How to Apply for an Erasmus+ Internship: The Complete 2026 Guide

• Current students enrolled at a higher-education institution (HEI) holding an Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) in a programme country.
• VET learners enrolled at a VET provider participating in Erasmus+ KA122-VET or KA121-VET projects.
• Recent graduates — within 12 months of graduation, applied for while still enrolled.
• Doctoral candidates — eligible under KA131 short-term mobility (5–30 days) and long-term (2–12 months).
• Staff seeking a teaching or training mobility — separate procedure, not covered here.

You apply through your home institution's Erasmus Office (also called International Office or Mobility Office), never directly to the European Commission. The Commission funds the National Agency, which funds your university, which funds you.

• Step 1 — Confirm eligibility with the Erasmus Office and check your remaining mobility budget (12 months per study cycle).
• Step 2 — Find a host organisation in a programme country (any EU member state, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey).
• Step 3 — Sign the Learning Agreement for Traineeships (LA-T) with the host and your university coordinator.
• Step 4 — Receive the grant agreement and first instalment (typically 70–80% before departure).
• Step 5 — Complete the OLS language assessment and travel.
• Step 6 — Submit the Traineeship Certificate and EU Participant Report within 30 days of return.

Before you spend time on host search, your Erasmus Office must confirm three things.

• You are enrolled in a degree programme at the time of mobility (recent-graduate window: you must be selected before graduation, mobility must finish within 12 months of graduation).
• You have not exhausted your 12-month-per-cycle Erasmus budget (Bachelor / Master / PhD each have 12 months including study and traineeship combined).
• Your host country, sector and field are eligible (military, EU institutions and EU-funding bodies are excluded as hosts).

Two paths: independent search or via a placement provider. The Erasmus+ rules do not prefer one over the other — what matters is that the host signs the Learning Agreement.

• Independent — university partner database, alumni network, direct cold outreach.
• Via a placement partner — Piktalent and similar operators screen hosts and handle the paperwork. Useful when you need a specific city, sector or start date.
• Avoid intermediary platforms that charge an application fee — Erasmus+ rules forbid hosts and intermediaries from charging mandatory placement fees to participants.

The host must be a public or private organisation active in the labour market or in education, training and youth. Family businesses where the intern is a relative of the owner are excluded.

The LA-T is the single most important document of the entire process. It must be signed by the intern, the sending university and the host BEFORE mobility starts. No signed LA-T = no grant.

• Section 'Before the mobility' — detailed traineeship programme, learning outcomes, monitoring plan, evaluation method, ECTS to be awarded.
• Section 'During the mobility' — only used if the placement is materially modified mid-flight; both sides re-sign.
• Section 'After the mobility' — the Traineeship Certificate (signed by the host) confirms duration, hours and tasks completed.

Erasmus+ traineeship grants combine a monthly base rate (country group) plus a traineeship top-up plus optional inclusion and green-travel supplements.

• Group 1 (high cost: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden) — €600–€750/month base.
• Group 2 (medium: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain) — €540–€690/month base.
• Group 3 (lower: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Turkey) — €490–€640/month base.
• Traineeship top-up — additional €150/month on top of the base across all groups.
• Fewer-opportunities top-up — additional €250/month for participants with disabilities, refugees, low-income or rural background.
• Green-travel top-up — €50 one-off + up to 4 extra travel days for low-emission transport.

Exact figures per country are set by your National Agency within the Commission's bands and may differ by ±€50 between universities in the same country. See our grant-amounts breakdown for the live numbers.

• Online Linguistic Support (OLS) — mandatory language assessment in the main working language of the placement. Take it as soon as the grant is approved.
• European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) — request from your home health authority; valid in the EU/EEA/Switzerland.
• Liability insurance — most hosts require it; either your university provides group cover or you buy it (€20–€50 for the placement).
• NIE / NUSS / equivalents in the host country — see our country-specific guides.

• Keep a log of hours and tasks; the host will need this to issue the Traineeship Certificate.
• Notify your Erasmus Office of any change to the start or end date as soon as it is known.
• Within 30 days of return: submit the Traineeship Certificate, complete the EU Survey (auto-emailed by the Commission), receive the final 20–30% of the grant.
• Recognition: the ECTS agreed in the LA-T are added to your transcript by your home faculty.

• Weeks 0–2 — Internal application at the Erasmus Office.
• Weeks 2–6 — Host search and offer letter.
• Weeks 6–10 — Learning Agreement signed by all three parties.
• Weeks 10–12 — Grant agreement and OLS.
• Weeks 12–14 — Departure, on-arrival administrative steps (NIE, NUSS, accommodation).

• Starting the placement before all three LA-T signatures are in place — grant is forfeited.
• Counting prior study mobility in the same cycle against the wrong cap — study + traineeship share the 12-month budget per cycle.
• Choosing a host that is an EU institution or EU-funded body — ineligible.
• Missing the recent-graduate window (selection before graduation, completion within 12 months of graduation).
• Skipping the OLS — the grant final instalment can be withheld.