ERASMUS+ STUDY STAY
Erasmus+ study stay or Erasmus+ mobility for studies means spending part of your studies (one or two semesters) in a country participating in the Erasmus+ programme, while your study period abroad is fully recognised by your home university and it replaces a corresponding period of studies at home. After you have finished the stay abroad your host university issues an official document confirming the completion of the agreed courses (educational components) together with a transcript of records.
FUNDING
The European Union provides university students with financial support contributing to the costs of mobility. The exact amount depends on the number of months and days of the stay and the monthly rate of the receiving country. The EU financial support does not cover entire costs and the student can use the funding to cover costs associated with the mobility such as travel, accommodation, subsistence, local transport, insurance and other study-related costs.
DURATION OF AN ERASMUS+ STUDY STAY
- Minimum duration of a study stay is 3 months. 3-month stays are meant only for those students who will work on their final thesis and will not attend lectures or pass exams.
- Maximum duration is 12 months within one study cycle (including combinations with Erasmus+ traineeships or the mobility of recent graduates).
- Students can participate in mobility periods during each study cycle, i.e. at the Bachelor, Master or doctoral levels.
WHO CAN BECOME AN ERASMUS+ STUDENT
- Any student who has completed the first year of his/her Bachelor studies.
- When starting and carrying out mobility abroad, the student must be enrolled in studies at the STU.
- The student who is a citizen of the Slovak Republic, an EU Member State or another country participating in the programme, or who has his/her permanent residence in the Slovak Republic, or has no citizenship or has the refugee status in the SR.
- A student studying at a Slovak university and having the permanent residence outside the Slovak Republic cannot participate in a mobility in his/her country of residence.
HOW TO BECOME AN ERASMUS+ STUDENT
a) Selecting the host university: The student chooses a host university from the list of STU ERASMUS+ agreements. The faculty of the student must have signed an inter-institutional agreement with the chosen host university. The Erasmus+ agreement must be valid in the academic year in which the student intends to carry out the mobility. It is recommended to students to check with the faculty Erasmus+ coordinator, what number of places is agreed on with the host university of their choice. The student can select another university/-ies.
b) Selecting a new host university: The student can ask the faculty Erasmus+ coordinator of the sending institution to sign a new inter-institutional agreement with a new foreign university.
c) Selecting courses: The student looks for a university that offers a study programme consisting of (the same or very similar) courses that the student would have studied at the STU if not on mobility. This information should be available on the website of the foreign host university. It is recommended to verify the tuition language. If the information is not available, the student should contact the person in charge at the foreign university.
d) Consulting the study programme: The content of the planned study stay is to be consulted with the guarantor of the home study programme or the vice-dean for studies at the respective faculty of the STU. This is crucial for ensuring the recognition of studies abroad by the home university.
e) Student’s commitment: The student must achieve at least 20 credits for each semester spent at the host university. Otherwise the home university may request the student to refund the grant already paid.
f) Final theses: If a student of the first or second study cycle intends to go abroad to a foreign university in order to work on the final thesis (Bc, MA), thus not passing any exams, in the Learning Agreement he/she has to indicate the theme of the thesis or at least to provide a description of the field in which the thesis is to be done. The study period with a purpose of elaborating a thesis can be arranged efficiently in collaboration with a teacher of the sending faculty and a teacher at the receiving university. Otherwise it is highly probable that the foreign university will not provide the student with a thesis tutor. Sometimes universities publish themes of final theses for foreign students to work on. A mobility of this type cannot exceed 3 months in duration.
PhD students working solely on the final dissertation during their Erasmus+ study stay are entitled to financial support during the whole semester.
Students interested in elaborating a thesis only can explore the Erasmus+ traineeships.
g) Applying for ERASMUS+ mobility
The application form is available at the "Student Portal" in the AIS system, in the section called "Submit exchange programme application".
Access to the online application form is managed by each faculty independently. The launch of a call for applications is announced via communications channels available to the faculty (website, the AIS system, notice boards, etc.)
h) Selection process
Selection criteria are set by each faculty individually and published on their websites well in advance to opening the AIS system for the reception of applications for Erasmus+ study stays.
i) Students with serious disabilities orexceptionally special needs, can apply for a grant top-up. More information is available at international@stuba.sk.
STUDENT’S NOMINATION TO THE FOREIGN INSTITUTION
Staff of the STU Department of International Relations nominate students – i.e. send an email to each university with the data of the applicant, his/her study programme and the semester in question. The respective student is always in Cc of the email and thus aware of being nominated. The foreign university usually sends the student an email informing him/her about the next steps. If this is not the case, the student visits the website of the foreign university and follows their instructions for registration.
