International Office

Erasmus+ Student Exchange

Erasmus+ is the European Union's programme to promote cooperation and mobility in the field of education. The University of Vienna has bilateral agreements with around 370 European universities and thus provides its students with around 2,800 Erasmus+ study places at European partner universities.

What does the Erasmus+ programme offer? Students are admitted to the partner universities through a simplified procedure, receive a mobility grant and are exempt from paying tuition fees. Courses completed abroad can be recognised at the University of Vienna after consultation with the directorate of studies (SPL).

Quick guide

Any questions?

  • Erasmus+ Outgoing Team

  • Mobility coordinators

    If you have questions regarding 

    • available host universities and study places
    • department-specific application requirements and documents or
    • specifics of the host university or host country,

    please contact the mobility coordinators of the respective degree programme. You can find an overview of mobility coordinators by clicking the “i” icon in the portal for student mobility.

    They decide which students receive an exchange place. 

  • Erasmus Student Network

    Would you like to gain international experience and get in touch with exchange students (perhaps even from your future host country) already before your Erasmus+ stay abroad? 

    Then joining the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) might be a good idea.

    Become part of the buddy system, which enables students of the University of Vienna to provide additional support to international exchange students and help them find their way around Vienna.

    For further questions: 
    office(at)esnuniwien.com

  • Directorate of Studies and StudiesServiceCenter

    Enquiries regarding recognition:

    If you have any questions regarding the recognition of credits earned abroad at the University of Vienna, please contact the relevant Directorate of Studies (SPL) or the StudiesServiceCentre (SSC).

    Go to the contact details for the relevant degree programme

The University of Vienna has concluded a number of exchange agreements with Circle U. partner universities and aims to conclude further agreements. Study visits completed as part of the Circle U. programme are funded by Erasmus+. You can find an overview of exchange possibilities in our Mobility Online portal. In addition to the University of Vienna, the University of Aarhus, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Université Paris Cité, University of Belgrade, UCLouvain, University of Oslo, King's College London and the University of Pisa are part of the Circle U. alliance.

Requirements

  • Admission to a bachelor’s, master’s or diploma programme at the University of Vienna
  • Bachelor’s students have to be at least in the 3rd semester of their degree programme at the start of their stay abroad
  • Internal criteria of your department (depending on the degree programme; e.g. study progress, motivation)
  • You have not yet used all Erasmus+ mobility months of the relevant study cycle
  • You must not complete the respective degree programme at the University of Vienna while you are completing your Erasmus+ stay abroad.

Please note: You can only apply for Erasmus+ places in a degree programme in which you are enrolled. 

Duration of stay

An Erasmus+ student exchange is only possible for one semester! Please specify in your application whether you are completing your stay in the winter semester or summer semester. 
Please note: During the second application round places are only allocated for the following summer semester.

How long your stay abroad actually lasts depends on the semester dates of your host university. 

Find out whether your host university offers enough suitable courses in the semester in which you intend to study there and whether the semester dates of the host university are compatible with your studies at the University of Vienna. 

The minimum duration of an Erasmus+ study visit is 2 months (60 days) and depends on the semester dates of the host university. 

In case of several stays within Erasmus+ programmes (Erasmus+ student exchange, Erasmus+ traineeships and other Erasmus+ mobilities), the personal quota of 12 months per study cycle (BA/MA/PhD) cannot be exceeded. For diploma students there is a quota of 24 months.

Language certificate

You must provide proof of language proficiency already when applying for an Erasmus+ place. 

You can check in the portal which level of proficiency in which language you need to provide proof for the respective exchange places. 

If two languages are listed, it is sufficient to provide proof of proficiency in only one of the two languages. However, please check whether your host university offers enough courses in the respective language.

Please note: The levels specified for the exchange places are the minimum level required when you apply for the relevant place as a student of the University of Vienna. However, the partner university may specify higher language level requirements or insist on a specific certificate (e.g. TOEFL or IELTS). If you do not fulfil these requirements, you may not be admitted to the partner university. Therefore, obtain information in advance about the requirements specified by your host university. In the portal you will usually find fact sheets with current information about the host university as well as a link to the relevant website.

