As a registered UM home student, you can apply for an Erasmus+ study mobility at one of the partner universities with whom the UM has an active inter-institutional agreement for your area of study. During this period, you will not incur tuition fees at the partner university. The key criterion for selection for a study mobility is academic performance. For more details on the selection process, kindly see below.

An Erasmus+ study mobility spans between 2 to 12 months, with the specific dates being determined by the academic calendar of the host university. During the mobility, students must attend lectures at one of the partner universities, and the mobility will be recognised as part of the final degree conferred by the University of Malta. Assessment and grading will adhere to the regulations of the host university, and the results will be converted to the UM grading system and recorded on SIMS.

You are advised to consult your academic coordinators at the Faculty/Institute/Centre/School/Department prior to applying for an Erasmus+ mobility to determine the mobility semester for your course. You are also strongly advised to check the course catalogue, method of assessment, and language of tuition for each university prior to applying. 

Student Mobility for Traineeships

As a registered UM home student, reading for either an undergraduate, a postgraduate or a doctoral degree, you are eligible to participate in an Erasmus+ mobility for traineeships. The duration of an Erasmus+ traineeship mobility ranges between 2 and 12 months. A successfully completed mobility can be recorded in the Europass Mobility Document. For more information on how to obtain this, please click here.

In the case of some courses, a traineeship mobility can be undertaken instead of a study mobility and it can be academically recognised as part of your programme of studies (awarded ECTS). An accredited traineeship mobility is carried out at one of the partner institutions with which the University of Malta has a signed inter-institutional agreement. To see if your course allows this type of traineeship and for further details about it, including the recommended mobility semester, kindly consult your department. The selection criteria for this type of traineeship mobility is based on academic performance. For further information on the selection process, see below.

Additionally, all UM students have the opportunity to undertake a traineeship mobility for research purposes or work experience (as trainees) abroad. This can be undertaken at any legitimate institution, enterprise, laboratory or organisation of your choice, except for EU institutions and bodies. In this case, you are to secure your own placement and must ensure that the mobility does not take place during any academic commitments that the mobility itself will be a hindrance to (e.g. during the summer months). Once a host entity is identified, you are to obtain an acceptance letter from the aforementioned entity, indicating (i) the exact start and end dates (e.g. 1^st July – 31^st August 20**) and (ii) a brief description of the nature of the traineeship.

All students may participate in a traineeship mobility within the following year of their graduation. Interested applicants undertaking a traineeship mobility as recent graduates are to apply during the last year of study, until the date of graduation.

Digital Opportunity Traineeship Initiative

The Digital Opportunity Traineeship Initiative is an EU-funded training initiative to help equip today’s workforce across all sectors with the digital skills that are increasingly being required. A traineeship mobility can be considered as a ‘traineeship in digital skills’ when students and recent graduates practise one or more of the following activities by the trainee: ‘digital marketing (e.g. social media management, web analytics); digital graphical, mechanical or architectural design; development of apps, software, scripts, or websites; installation, maintenance and management of IT systems and networks, cybersecurity; data analytics, mining and visualisation; programming and training of robots and artificial intelligence applications. Generic customer support, order fulfilment, data entry or office tasks are not considered in this category’ (Erasmus+ Programme Guide, 2023, p. 47, version 1).

Applying for an Erasmus+ student mobility for traineeship

For traineeship opportunity options, you can access Erasmus Intern, SEA-EU Master Research Internships (applicable for Master students only), or seek suggestions from academics in your department. For Digital Opportunity Traineeships, you can access the ‘Digital Opportunities’ section on Erasmus Intern.

Self-secured traineeships in Switzerland and the UK are not possible.

All students interested in applying for a traineeship mobility are advised to refer to the section on how to apply or may also contact the International Office.

In order to apply for an Erasmus+ mobility, you need to complete and submit an application form, as applicable, during an open call for applications.

Most undergraduate courses delivered by the UM have a mobility semester during which students are to carry out their mobility. Students who wish to undertake an accredited Erasmus+ study or a faculty-arranged traineeship mobility (where applicable) are to do so during this recommended mobility semester. You may check the mobility semester of your course by consulting your department(s). Before applying, in order to be able to carefully select your five placement preferences, you are strongly advised to check the study-units offered by partner institutions and then consult your Head(s) of Department(s)/Erasmus Academic Coordinator(s) regarding the matching of study-units and the choice of institutions. You are also advised to check the language of tuition of the area of study and/or the specific study-units in which you are interested and verify that you satisfy the minimum level of language competence required by the host institution/department. This will ensure that you may successfully follow lectures and sit for examinations without any barriers hindering your academic success.

