Module 2: Mobility resources

1. Time as a resource

While it may seem early, it is a good idea to talk about learning mobility as a possibility already with pupils in compulsory school. Different mobility opportunities are available throughout all stages of learning. Having a goal to learn or train abroad can be motivating when learning languages and considering further education options.  Long-term goals such as taking a degree abroad require timely financial planning.

1.1. Planning an entire degree abroad

For students planning to take an entire degree abroad, it is necessary to start at least a year in advance, but no later than:

• 10-12 months before the studies:  Selecting the countries and education programmes to apply for and finding out about the application process for each individual education and country. Finding out if validation and/or recognition of the foreign degree is required to be able to work or continue studies in your home country. 
• 9-10 months before the studies: Finding out about costs and fees. Is it possible to obtain a study allowance from home, and what are  the requirements? Deciding if you can arrange everything yourself or if you will use a company that mediates studies abroad. Applying for scholarships (if available).
• 6-8 months before the studies: Checking which documents need to be translated and/or recognised. Where do documents need to be submitted and how much will processing cost?   
• 3-6 months before the studies: Doing entrance exams and checking if a language test is required. Making sure you can finance yours studies. Completing and registering your applications for each education and country. Finding out about housing possibilities – student rooms or private rentals.
• 1-3 months before the studies: Applying for a student visa if required. Reviewing your European/international health insurance. Booking travel.

1.2. Planning a student exchange period abroad

There are some variations between universities in different countries in the timing of each step of organising learning mobility. 

Reaching a cooperation agreement between different universities all over the world on the possibilities of exchange studies. Most universities have signed a variety of such contracts which stipulate the timing of each step in the process.

Applying for financing of the exchange period, for example, through the Erasmus+ or Nordplus projects. Most, if not all, universities in the Nordic/Baltic region have a long history of such contracts and have signed a charter, guaranteeing them such financing year after year.

Advertising the possibilities of mobility to the students. This usually happens in the first quarter of the year for the coming school year. Usually such advertisements give information about funded and non-funded possibilities. 

Students seeking some form of guidance on how to apply. Such guidance can involve anything from the practical aspects of the application to how the exchange period can fit into the overall study plan. It may surprise students how difficult the latter step is. If the application is left to the last term of studies, students may not find the necessary courses to fill the required credit points of their study plans. Universities therefore often point out to their students that it is necessary to start planning a possible study period abroad already in the beginning of their studies, even though they plan to carry it out in a couple of years. 

Students applying for mobility periods. Again, the timing varies between universities. It may therefore be useful for guidance practitioners to make a table of the relevant deadlines in their countries to be able to find the information fast if and when they are asked for it.

2. Variety of financial resources for mobility

Financial support for students planning to study abroad comes from different sources. The most popular programme in Europe is the Erasmus+ programme and many in the Nordic/Baltic countries also know the regional cooperation programme Nordplus. This course focuses mainly on the opportunities provided by these two programmes.

The Nordic countries have a specific  programme called North2North for mobility projects among Denmark, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Canada, the United States, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Russia.

There are also national resources, both from the countries sending students abroad and from the countries receiving them. Please see the next section in this chapter for more details. 

The chart below illustrates the variety of funding resources available for learning mobility.

Source: compiled by Euroguidance Latvia

3. National support

Different types of support are offered by the Nordic and Baltic countries for studies abroad:

Denmark

For VET students: A national scheme for Work Placement Abroad (PIU) gives financial support to all Danish VET students, going on a work placement abroad. This covers work placements worldwide. For HE Students: The Danish state educational support (SU) can be awarded for a study period abroad if the Danish educational institution accepts the study period abroad as part of the current Danish study programme.