Accepted language certificates for stays abroad in the academic year of 2026/2027
Language certificates accepted by the University of Vienna (not older than 5 years at the time of application)

  • Certified language tests (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS), completed courses: download list of equivalent courses
  • Language-competency certificate of the Language Center of the University of Vienna
  • Language course certificates showing the level achieved (to serve as proof of language proficiency for a level, you must have completed the highest phase of this level offered at the language institute, e.g. B1: phase 3 of 3 as proof of B1; e.g. B2.2 as proof of B2)
  • Course certificate ‘Erasmus Preparation Course’ or ‘Refresher Course’ (from B1) issued by the Language Center of the University of Vienna
  • Secondary-school leaving certificate, if you have completed either the written or oral secondary-school leaving exam (Matura) in the respective language and the level is indicated on the certificate
  • If you have graduated from school in a country where the respective language is an official language: secondary-school leaving certificate (even if older than 5 years)  
  • If you have obtained your secondary-school leaving certificate at an international school where the respective language was the language of instruction and where you have completed the secondary-school leaving exam (Matura) entirely in this language (e.g. Lycée Français, IB Diploma): secondary-school leaving certificate (even if older than 5 years)
  • Teacher education: a degree in the relevant philology, specified in the student record sheet (u:space)
  • Completed degree programme in which all courses and exams were held in the respective language
  • University degree in the relevant philology or university degree in translation studies with the corresponding working language 

The following certificates are not accepted as proof of language proficiency: confirmation of secondary school attendance as part of an exchange year; citizenship; attendance certificates for language courses. 

Exceptions

  • You do not have to provide proof of German language proficiency.
  • You do not have to provide proof of English language proficiency up to level B2.
  • Students of philology and/or translation studies do not have to provide a language certificate when they apply for a stay abroad in their degree programmes.

Language-competency certificate

In addition to foreign language courses, the Language Center of the University of Vienna also offers preparation courses for Erasmus+ stays and language-competency certificate exams, which are accepted as proof of language proficiency.
If you are nominated for an Erasmus+ place, you can apply for a refund of EUR 40.00 for completed language courses and language-competency certificates. Please note that you can only receive a refund for language courses from level B1, phase 3 onwards. Recipients of the federal aid for students receive a refund of EUR 81.00 and can receive this refund for up to 2 language-competency certificates or courses. You can receive a refund for all courses and language-competency certificates of the Language Center if the language level achieved is specified on the certificate and if they took place within the last three semesters.
The time of your nomination determines the refund period: Students who apply for a stay abroad as part of the main application round can get a refund from 1 May to 30 June of the respective year. Students who apply for a stay abroad as part of the second application round can get a refund from 10 November to 10 December of the respective year. The refund is processed directly at the Language Center upon presentation of an ID document. You can only apply for the refund during the refund period that immediately follows your nomination.
If you have any questions about language courses and language-competency certificates, please contact the Language Center directly.

Students enrolled in more than one degree programme

If you are admitted to several degree programmes, you can apply for a stay abroad for each programme separately. Create a separate online application for each degree programme. 

Please inform your mobility coordinator when you submit your application that you have also applied for a stay abroad in another degree programme. You can only be nominated for one place, i.e. only for one degree programme.

If you wish to complete courses in a different degree programme as part of your stay abroad, please check with your host university whether it offers relevant courses and whether you can also complete courses in degree programme Y as an Erasmus+ student of degree programme X. Clarify with the responsible directorate of studies (SPL) in Vienna whether the courses will be recognised in the relevant degree programme. 

Only the ECTS credits of the degree programme in which you have been nominated count as proof of performance. (Exemption: students of Teacher Education) 

You cannot take a leave of absence for your second degree programme at the University of Vienna for the duration of your semester abroad. For further information, please contact Teaching Affairs and Student Services. 

Are you enrolled in a second degree programme at another Austrian university? Notify the other university of your planned stay abroad to be re-enrolled (for the semester of your stay abroad) and find out whether you can take a leave of absence for the duration of your Erasmus+ stay.

Students of Teacher Education

Students enrolled in the Teacher Education programme can apply for a stay abroad via their subjects (fields of study) as well as via the study field  “General Teacher Education”. To view available places, enter "General Teacher Education" as the field of study in the portal for student exchange. Create a separate online application for each field of study.
You may be able to complete additional courses in the individual subjects, depending on the courses offered by the host university. The ECTS credits of all courses count as proof of performance in the Teacher Education programme.

Swiss-European Mobility Programme

Switzerland does not participate in the Erasmus+ programme. However, it is possible to complete a stay abroad in Switzerland as part of the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP).
The International Office of the University of Vienna is responsible for the organisation (in the same way as for Erasmus+ stays). 

In contrast to Erasmus+ stays abroad, however, no financial support is granted via the Erasmus+ programme. Instead, the universities in Switzerland offer scholarships to incoming students. 

For further information, please contact the respective Swiss university directly. 
At the University of Vienna you are exempt from paying tuition fees for the duration of your SEMP stay. Stays abroad as part of SEMP are not deducted from your Erasmus+ quota (12 months per study cycle).