It is recommended that students select undergraduate study-units whenever possible. In some partner universities, study-units on offer in English are only available at postgraduate level. Students selecting postgraduate study-units will be considered postgraduate students at the host university, expected to meet postgraduate standards, and assessed accordingly.

It is ultimately at the discretion of the student to select their preferred placements based on various factors including study-units available, the language of instruction, methods of assessment, grading system, university ranking, location, semester dates, and other relevant considerations.

Students may also wish to carry out a self-secured traineeship during the summer months (if there are no academic commitments requiring one to stay in Malta) or during the year following one's graduation (provided the application reaches us during one's final year of study). In any case, students must submit an application form during the academic year prior to the intended mobility. At the time of application, the host entity may not be identified yet. In this case, the applicant may write 'to be confirmed' under the placement preference and the application will be placed on reserve until a valid acceptance letter from the host entity is sent to us by the student.

Erasmus+ 2024 - Call for Applications 

Available Placements 

List of Available Placements [2024/25 - may be subject to changes]

Aside from the available placement list, the UM is currently participating in the SEA-EU alliance together with 8 other European universities. 120 places (20 places for each university) in different study areas are available through this alliance. It is important that you check the course catalogue and the language of tuition prior to applying. The following are the 6 universities for which Intern-Institutional Agreements have been finalised and therefore can receive student mobilities:

University of Bretagne Occidentale, France (The language of tuition is mainly French)
University of Cadiz, Spain (The language of tuition is mainly Spanish)
University of Gdansk, Poland
University of Split, Croatia (The Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Geodesy at the University of Split can only accept PG students)
Kiel University, Germany
Nord University, Norway

The study areas for which these universities can receive students can be found here.

The SEA-EU Alliance also offers opportunities for students to participate in the Virtual Tandem Language Exchange. More information can be found here.

Application Form

The applications for Erasmus+ Student Mobilities for Studies and Traineeships will be received online through the below application form. The application will become available in December 2023 and will remain open until Wednesday 31 January 2024. Late applications will not be considered.

To apply, you must be logged in with your UM account. Applications will only be accepted electronically through the form provided below. Kindly ensure an acknowledgment of the submitted form is received.

If a student submits more than one application, the most recent application will be considered final and no changes will be allowed after the deadline.

First Call for Erasmus+ Applications 2024 - Application Form for Student Mobility for Studies/Traineeships

Erasmus+ Information Session for Call 2024

An information session will be held on 5 December 2023 at 10 am at Gateway Hall E. For safety reasons, the room will close once the room reaches its capacity.

Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Holders

If you are an Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Holder, in line with the Erasmus+ Programme Guide, ‘students taking part in a higher education mobility project (either studying or doing a traineeship abroad) cannot be at the same time beneficiaries of an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree scholarship, and vice versa.’ To this end, Erasmus+ Applications for student mobilities received from Erasmus Mundus Scholarship holders will be considered ineligible.  

Each Erasmus+ application received is checked for eligibility. Once your results are published on eSIMS, the average marks are retrieved by the Erasmus+ coordinators. A list of applicants is drawn up for each course/study area based on the average marks retrieved and is ranked by academic performance. Placements are then allocated based on this ranking. Should the case be that students from different years have submitted an application, then the applicants are divided by year of study.

The lists of applicants are sent to the respective Dean/Director/Head of Department/Erasmus+ Academic Coordinator(s) (as applicable) for their approval/non-approval and recommendations. 

For some courses, students are expected to obtain a minimum average mark to qualify for an Erasmus+ mobility. At this time, these study areas are as follows: 

*To proceed through the selection process, ICT students need to obtain an average of at least 55% following the Semester 1 results and; have an average of at least 55% and not more than 12 ECTS of failed/absent study-units following the Semester 2 results, to proceed on a mobility abroad.
Update on 21 March 2024: The Faculty of ICT decided that students will be endorsed for a mobility if, by the Semester 1 results, they have an average of no less than 55% and not more than 5 ECTS of failed/deferred study-units. Students with an average of 54% and/or 6 ECTS of failed/deferred study-units will not be endorsed.

Once applicants are endorsed/not endorsed by their Faculty/Institute/School/Department(s) and the lists are returned to the International Office with recommendations, the International Office nominates the endorsed students to their allocated partner university. A notification letter of the nomination is issued to the student by the International Office. It is important to note that a nomination from the University of Malta only, without following the host university’s instructions on how to apply following the nomination, does not guarantee the assigned placement. The Erasmus+ mobility will be on condition that all the requirements for the current academic year are satisfied and all requested documentation is submitted to the University of Malta prior to departure.