STUDENT’S REGISTRATION AT THE FOREIGN UNIVERSITY
Students selected in the selection process at their faculty and nominated by the STU must register at the foreign university individually. Foreign universities send letters of acceptance – they accept only those students who have strictly respected their requirements, such as:
a) On-line application – If a university requires filling-in an online application form available on the university’s website, the student must follow their instructions. You will get links to on-line application forms of foreign universities by clicking on "Erasmus+" after the full title of a university in the STU ERASMUS+ agreements list.
b) Another type of application
If a university does not provide an online application but they require another type of documents, the student follows their instructions and sends all necessary materials to the foreign university’s address..
STUDENT’S ACCEPTANCE BY THE FOREIGN UNIVERSITY
- a) The student receives from the foreign university:
An e-mail in which the foreign university informs of accepting him/her to Erasmus+, or
2. An e-mail, to which a letter of acceptance is attached, or
3. A letter of acceptance sent per post to the student’s address or faculty, or
4. A Learning Agreement for Erasmus+ Student Mobility for Studies signed by both universities, the sending and the receiving one.
If the student has been accepted, he/she must send the acceptance documents per email to ÚMV STU.
ARRANGEMENTS BEFORE DEPARTURE
On-line language test
Every Erasmus+ student has to undergo an on-line assessment of his/her language skills before and after the mobility. The result of the online assessment of language skills does not serve as an official proof of the student’s competences. It does not impact on his/her participation in the mobility, it is a research tool of the European Commission. The student receives a link to the language test per email.
On-line language course: Every student who has completed the online test can ask for access to a free online course in the language in which the test has been passed.
Accommodation abroad
The student is to arrange accommodation individually. There is information on accommodation available on the websites of foreign universities or this information is sent directly to the student’s email address.
Transport
The student buys a train/bus/air ticket or another type of transport individually in order to arrive at the venue of the Erasmus+ study stay.
The following materials/documents necessary for Erasmus+ mobility have to be delivered to the ÚMV STU during the office hours or sent per post to the ÚMV’s address. Materials can also be delivered by an authorised person. Outside the office hours the documents can be delivered to the registrar’s office at the STU rectorate at Vazovova street No 5 (groundfloor of the main building):
- a) The academic calendar of the receiving foreign university or the faculty, where the student is going to stay.
b) A copy of the "Learning Agreement" signed by both universities.
c) A copy of the European health insurance card and commercial travel insurance, if applicable.
d) Personal bank account form. The personal account of a student can be opened in any bank in Slovakia. Information on the bank account is part of the grant agreement. It is this account to which payments of the awarded grant will be transferred. Bank account data also has to be input in the AIS system.
e) Contact person/persons to be contacted in case of emergency.
f) Decision on the social scholarship award.
The STU Department of International Relations prepares a Grant Agreement to be signed with the student. The document contains terms and conditions of grant payments and the student’s commitments, under which the student is entitled to a grant. In case of not respecting the grant agreement terms the student is obliged to repay the entire grant or a part of it. The agreement also sets the rights of an Erasmus+ student.
The student who has delivered all required materials, and these have been approved, signs a grant agreement in person at the rectorate, the Department of International Relations within the office hours. In case the student cannot come personally, he/she can authorise another person. In this case the original of a power of attorney validated by a notary public has to be attached. The original remains in the student’s file at the ÚMV STU together with the other grant agreement original.
The grant agreement must be signed before the start of the mobility period.
WHEN DOES THE STUDENT RECEIVE A GRANT? PAYMENT CONDITIONS
The student has to prove the entrance to the foreign university in order to receive a grant payment to his/her bank account. For this purpose a form has to be used – Confirmation on the commencement of mobility.
The date of the start of the study stay must be identical with the date of the start of the mobility agreed in the Grant Agreement.
The form signed by the foreign institution can be sent to ÚMV STU as follows:
- per e-mail (a scanned original),
- per post to the ÚMV STU address.
If the confirmation has been sent to ÚMV STU per email, the student will submit the original upon return from the Erasmus+ study stay.
Terms and conditions of payments:
Within 30 calendar days from the signature of the Erasmus+ grant agreement by both parties and the submission of the confirmation on the commencement of mobility the participant will receive to his/her personal bank account the prefinancing payment in the amount of 80% of the awarded grant.
2. Submission of an online report and all documents necessary for closing the mobility are considered to be a request for the balance payment in the amount of 20% of the awarded grant.
Students are obliged to enter their bank account number in the AIS system, the account to which the grant will be paid.
DURING THE ERASMUS+ STUDY STAY
Changes to the study programme abroad (Changes).