Estonia

The Education and Youth Authority (Harno) is a government agency of the Ministry of Education and Research that deals with the implementation of Estonian education and youth policy. The Department of Internationalisation coordinates different scholarship programmes, for example:

• Study and research related scholarships to study abroad (short study visits, exchange studies and degree studies abroad);
• Study and research related scholarships to study in Estonia (degree and exchange studies for foreign PhD and MA students; foreign academic staff; summer and winter schools);
• Scholarships for special-needs students and for young people raised in a substitute home or family;
• Scholarships in the smart specialisation growth areas (information and communication technologies, health technologies and services) and for teacher education;
• Programme “The academic studies of Estonian language and culture abroad”, which supports 10 lecturers teaching Estonian language in 10 universities worldwide and implements different scholarships related to teaching and studying Estonian language and culture.

Finland

The Social Insurance Institution of Finland - Kela offers financial aid for studies outside Finland if the studies correspond to a course of study in Finland that would qualify for financial aid, or if a period of study or job training abroad is part of a course of study, which is being completed in Finland. The study programme must be full-time. Studies at an institute of higher education can be considered full-time studies if at least 5 credits of studies are completed per month. Other types of studies can also be considered full-time studies if the extent of the studies is at least 25 hours per week.

Iceland

Latvia

As of spring 2020 the Latvian government is no longer subsidising loans for studies abroad. Students are advised to apply for financial aid at their host university. Government scholarships for certain types of studies in a limited number of countries are available through annual competitions run by either embassies or the State Education Development Agency.

Lithuania

Education Exchanges Support Foundation, a government agency, administrates the State Scholarship Programme, which is supported by the Republic of Lithuania. Students of Lithuanian higher education and research institutions can apply for the following scholarships under the State Scholarship Programme:

• Short-term doctoral studies (the support includes a monthly scholarship, travel allowance and a grant for tuition fee);
• Travel allowance for students going on mobility programmes (the list of mobility programmes is approved by the Minister of Education, Science and Sport);
• International internships in Lithuanian schools or communities abroad.

For more information, please visit the Stipendijos.lt website (in Lithuanian).

The State Educational Loan Fund, Norway (Lånekassen) is a government agency that allocates loans and grants to Norwegian and certain foreign students for their education. Lånekassen is organised under the Ministry of Education and Research (Kunnskapsdepartementet). 

Lånekassen provides grants and loans to pupils and students in Norway, both in college and in higher degrees. For students in upper secondary education, you must receive a pre-approval from your local school to be eligible for grants or loan. In higher education, you can receive support for education at university or university college level, for both shorter and full degrees abroad.

There are also a number of national initiatives aimed at specific countries or specific professions, you can find more information at Diku, the directorate for internationalisation and quality enhancement in Higher Education.

The Swedish Board of Student Finance (CSN) is a government agency that manages Swedish student finance, i.e. grants and loans for studies. Students can apply for student grants and loans when studying abroad at post-secondary level. They can also apply for student aid for education at upper secondary level (e.g. language courses), but only from the autumn semester in the year in which they turn 20. Students have to pay back the loan, but may choose to apply for the grant portion only. As the cost of living and accommodation may be higher abroad, it is possible to apply for an extra loan known as an additional loan for studies abroad.

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4. Nordplus

Nordplus is a mobility and collaboration programme for education in the Nordic and Baltic countries, including the autonomous regions of Åland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Nordplus is the largest educational programme under the Nordic Council of Ministers and funded by the Nordic and Baltic countries.

Nordplus consists of five sub-programmes:

• Nordplus Junior – for pre-primary, primary and upper secondary schools. See section 4.1.
• Nordplus Higher Education – for higher education. See section 4.2.
• Nordplus Adult – for all organisations and institutions involved in adult education and learning.
• Nordplus Horizontal – for all organisations and institutions involved in education and lifelong learning across sectors. Nordplus Horizontal can support several kinds of activities, such as workshops, seminars, conferences, production of educational material, establishing courses, dissemination and exploitation of results and experiences within the field of education, or projects building on and expanding other Nordplus projects. Nordplus Horizontal supports most activities for cooperation within education, except individual mobility.
• Nordplus Nordic Languages – for all organisations and institutions interested and involved in Nordic languages within all fields of education. The programme supports a wide variety of project ideas related to Nordic languages and / or networks that work within the area of Nordic languages. Note that regular student / class / teacher mobility is generally not supported within the Nordic Languages projects.