If an endorsed student is placed on a reserve list due to the fact that the preferred universities have already been taken up by students with better academic performance, the student will be contacted and given the opportunity to consider other placements that remain available, if any. In case of more than one student on the reserve list, the reserve list will be tackled by academic performance.

Important: Switching host university placements is not allowed. If a student does not wish to attend the allocated university, the student will have to forfeit the current Erasmus+ placement and be placed at the end of the reserve list. The student will be contacted with any remaining available placements, if any, after all the other students placed on the reserve list (who remain without placement after the initial selection) are settled, irrespective of academic performance.

Students who are not endorsed will receive a rejection letter.

The Erasmus+ programme provides financial support to undertake an Erasmus+ mobility. A financial contribution for travel costs and subsistence (living costs) during your mobility is awarded. This funding is intended to cover part of the costs and therefore you are encouraged to ensure that you have additional funds to support you during your mobility.

Travel Contribution

You will receive a travel contribution based on the distance, in kilometers, between the University of Malta (Msida) and the host entity. The distance is calculated by the Distance Calculator provided by the EC.

Travel allowances are allocated as follows:
Between 10 and 99 KM: EUR 23 per participant  
Between 100 and 449 KM: EUR 180 per participant
Between 500 and 1999 KM:  EUR 275 per participant
Between 2000 and 2999 KM:  EUR 360 per participant
Between 3000 and 3999 KM:  EUR 530 per participant
Between 4000 and 7999 KM:  EUR 820 per participant
8000 KM or more: EUR 1500 per participant

Subsistence Contributions for Long-Term Mobility

Erasmus+ Grants are calculated on a monthly basis according to the Erasmus+ mobility destination country. Grants are calculated pro-rata based on the duration of the Erasmus+ mobility period. The start and end dates are not based on the dates of flight tickets but on the dates of the actual mobility, from the first day, the student needs to be present at the host entity until the last day the student needs to be present at the host entity. Before the mobility, the grant is calculated by using the dates on the Acceptance Letter provided by the host entity. After the mobility, the grant is recalculated and confirmed by referring to the actual dates on the Certificate of Attendance provided by the host entity.

Programme countries are split into three groups, according to the average living costs:

Erasmus+ Grants for Mobilities (Call for applications 2023)

Group 1 countries - EUR 770 per month:
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland*, United Kingdom*

Group 2 countries -  EUR 720 per month:
Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain

Group 3 countries -  EUR 670 per month:
Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey

Erasmus+ Grants for Mobilities (Call for applications 2024)

Group 1 countries - EUR 834 per month:
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland*, United Kingdom*

Group 2 countries -  EUR 778 per month:
Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain

Group 3 countries -  EUR 722 per month:
Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey

*Self-secured traineeships in Switzerland and the UK are not possible.

Top-up amount to the Individual Support for Traineeships

In addition to the individual support, students undertaking an Erasmus+ Mobility for Traineeships are entitled to receive the additional top-up amount for traineeships of EUR 150 per month. 

Erasmus+ Grant Payments

Students carrying out a mobility receive the total grant in two instalments, the first one before the mobility and the second one after the mobility.

The first instalment equating to 80% of the total grant due will be paid upon the submission of the required pre-departure documents and participant grant agreement. The pre-departure documents must be submitted 40 days prior to departure so that the first instalment can reach the student by the start of the mobility.

The second instalment amounting to 20% of the total grant will be paid after the completion of the mobility, submission of the Certificate of Attendance and completion of the Online Mobility Survey. These post-mobility documents need to be submitted within 30 days of the end of the mobility. The final grant is calculated based on the dates in the Certificate of Attendance provided by the Host Organisation.

The 20% will be recalculated if the duration of the mobility is shorter than initially agreed upon in the Participant Grant Agreement. It is important that students notify the International Office of any changes in the mobility dates indicated in the agreement. 

Reimbursement will be requested if the 80% already awarded exceeds the recalculated eligible total grant. It is important to ensure that an earlier departure still satisfies the required minimum duration of 2 months set by the Erasmus+ Programme.  The mobility will be considered ineligible if this requirement is not fulfilled, requiring a full recovery of the grant received.

We congratulate you for being selected to undertake an Erasmus+ mobility, it will surely positively impact your educational experience, in many ways.