If, after the arrival at the foreign university, the student realizes that they do not offer courses in a language in which the student is able to follow them, or the content of the study programme planned in the Learning Agreement for Erasmus+ Student Mobility for Studies differs from the actual study programme at the university, the student must fill-in a form called “Changes to the study programme abroad (Changes)” with a new course/courses. Changes have to be consulted with the guarantor of the study programme at the home university. The approval of changes by the STU faculty is ensured by the Erasmus+ faculty coordinator. The form enters into force after being approved by both institutions. Any changes have to be agreed upon and formally documented within one month after the arrival at the foreign university.
Prolongation of the study stay into the summer semester: The student proceeds according to the instructions below.
In case of any problems linked to the mobility the student contacts the STU Department of International Relations(ÚMV STU)..
Application for study stay prolongation within the Erasmus+ programme
The student can apply for a prolongation of the study stay at the latest one month before the end of the study stay as set in the Erasmus+ grant agreement. He/she consults the intention to prolong the study stay with the responsible person at the foreign university and the home faculty. A scanned copy of the application for a prolongation signed and stamped by the responsible person at the foreign institution is to be sent to the Erasmus+ faculty coordinator at the home institution. In case of approval by the faculty the application stamped and signed by the faculty coordinator is to be sent electronically to the Department of International Relations, the institutional coordinator. He/she decides on the award of a grant for the prolonged period. The grant for the prolongation of study stay will be awarded if there are funds available. The student will be informed of an approval or rejection in writing by the institutional coordinator. Once the application is approved by the institutional coordinator the student prepares a Learning Agreement for the summer semester in the on-line system or another system of the foreign university. The approval of the Learning Agreement for the summer semester by the home faculty is ensured by the Erasmus+ faculty coordinator. The form enters into force after being approved by both institutions. The student must send the Learning Agreement approved by both institutions and an official acceptance letter for the summer semester per e-mail to the STU Department of International Relations. ÚMV STU issues an amendment to the grant agreement for the prolongation of the study stay with or without a grant (the so-called zero grant).
Checks of students in mobility
The ÚMV STU staff are entitled to exercise checks on students during mobility.
AFTER THE ERASMUS+ STUDY STAY
Within 14 days after the end of mobility the student delivers to ÚMV:
a) Confirmation on the termination of mobility – the original, not a copy.
The date of the termination of mobility must be identical with the date of termination set in the student’s grant agreement!
b) Study (mobility) enrolment form – the original.
c) Transcript of records from the foreign institution listing all courses followed and ECTS credits gained (in case of the assessment in another credit system the foreign university has to attach an ECTS conversion table).
Universities issue transcripts of records at the end of a semester after processing all data. The student must deliver the transcript of records once he/she has received it from the foreign university. In many cases foreign universities provide the transcript of records to Erasmus+ students as late as after their return home.
d) Evaluation report
The evaluation report is only to be delivered by a student who has worked on his/her final thesis (Bachelor, Master, dissertation). The report must be elaborated and signed by the thesis tutor who was in charge of the student at the foreign university.
e) Student report from the Erasmus+ mobility
Access data, a direct link to the report, as well as an automatic email message sent to the student after the end of the mobility are generated by the Mobility Tool. The report is to be filled-in online.
If the student stays outside Bratislava or Slovakia and cannot come to the STU Department of International Relations in person during office hours, he/she can send all the above mentioned materials and documents per post (to the following address: ÚMV STU, Vazovova 5, 812 43 Bratislava), or through an authorised person. Outside office hours the materials can be delivered to the registrar’s office at the STU rectorate at Vazovova street No 5 (groundfloor of the rectorate’s main building).
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE BALANCE PAYMENT OF THE GRANT
Submission of the online report and delivery of all the required documents are considered to be a request for the balance payment of the grant in the amount of 20% of the grant.
RECOGNITION OF STUDY PROGRAMME COMPLETED DURING THE ERASMUS+ MOBILITY
Upon return from the Erasmus+ study stay the student submits to his/her faculty the following documents:
a) Request for recognition of courses studied during mobility abroad
b) Transcript of records issued and signed by the foreign university,
c) Syllabi of the courses studied,
d) Learning Agreement,
e) Changes to the study programme (in case the student had to change courses during the mobility),
f) In case of thesis elaboration the student presents an assessment of the thesis issued and signed by his tutor from the foreign university.
The Erasmus+ study stay of STU students is recognised in line with the Rector’s directive No. 5/2012 - N "Recognition of studies abroad and acceptance of foreign students in exchange programmes". Recognised courses will be subsequently inserted in the credentials after a successful completion of studies – the Diploma Supplement.
If due to an Erasmus+ study stay the student has to prolong his/her studies, the sending institution can waive or reduce the tuition fee.