National contact points for Nordplus in the Nordic/Baltic countries.

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4.1. Nordplus Junior

Nordplus Junior – for preschools, primary and lower secondary schools, cultural schools, general and vocational upper secondary schools and apprenticeship programmes, school authorities and the public and private organisations/institutions involved in the area of school education.

Mobility activities supported by this programme:

• preparatory visits, 
• class exchanges, 
• pupil exchanges and work experience, 
• teacher exchanges and 
• exchanges of educational/academic staff

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4.2. Nordplus Higher Education

Nordplus Higher Education – for public and private institutions of higher education

The Nordplus Higher Education Programme is a mobility and network programme in the higher education sector, on bachelor and master levels, for the Nordic and Baltic countries.

The aim of the programme is to create a collaboration between the institutions that participate in the programme through exchanges, experience, good practice and innovative results. The programme also supports collaboration between higher education institutions and other organisations.

Individuals cannot apply for grants directly from the Nordplus administration but they can participate in the activities via their home institutions.

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5. Erasmus+

Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe.

Video from European Commission: From Erasmus to Erasmus+ A story of 30 years: 

Source: European Commission

Contacts for National Erasmus+ agencies are found here.

Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. It has an estimated budget of €26.2 billion. This is nearly double the funding compared to its predecessor programme (2014-2020).

The 2021-2027 programme places a strong focus on social inclusion, the green and digital transitions, and promoting young people’s participation in democratic life. It supports priorities and activities set out in the European Education Area, Digital Education Action Plan and the European Skills Agenda. The programme also:

• supports the European Pillar of Social Rights
• implements the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027
• develops the European dimension in sport

Mobility support

The Erasmus+ programme provides support for studies, work and volunteering at all levels of education and training. Institutions can apply for funding of the mobility for:

• pupils in school education who can get support for short visits in groups or on an individual basis (see chapter 5.1.)
• students or trainees in vocational education and training (see chapter 5.2.)
• university students who can get study grants for up to 12 months at each level of university (see chapter 5.3)
• Erasmus+ is open to all young people, not just those currently enrolled in education or training. They can volunteer across Europe and beyond or participate in a youth exchange abroad (see chapter 5.4.)
• adult students can now also apply for mobility (see chapter 5.5.)
• all staff at educational institutions can take part in a mobility scheme designed by their institutions. The possibilities for guidance professionals are explained in detail in Module 4).
• the DiscoverEU scheme allows members of the European Union who are 18 years old to apply for one of 30.000 travel passes for travel around the EU by trains or ferries. In exceptional cases, and when no other transportation means are available, travel by plane will be permitted. Applications are made through the youth portal https://europa.eu/youth/discovereu_en.

Inclusion and Diversity

The Programme seeks to promote equal opportunities and access, inclusion, diversity and fairness across all its actions (see chapter 6).

European online linguistic support

A European online linguistic support service provides the  participants in all school and VET individual mobility activities, as well school staff starting from 31-day mobility periods and university students starting from 14-day mobility periods with the opportunity to assess their knowledge of the language they will use to study or work abroad as well as to follow an online language course to improve their competences. Participants with a level of at least B2 in the main language of instruction or work may choose to follow an OLS course in the language of the receiving country, if available.

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5.1. Mobility opportunities for pupils

Learning mobility for pupils in primary or secondary schools can be organised both in a group and individually. 

• An individual pupil mobility can be short- or long-term where pupils can spend short (10-29 days) or long (one month to one year) periods at a partner school or perform a traineeship at another relevant organisation abroad. An individual learning programme must be defined for each participant.
• Group mobility of school pupils can last from two to thirty days, with at least two pupils per group. Teachers or other authorised persons from the sending school must accompany the pupils for the entire duration of the activity.