As part of your preparations for your upcoming Erasmus+ mobility, you are required to submit a number of documents. The first documents to be submitted are the pre-departure documents prior to your mobility. Kindly submit these pre-departure documents no later than 40 days prior to your departure to ensure that the first installment of your grant (80%) is received in time for the start of your mobility.

This Checklist [PDF] helps you keep track of what you are required to submit before, during, and after your mobility.

The pre-departure documents are:

1. A signed and stamped acceptance letter issued on letterhead from the host institution confirming the start and end date of the mobility. This acceptance letter template [Word] could be shared with the host entity directly in case one is not made available from its end.
   
   The start date could either be the first day of lectures or the date of an orientation session. The end date could either be the last day of lectures or the last day of an examination.
   
   
2. Financial Identification Form [PDF]

   This must include the student’s account details and it must be signed by the student. It also requires an account details confirmation by either obtaining a signature from your bank representative or attaching your bank statement which confirms the student as the account holder and the IBAN number.

3. Programme of Studies [PDF] signed by the UM Academic Coordinator(s) / Head of Department(s) / Dean(s) – (applicable for study mobilities or for ECTS-based traineeship mobilities);

4. Erasmus+ Learning Agreement for Studies (online from the academic year 2022/23 onward) / Learning Agreement for Traineeship [Word] (Learning Agreement - Traineeship Guide [Word])

   The Learning Agreement can be signed by the home faculty only if the Programme of Studies (PoS) is already approved by the Erasmus Academic Coordinator / HoD / Dean. For this reason, kindly ensure that the home faculty has a copy of the approved PoS.

   As part of the European Commission’s initiative to digitalise the educational sector, including the Erasmus+ programme, the Learning Agreement for Studies has been made available in an online form, and it will be compulsory* from the academic year 2022/23. To this end, student and staff guides have been created for assistance:

   1. For faculty administration – UM One-Pager Step-by-Step Guide for FICS [PDF]
   2. For students – UM OLA Guide for Students [PDF]
   3. For students – Responsible Persons at F/I/C/S to sign the OLA [PDF]
      
      

   *Due to technical issues, some universities have specifically requested the use of the traditional Learning Agreement for Studies (doc.) [Word] (Learning Agreement - Studies Guide [Word]). Learning Agreements not compiled online through the Online Learning Agreement Website will only be accepted in such cases. 

5. Resit Clearance Form [Word] signed by the student and the UM home F/I/C/S administration

6. Copy of Travel Insurance

7. Copy of Departure Flight Ticket (for review only)

In case you have any questions or would like to set up an appointment, please get in touch with us.

Online Linguistic Support (OLS)

The Online Linguistic Support (OLS) is a test in the language of the region/country (except for English or languages not available on the OLS license management system) that is sent to all students prior to one’s mobility. In case of poor scoring, the system will automatically send a license to the student to follow a language course. This is then followed by another test toward the end of the mobility so that the European Commission can monitor improved language skills in the language of the host region/country thanks to the Erasmus+ programme.

Accommodation and Flight Arrangements

Accommodation arrangements need to be made directly by the students. Some Universities offer on-campus university accommodation which you may decide to opt for. Alternatively, you might prefer to share a private accommodation with friends or other Erasmus+ students. This is entirely up to you. In any case, we strongly recommend that you familiarise yourself with the rules and regulations of the accommodation being rented prior to entering into a long-term lease. It is also important to ask for a contract and a receipt for any deposits paid.

Flight arrangements also need to be made directly by the students. Kindly keep in mind that whilst it is normal for some students to travel well before their mobility starts, you are to ensure that you have no first sits or resits pending before leaving Malta. Students whose recommended mobility semester is the second semester and are set to go to a university that starts earlier than the UM first semester examinations will need to seek authorised arrangements as per Procedure for the Overlapping of Semesters [PDF].

Kindly note that grants are awarded based on the duration of one’s mobility (i.e. for the duration between the start and end date at the host university) and based on the duration of arrival in the host country and departure from the host country.

In general, we recommend that accommodation and flights are booked once the student is in possession of the host university’s acceptance letter and the fully signed learning agreement.

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) and Insurance

It is your responsibility to ensure that you are in possession of a valid EHIC document. In addition, you must also take out a travel insurance policy that is valid throughout the entire duration of the mobility. The travel insurance policy must cover ‘special medical intervention’ and ‘repatriation’. In case of an Erasmus+ traineeship mobility, you must also take out an additional cover to your travel insurance policy to be covered for ‘accident insurance’ and ‘liability insurance’ for any damages that may be caused during your stay abroad.
Insurance against loss or theft of documents, travel tickets and luggage is recommended.

