement (responsibility varies). For compulsory internships, you can also ensure that your internship is recognized here.
• For Erasmus+ funding, it is mandatory that you take out your own health, accident and liability insurance abroad. Take care of the appropriate insurance cover for your foreign stays in good time, as you must state this on your grant agreement.
• Look for an apartment abroad. This can be done via internet portals or through contacts at your host company. Don't be afraid to get help with this at an early stage.
• Do you have the necessary language skills to successfully complete your internship? The earlier you start planning, the better chance you have of improving your language skills with appropriate courses.
• Book your arrival and, if necessary, departure to the host country in good time to save money and have planning security.

You apply via our application portal Mobility Online.

You must submit the following documents with your application:

• Letter of motivation
• transcript of records
• curriculum vitae
• Internship profile
• Confirmation of internship
• Learning Agreement for Traineeships
• Certificate of enrollment

Once your application has been reviewed by the International Office, you will receive a grant agreement to download from the portal if you are accepted. This must be completed, signed and submitted to the International Office in the original (on paper) before you can receive funding.

We check the following criteria when awarding funding:

• the internship should meaningfully support the studies
• the student must have sufficient and professional language qualifications
• there must be a confirmation of the internship from the host company
• Compulsory internships are given preference over voluntary internships
• Availability of funds. If too few Erasmus+ funds are available, the funding period can be limited

Mandatory OLS language tests

The European Commission now provides an online language test ("language assessment") for 24 languages:

Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish and Swedish.

All students/graduates must take this test in the main language of instruction/main working language before the start of their stay. The OLS language test is mandatory and part of the grant agreement. In the case of multiple mobility grants, proof of multiple tests must be provided.

Both types of internships can be funded by Erasmus+ as long as the internship is a meaningful addition to your studies.

However, if insufficient funds are available, compulsory internships take priority over voluntary internships.

Yes, funding for so-called graduate internships is also possible (in Europe). It is important that you apply for funding while you are still enrolled at our university.

Yes, remuneration for an internship is not an exclusion criterion for Erasmus+ funding.

However, if insufficient funds are available, unremunerated internships have priority over remunerated internships.

The amount of funding depends on the destination country in which you complete your internship abroad and is based on the cost of living there. The funding rates may vary from year to year.

For stays from the academic year 2024/25 onwards, the following country allocations and funding rates apply:

Country group 1:
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden: €750/month

Country group 2:
Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, Cyprus: €690/month

Country group 3:
Bulgaria, Croatia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, Hungary: €690/month

Please note: We reserve the right to provide funding from remaining funds from the previous year as long as these have not yet been used up.

Additional funding for green travel

Erasmus+ provides special support for low-emission travel. Students who travel sustainably will receive a higher travel allowance (from the 2025 project). For foreign stays from the winter semester 2024/25 onwards, there is the option to apply for additional funding for green travel. If you travel to the host university and/or return by environmentally friendly means of transport (train, bus, car pooling or bicycle), you can apply for funding for additional travel days for green travel. In this case, you can claim up to six additional days of funding for the longer outward and return journey (the actual requirement applies). Funding is based on the daily rate of the respective country group of your host country. To apply for Erasmus+ Top-up for Green Travel, please use the declaration of honor (download in Mobility Online). Proof must be submitted on request.

For non-low-emission travel, students can receive funding for one additional day from winter semester 2024/25 and two additional days from winter semester 2025/26. An honorary declaration can also be completed for this when applying.

Please note that the funding depends on the respective project year. The International Office reserves the right to fund students from older project years as long as there is still funding available. Scholarships are calculated according to the specifications of the respective project year.

Additional funding for students with "fewer opportunities"

Students with special needs (chronic illness or disability, children, non-academic parents, employment) can apply for additional funding via the Erasmus program (top-up). This grant of €250 per month for participants with fewer opportunities can only be applied for once, even if several of the criteria for receiving the grant are met.

When preparing for your Erasmus stay, please let us know your situation via our application portal. General information can be found on the NA DAAD website.