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Erasmus-exchange in Europe

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When you travel abroad – Checklist

Erasmus check list

All students who are going on an Erasmus-exchange at UiB, are required to read through the information on this page.

Necessary steps to complete before leaving 

1. Sign grant agreement with UiB  → 2. Online Learning Agreement (OLA) → 3. Take EU Academy language test (volutary) → 4. Payment and deadlines

Ekstra grants:
Green Erasmus: Extra grant when travelling green
Extra grant for students with fewer oportunities or special needs

1. Sign grant agreement with UiB

You must sign an Erasmus grant agreement at the International Centre. The International Centre is located on the second floor of Studentsenteret, and is open from 11.00-14.00 during the weekdays. 

Information to be filled in the grant agreement: 

  • Your bank account number and tax municipality 

  • Check that the dates for departure and return are correct (the dates for the exchange stay determines the volume of the Erasmus-scholarship) 

  • Policy number for your insurance and your European health card. If you do not have a European health card, you need to order it.  

  • Sign the grant agreement 

Deadline exchange in autumn semester:5. September
Deadline exchange in spring semester:30. January

2. Online Learning Agreemenr (OLA) 

All Erasmus-students must have their Learning Agreement in order before they leave for exchange studies. The agreement needs to be signed by (1) the student, (2) the study program/faculty at UiB and (3) the host university. 

The Learning Agreement should include the courses you plan to take at the host university, and eventually the courses you are replacing in your own study plan. 

At the University of Bergen, we use Online Learning Agreements (OLA). This is an online version of the Learning Agreement which is signed digitally. 

This is how to create your OLA:

  1. Start your Online Learning Agreement here
    (do not use Internet Explorer)
  2. Logg on via eduGAIN/Feide orGoogle.(We recommend eduGAIN/Feide. Note that you need to register yourself the first time you log in through eduGAIN/Feide). 
  3. You need to find courses at the host university on your own. 
  4. Sign digitally.

When you have signed, your OLA will be sent to your study program at UiB (Sending Institution). 

If everything is okey, your study program will sign your OLA, and it will be sent to the host university (Receiving Institution) for the last signature. 

It is the student's responsibility to make sure that both the student advisor at UiB and the host university signs the OLA before the deadline, in order to receive the Erasmus scholarship payments. 

If all parties sign the OLA digitally, we will be able to see the completed document. Either way, you can send a copy of it to erasmus@uib.no to make sure that we have received it. 

If one of the parties (for example the host university) do not sign the agreement in the OLA system, but in a pdf format, you need to send a copy of your Learning Agreement with signatures from all parties to erasmus@uib.no before the deadline 30th of January/5th of September. 

Contact your student advisor if you have questions regarding your OLA. You will receive a message on e-mail and/or in the Erasmus+ App when a party has signed. You can also check the status on the way by logging in to your OLA or in the Erasmus+ App. 

Learning Agreement in PDF format (LA)

Some universities are not connected to the digital Erasmus-system. 

You can fill out your LA in word, in case you receive an error message, and the host university is not connected to OLA. Contact your student advisor or erasmus@uib.no to receive a word-version of the Learning Agreement. Look at the user manual for filling out the LA in case you have any questions! 

Click here to download a PDF-draft of the LA. 

If you have filled out a Learning Agreement in the application process to the host university, you do not need to fill out an additional OLA but remember to send a copy to erasmus@uib.no

Help to complete the OLA/LA: 

If you need help or advice to fill out the learning agreement, contact the student advisor at your study program/faculty. We also go through the OLA/LA process at the Erasmus information meeting where all traveling Erasmus-students are invited.  

Deadline for fully signed OLA/LA 
Autumn semester:   5. September
Spring semester:  30. January

3. Complete the EU Academy Language Test (voluntary)

Take a language test through the EU Academy 

For Erasmus students who travel for a study or internship, it is voluntary to take a language test before traveling on exchange. The test will measure the linguistic and professional benefits of an exchange stay. This test can often be attached when the host university asks for documentation of language skills.  

This is how you take the language test:

The test is called Placement test and there is available tests in all 24 EU-languages. You need to register and then follow these steps: 

  1. Go to EU-Academy and logg in:  https://academy.europa.eu/
  2. In search field "What do you want to learn today", enter "Placement test"
  3. Select and click on your language test 
  4. On the next page, click "Enroll" (yellow box to the right)
  5. Then click "Attempt quiz now"
  6. The test will normally take 30 - 45 minutes.
  7. After answeing all questions, click "Finish attempt"
  8. Overview of results. The last page will give you your language level and you may download the result.