Erasmus+ App

The Erasmus+ programme celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2017. To mark this occasion, the European University Foundation and the European Commission developed the Erasmus+ App which includes features to facilitate your experience. We recommend that you download this App to further help you navigate your Erasmus+ mobility.

Erasmus+ Beneficiary Grant Agreement and Pre-Financing Payment (80%)

As soon as the required pre-departure documents are submitted, the Erasmus+ Coordinators at the International Office will draft your Erasmus+ Beneficiary Grant Agreement and send you a soft copy via email. You will be required to initialise each page and sign the agreement (electronic signatures are accepted). The fully initialised and signed Erasmus+ Beneficiary Grant Agreement is to be returned to the International Office via email.

This is then countersigned by the Director of the International Office and a copy of the countersigned version will be returned to you via email. The 80% of the eligible grant will be processed and issued within 30 days.

The International Office is your first point of contact.

If you are required to amend ECTS values or add and drop modules while on your mobility these changes will need to be reflected in the 'During the Mobility' section of your programme of studies and the 'Changes to the Learning Agreement' section of your online learning agreement. Please be aware that you must prepare and present a signed copy of the updated programme of studies to the responsible faculty administrator in order for them to approve your updated online learning agreement. You are requested to obtain the necessary approvals within the first two weeks of your mobility. Please refer to page fourteen of the UM OLA Guide for Students [PDF] for guidance.

Should any issues arise during the mobility, whether of academic or personal nature, we will provide support whenever possible.

Once the mobility is completed, you are required to submit the post-mobility documents to the International Office within 30 days after the end of the mobility:

1. Certificate of Attendance prepared by the host institution (this template [PDF] could be shared with the host entity in case one is not made available from their end)
2. Online EU Survey (you will receive an automatic link via email on the last day of your mobility)
3. Official Transcript of Results (if available/applicable)

In the case of failed study-units, the student will be required to resit any failed assessments. If this is not possible or the student fails the re-assessment, the student will have to register for that amount of failed ECTS at the University of Malta and be assessed under resit condition. It is crucial to follow the steps outlined in the Procedure for students who fail an examination whilst on their mobility [PDF].

Once (1) and (2) are submitted and the duration is confirmed, the remaining grant will be issued. If the duration is reduced, the grant will be recalculated, adjusting the remaining portion to align with the actual duration. In cases where the revised grant exceeds the initially awarded 80%, a reimbursement for the difference will be sought. It is important to note that the duration must still meet the minimum requirement of 2 months; any duration shorter than this will necessitate a request for full reimbursement as it would render the mobility ineligible.

Once all documents, including any approved changes to the Programme of Studies and Learning Agreement, are successfully submitted, the International Office will convert your host institution's results to the UM grading system and input them on eSIMS. However, in accordance with the Erasmus+ beneficiary agreement, result inputting will be kept on hold if any necessary documents or requested reimbursements remain pending.

The Erasmus+ programme pays particular attention to guidance, reception, physical accessibility, pedagogical and technical support services, and especially, the financing of extra costs for students and staff whose personal, physical, mental, or health-related conditions are such that their participation in Erasmus+ would not be possible without extra financial support or other support (from here on referred to as 'students and staff with personal, physical, mental or health-related conditions'). This ensures that one can take full advantage of an Erasmus+ mobility experience.

Each higher education institution (HEI), by signing the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE), commits to ensuring equal access and opportunities to participants from all backgrounds. Therefore, students and staff with personal, physical, mental, or health-related conditions can benefit from the support services that the receiving institution offers to its local students and staff. 

If you are a prospective applicant requiring inclusion support, we encourage you to declare this in the ‘Equity and Inclusion’ section in your Erasmus+ application and to disclose any necessary information related to your condition in confidence to our team. We will be able to guide and support you as required and to, inter alia, request any necessary arrangements to facilitate your Erasmus+ mobility and/or request any additional funds you may be eligible for. You will be required to present medical certificate(s) and/or any supporting documentation as confirmation of any declared personal, physical, mental, or health-related condition, together with a filled-in and signed Consent Form for Disclosure of Medical Data [PDF]. The University will be unable to provide support if the required information/documentation is not submitted. Providing this information will not impact the outcome of your Erasmus+ mobility application.

Areas that could be eligible for support linked to your Erasmus+ mobility include, but are not limited to, adapted accommodation, travel assistance, medical attendance, supportive equipment, adaption of learning material, an accompanying person, etc. This information is treated with strict confidentiality. Should you require further information or clarification do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

For more information about Inclusion Support, please see EUPA's statement.