Application

You need the following documents to apply

  • Letter of motivation
  • Transcript of records
  • Proof of identity (passport or identity card – front and back side)
  • Proof of language proficiency

These documents are the general selection criteria. It depends on your degree programme whether you need to submit further documents. Your department may also specify further internal selection criteria. Check the information provided on the website of your department. If you cannot find relevant information online, please contact your mobility coordinator for information about the required application documents. This person is also responsible for reviewing applications and allocating places/exchange spots in your degree programme.

Search for exchange possibilities – select the exchange place of your choice and two alternatives

List of Erasmus+ places  (the responsible mobility coordinator is listed next to each place)
Due to the limited number of places, we recommend specifying alternatives in your application (you can specify up to 3 preferences). Please take into account the semester dates of the partner university. For example, the summer semester starts in January in some countries.

Create an application in Mobility Online

Create a new application for an Erasmus+ stay abroad

In order to apply, you must be enrolled in your degree programme. 

Please note: You have to select the degree programme in the course of the application process. If you are enrolled in several degree programmes, one of your other degree programmes may be displayed at first if you have not yet completed the corresponding step in Mobility Online.
You can save your application as a draft and continue editing it within the application deadline. You do not have to complete the application in one go. 

After the application deadline (no first-come-first-served-principle), the International Office will inform you by e-mail whether your application has been approved or rejected. This e-mail will also contain information about the further procedure.

Before your stay

Register at the host university

If your application has been approved, you will receive a nomination e-mail from the International Office. More information on the next steps regarding the application at your host university will be provided by your host university.

Learning Agreement

The Learning Agreement is the central document for every Erasmus+ stay. You prepare and edit the Learning Agreement directly in Mobility Online. 
In this document you specify which courses you will be completing at the host university. At the same time, you agree with your directorate of studies (SPL) for which courses these courses will be recognised in your degree programme at the University of Vienna. All three parties (student, SPL, host university) must sign the Learning Agreement.

It is recommended to include courses corresponding to 30 ECTS credits in total.

Regulations regarding residence applicable in the host country

Obtain information in good time about the regulations regarding entry and residence applicable in your host country. For further country-specific travel information, please see the website of the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. For detailed information, please contact the embassy/consulate of the respective country in Austria (contact details of foreign representations). 
Please note that third-country nationals are subject to separate regulations regarding residence and may need to apply for a visa for their stay abroad in good time. If you have questions, please contact your host university.

Insurance coverage abroad

A nomination for an Erasmus+ stay abroad does not include insurance coverage. Therefore, please make the necessary arrangements in good time before the start of your stay abroad (e.g. consult the relevant health insurance provider; obtain information about any co-insurance that you may have, any existing travel insurance via your credit card; obtain health, travel and/or accident insurance, if necessary).

Accommodation

Depending on the host country and city, it is a good idea to start looking for accommodation as soon as possible. For support and information about finding accommodation and student residences in your host country, please contact the international office at your host university.

The International Office of the University of Vienna is happy to put you in touch with former outgoing students who have already been to your host university. Seize this opportunity to obtain information and tips. Please contact us by e-mail if you want to reach out to former outgoing students.

The University of Vienna is represented on the HousingAnywhere.com platform, which enables students to temporarily rent out their room or find accommodation for a stay abroad. HousingAnywhere primarily promotes offers from students who want to rent out their room on a short-term basis. To receive a 20 % discount on the booking fee, please sign up at Housing Anywhere. 

Students have to authenticate for the platform by logging in using their unet.univie.ac.at (or univie.ac.at) e-mail address. External landlords are only admitted to the platform after HousingAnywhere has checked them and found them to be reputable. This ensures the security of the offers.

HousingAnywhere does not charge a fee for offering a room/flat. However, it charges a service fee for the optional use of the booking system.

The International Office of the University of Vienna does not mediate between students and landlords and does not accept any liability in this regard. 

After your stay

Confirmation of stay

Submit the confirmation of stay to Mobility Online within four weeks after the end of your stay.

Both the receipt of the confirmation of stay and the timely completion of the Erasmus+ Participant Report are prerequisites for the final grant calculation. 

Recognition of credits

A valid admission is a prerequisite for the recognition of credits obtained abroad.

  1. Submit the application for recognition together with the transcript of records from the host university to your SSC.
     
  2. After the credits obtained abroad have been recognised, you must upload the following two documents to Mobility Online:
    • The transcript of records issued by the host university and
    • the official notice of recognition of credits (NOT the application form). 

The deadline for recognition is 2 months after returning from your stay abroad. 

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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or OeAD-GmbH. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Erasmus+ Charter 2021-2027 (PDF)  | Erasmus+ Policy Statement (PDF)