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5.2. Mobility opportunities for VET students

Erasmus+ supports traineeships (work placements or study periods abroad) for students currently enrolled in vocational education and training (VET). These opportunities are also open to company-based apprentices and to recent graduates. Trainees will be hosted either in a workplace or in another VET institution with periods of work-based learning as part of their studies.

Watch a video about five Danish students from Kold College who went to Portugal for three weeks for a school and work placement:

Here you can find another information source on the opportunities for VET students: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/opportunities/traineeships-vocational-education-apprenticeships-and-recent-graduates_en

The Erasmus+ programme also offers support for a participation in skills competitions.

Source: Erasmus+ Programme Guide information, compiled by Euroguidance Latvia

5.3. Mobility opportunities for higher education students

Studying abroad is a central part of Erasmus+ and has been shown to have a positive effect on later job prospects. It is also an opportunity to improve language skills, gain self-confidence and independence and immerse yourself in a new culture. Erasmus+ also offers the chance to combine studying abroad with a traineeship. Mobility in higher education is available for students at Bachelor, Master or Doctoral levels.

Studying abroad

Opportunities to study abroad are available to students at Bachelor and Master levels and Doctoral candidates. Master students taking a full degree abroad (up to two years) may be able to benefit from an EU-guaranteed Erasmus+ Master Loan.

Access to Erasmus+ Online Linguistic Support will help students learn the language used for their studies if they are moving between Programme countries. Students with physical, mental or health-related conditions may apply for additional funding after they have been selected to study abroad.

Another source from Erasmus+ on studying abroad: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/opportunities/individuals/students/studying-abroad_en

Traineeship

Erasmus+ supports traineeships (work placements, internships, etc) abroad for students currently enrolled in higher education institutions in Programme countries at Bachelor and Master level as well as for doctoral candidates. These opportunities are also open to recent graduates. By doing a traineeship abroad with Erasmus+, students can improve not only their communication, language and intercultural skills, but also soft skills highly valued by future employers, as well as become more entrepreneurial. Access to Erasmus+ Online Linguistic Support will help students learn the language used at their hosting organisation.

Watch a video about Danish Business Students' traineeship in London: 

Watch a video about Stine, who was just 22 years old when she went to Iran to study engineering: 

5.4. Mobility opportunities for youth

Youth exchanges allow groups of young people from different countries to meet, live together and work on shared projects for short periods. Youth exchanges take place outside the school environment. On a youth exchange, one can expect to participate in activities such as workshops, exercises, debates, role-plays, outdoor activities and more. Participants' learning experiences are recognised through a Youthpass. Youth exchanges last between 5 and 21 days. This excludes travelling time. Youth exchanges are open to people between the ages of 13 and 30. To be a group leader in a youth exchange, a person must be at least 18 years-old. Youth exchanges are managed by youth organisations, informal groups of young people or other organisations.

Watch a video by European Commission about youth exchanges:

Source: European Commission

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5.5. Mobility opportunities for adult learners

Learning mobility for adult learners with fewer opportunities can be organised both in a group and individually. For groups, qualified trainers from the sending organisation must accompany the learners during the entire stay. Short-term projects are available for organisations wishing to organise only a limited number of activities. Only institutions which have received an Erasmus+ accreditation can apply for regular mobility funding.

A group of adult learners (at least two people) from the sending organisation can spend two to 30 days in another country to benefit from innovative learning organised by a hosting organisation. The content of group mobility activities should focus on key competences of adult learners or the inclusion and diversity, digital, environmental sustainability and participatory dimensions of the programme.

Adult learners can also individually spend a period abroad at a hosting organisation to improve their knowledge and skills. An individual learning programme of between two days and one month must be defined for each participant and may include in-class learning, work-based learning, job-shadowing, observation and other innovative approaches.