4. Payment of Erasmus grant and deadlines

Erasmus grant

You receive around 70% of the Erasmus grant in the beginning of the exchange semester, and the rest after you have finished your exchange. The prepayment will not exceed 4 months Erasmus grant in the fall semester, and 5 months Erasmus grant in the spring semester, because this normally corresponds to the semesters in Europe. Students will then avoid having to pay back Erasmus grants. If the semester lasts longer, it has to be documented. 

The Erasmus grant will be paid in Norwegian krone (NoK), calculated with the exchange rate of the day UiB received the Erasmus funding from EU (usually in June every year). The exchange rate may therefore differ slightly from year to year.
 

The Erasmus grant will be paid only if you have delivered the required document (point 1 and 2 above). There is no tax deduction on Erasmus grants and it will be paid in addition to other loans and/or from Lånekassen. However, it is not allowed to receive double EU funding.

Deadline for completing documentation

Autumn semester5. September
Spring semester30. January

Dates for payment

Autumn semesterfirst week of October
Spring semesterlast week of February

We send the signed scholarship agreement and detailed information about the Erasmus scholarship and date of payment to all students receiving Erasmus scholarships. We will do this in the middle of September (fall semester) or in the middle of February (spring semester). 

What happens if I miss the deadline? 

You do not lose the Erasmus scholarship if you deliver your documents after the deadline. If the signed scholarship agreement or OLA/LA is delivered after the deadline, the scholarship will be paid out on a later date. 

Dates for late payment 

Autumn semester   November
Spring semester     April

Green Erasmus: support for green travel

The Erasmus-program wishes to contribute to reducing the climate footprint and offers students who travel green to exchange an extra grant. 

If you choose to travel by train or bus to and/or from the host university, you qualify for a green travel grant. 

If you choose to travel by train or bus to or from the host university, you can receive an extra scholarship around 1000 NOK. At least half of the return journey (measured in kilometers) needs to be completed in a green way to qualify for the Green Erasmus grant. Note that travel by car or boat does not qualify as green, unless it is an electric vehicle.

At least half of the total journey to and from the host university (measured in km) must be completed green in order to be elegible to receive a Green Erasmus travel grant. The distance from UiB to the host university is measured with the EU commisions travel calculator, Distance Calculator - Erasmus+ (europa.eu)

Students who travel green, must apply for the Green Erasmus travel grant after returning from the exchange. The green journey must be documented with receipts from the train/bus. Extra Erasmus grants are also provided for travel days: 2 extra travel days in the Nordic region, 4 extra travel days in central Europe (up tp 1999km in the distance calculator), and 6 extra travel days for south in Europe (up to 2999km in the distance calculator).

Applications for Green Erasmus travel grant is sent to erasmus@uib.no

Students with fewer opportunities

All educational institutions who participate in Erasmus have committed themselves to make it possible for all students being able to go on exchange studies, regardless of functional impairment. Students with functional impairments or chronic illness often do not have the same possibility as others to participate in exchange activities.  

Both students who fall within the definitions of students from underrepresented groups within study mobility and students with functional impairments can receive additional grants. 

Students from underrepresented groups: 

1. Additional grant for students with children under the age of 18.

2. Additional grant for students with functional impairments or cronic illness. This applies to students who have chronic illnesses and need accommodation which will lead to additional expenses during the mobility.

3. Additional grant for students with a refugee status.

4. Additional grant for students who are firstgeneration students; the first in their family to conduct higher education. 

5. Additional grant for students who belong to an indigenous population and national minorities.

The additional grant is €250 extra every month. 

Students with disabilities (special needs): 

UiB can apply for extra inclusion support from the EU that covers the documented extra expenses tied to exchange studies. The need for this support must be documented through a doctor's note or similar, and the support is supposed to cover actual expenses (which are not covered by aid/support the person can bring with them from Norway). There is no upper limit for this support, however all expenses must be documented by the student. 

This is how EU has defined a person with need of extra support (special needs):  

  • «a person with special needs; a potential participant whose individual physical, mental or health-related situation is such that his/her participation in the mobility action would not be possible without extra financial support». 

How to receive an additional grant? 

Contact the International Centre/Erasmus coordinator through erasmus@uib.no if you think that you can apply for the additional Erasmus grant through one of these arragements.