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6. Mobility support for people with disabilities

Study abroad with functional variation/special needs 

Students with special needs still make up a very small part of the total number of mobile students, at least if we take a look at how many actually receive the extra grants that are available to make it easier to travel abroad for participants with functional variation. However, there is help to be found both in terms of adapted education and finances.

Up to 100 percent financing

Both the Erasmus + and the Nordplus programmes offer special financial support for participants with functional variation. Up to 100 percent financing is available for all additional costs that may arise. It is for example possible to receive a grant to cover costs for different types of practical support measures, such as an accompanying person, for an adapted apartment or for travelling to the study destination in advance to get to know the surroundings. 

In addition, in some countries, it is also possible to apply for extra funding from the national organisation that normally provides grants and loans for studies.

A good example on Special needs grants can be found in Finland. For more information, click here.

Other kind of support

In general, it seems that it is now rarely a major concern for European universities to accept students who are dependent on wheelchairs, but significantly fewer have the resources in place to be able to help students with visual and hearing impairments. Challenges therefore exist on several different levels and one of the most difficult is to get sign language interpretation.

Planning is the key

To start planning well in advance is a key for a successful time abroad for all students and especially for those with special needs.

A start could be to establish contact early on with the coordinator for exchange studies at the university or any other educational institution, to inform them about the study plans, and to describe the disability and how it affects the study situation. What kind of pedagogical support is needed? It might also be important to bring documentation from e.g. a speech therapist or a doctor, which proves and describes the permanent disability.

There are also many practical issues to take care of, for example:

• How to arrange for accompanying persons, transport, physiotherapy, psychologist, wheelchair, or a personal computer with customised programs?
• Can adaptation of the home be offered in the destination country if needed? Is there anyone who can meet at the airport and accompany to the home?
• What Insurances are needed?

A short film by Nordic Welfare Centre about studying abroad with disability: 

Getting a specific Erasmus+ grant to cover additional costs due to disabilities can make all the difference, as Inga Björk from Iceland talks about here: 

7. MODULE 2: KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER

Time as a resource

• For students who wish to take an entire degree abroad, it is necessary to start planning at least a year in advance.
• Universities often point out to their students that it is necessary to start planning a possible study period abroad already in the beginning of their studies, even though they plan to carry it out in a couple of years.

Variety of financial resources for mobility

• This course focuses mainly on the financial resources for mobility offered by the Erasmus+ and the Nordplus programmes.
  

National support

• Different types of support are offered by the Nordic and Baltic countries for studies abroad.
  

NORDPLUS

• Nordplus is a mobility and collaboration programme for education in the Nordic and Baltic countries, including the autonomous regions of Åland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
  

ERASMUS+

• Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe.
  
• The 2021-2027 programme places a strong focus on social inclusion, the green and digital transitions, and promoting young people’s participation in democratic life.
  
• A European online linguistic support service provides the participants in all individual school and VET mobility activities, higher education mobilities starting from 14 days, and school staff mobilities starting from 31 days with the opportunity to assess their knowledge of the language they will use to study or work abroad as well as to follow an online language course to improve their competences.
  
• Learning mobility for pupils in primary or secondary schools can be organised both in a group and individually.
  
• Erasmus+ supports traineeships (work placements or study periods abroad) for students currently enrolled in vocational education and training (VET).
  
• Erasmus+ also offers the chance to combine studying abroad with a traineeship. Mobility in higher education is available for students at Bachelor, Master or Doctoral levels.
  
• Youth exchanges allow groups of young people from different countries to meet, live together and work on shared projects for short periods. Youth exchanges take place outside the school environment.
  
• Learning mobility for adult learners with fewer opportunities can be organised both in a group and individually.

Mobility support for people with disabilities

• Both the Erasmus+ and the Nordplus programmes offer special financial support for participants with functional variation. Up to a 100 percent financing is available.
  
• To start planning well in advance is a key for a successful time abroad for all students and especially for those with special needs.