Erasmus Outgoing Student Handbook
June 2013
Version 1.2
Erasmus Outgoing Student Handbook
Version 1.2
Contents
1. Overview
2. Can I take part in Erasmus?
3. Study Exchanges
3.1 Eligiblity
3.2 Where can I go?
3.3 Combined Erasmus Periods
3.4 Tuition Fees
3.5 How to apply
4. Work Placements
4.1 How to apply for an Erasmus Grant
4.2 Eligible placements
4.3 Ineligible placements
4.4 Where can I go?
4.5 Comenius Assistants
4.6 Combined Placements
5. Erasmus Grant
5.1 Students with disabilities
6. Maintenance Support
6.1 Government Maintenance Support
6.2 Oxford Opportunity Bursary
6.3 Travel Grant
7. Tuition Fee Waiver
7.1 Undergraduates
7.2 Postgraduates
8. Before you go
8.1 Health Insurance
8.2 Other Insurance
8.3 Travel Arrangements
8.4 Visas
8.5 Banking
8.6 Accommodation
8.7 Living Costs
8.8 ISIC Card
8.9 Mobile Phones
8.10 Cultural Information
8.11 Emergency Contacts
9. Erasmus Paperwork and Requirements
9.1 Study Exchange forms
9.2 Work Placement forms
10. Erasmus Calendar
11. Miscellaneous
11.1 Registration
11.2 Keep in Contact
12. Useful websites, documentation and contacts
1. Overview
Erasmus is the European Union's flagship educational exchange programme for Higher Education students, teachers and institutions. It was introduced with the aim of increasing student mobility within Europe. Erasmus forms part of the EU Lifelong Learning Programme (2007-2013)
It encourages student and staff mobility for study and work, and promotes trans-national co-operation projects among universities across Europe. The scheme currently involves nine out of every ten European higher education establishments and supports co-operation between the universities of 33 countries.
Erasmus has developed beyond an educational programme - it has acquired the status of a social and cultural phenomenon. It gives many European university students their first chance to live and thrive abroad. Around three million students have benefited from Erasmus since its introduction in 1987.
2. Can I take part in Erasmus?
There are two strands of the Erasmus programme that are available to Oxford students:
Study Exchanges: Students taking part in an Erasmus study exchange where there is a bilateral agreement in place between departments of partner Universities should be eligible for Erasmus status.
Work Placements: Erasmus work placements are completed by Modern Language students at Oxford on their Year Abroad. The placement can be a British Council Language Assistant position or an independently organised placement. Any work placement must fulfil the Erasmus qualifying criteria.
3. Study Exchanges
If you are taking part in an Erasmus study exchange where there is a bilateral agreement in place between the respective departments of each university then you should be eligible for Erasmus status.
You are advised to contact your department directly to find out what Erasmus exchanges they are able to offer and their selection processes. Currently, Bilateral Agreements are in place for undergraduates studying Modern Languages, Law and Biochemistry, as well as postgraduates studying History and German.
3.1 Eligibility
· You must be enrolled in at least your second year of higher education studies.
· A bilateral agreement must be in place between the respective departments of the two universities
· Your study exchange must be for a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 12 months in duration in order to qualify for Erasmus status.
The British Council have also produced an Erasmus Key Facts document which provides further information.
3.2 Where can I go?
In order to qualify for Erasmus you must take part in an Erasmus exchange with a university that your department at Oxford has a bilateral agreement with. You should contact your department directly to find out further details of the options that are available to you.
3.3 Combined Erasmus periods
If you are a Modern Languages student it is possible to take part in two different Erasmus exchanges during your Year Abroad or alternatively a combination of a study exchange and a work placement. However each exchange/placement period must be a minimum of 3 months in duration in order for it to be eligible for Erasmus.
3.4 Tuition Fees
No university fees (for tuition, registration, examinations, access to laboratory and library facilities etc) are paid to the host institution. Please see the section on the Tuition Fee waiver for details of any tuition fee that you may need to pay to Oxford.
3.5 How to apply
Please contact your department directly to find out what Erasmus exchange opportunities are available to you and what their application processes/deadlines are.
Many departments will have a briefing early in the academic year preceding your year abroad to discuss the options that are available to you.
When the departmental coordinator has selected the students who will be taking part in their Erasmus exchanges they will inform the Erasmus coordinator accordingly. In June, the Erasmus Coordinator will then contact all the Erasmus exchange students with the Erasmus grant forms that require completion and the relevant deadlines.
4. Work Placements
At Oxford, many Modern Language students undertake a work placement during their year abroad.
An Erasmus work placement can be a British Council Language Assistant position or an independently organised placement. However, in order to qualify for Erasmus funding any work placement must fulfil the qualifying criteria below.
4.1 How to apply for an Erasmus Grant
Around late January/early February the Erasmus Coordinator will send an email to all current second year Modern Language students with important information about registering for an Erasmus grant. This email will be sent via the Modern Languages Year Abroad Officer () who will collate all the replies. The Modern Languages Year Abroad Officer will then send a complete list of work placement students who wish to register for an Erasmus grant to the Erasmus coordinator. The Erasmus Coordinator will use this to request the appropriate amount of funding from the British Council.
In June, the Erasmus Coordinator will contact all the students who registered for an Erasmus grant with the Erasmus forms that require completion and the relevant deadlines.
4.2 Eligible Placements
To be eligible each individual placement or internship must be a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 12 months in duration. Placements can be in a variety of different areas of employment. Many students will undertake British Council Language Assistantships, however most types of employment will be eligible for Erasmus status. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that their placement is eligible.
The British Council have also produced a Work Placement Guide that contains further information.
4.3 Ineligible Placements
There are some restrictions put in place by the British Council and the following types of organisations are not eligible as host organisations:
• European institutions (such as the European Commission) and agencies (see website:
http://europa.eu/agencies/)
• Organisations managing EU programmes (such as National Agencies) in order to avoid possible conflict of interests and/or double funding
• National diplomatic representation (embassy/consulate) of the student in the host country.
4.4 Where can I go?
In order to qualify for Erasmus status you must be working in one of the Erasmus qualifying European Countries. Therefore, if you work as a British Council Language Assistant in Canada or Latin America then you will not be eligible for an Erasmus grant.
4.5 Comenius Assistants
If you work as a Comenius Assistant then you are not eligible for an Erasmus grant as they already receive funding from the same EU budget, the Lifelong Learning Programme. This means that you would also not be eligible for a tuition fee waiver.
4.6 Combined placements
If you are a Modern Languages student it is possible for you to combine a maximum of two Erasmus placements during your Year Abroad or alternatively a combination of one work placement and one study exchange. However each placement/exchange period must be a minimum of 3 months in duration in order for it to be eligible for Erasmus.
Please see the section on Study Exchanges for details of eligible study periods.
5. Erasmus Grant
The Erasmus Grant is intended to be a contribution to the additional costs of your mobility, and is not a full maintenance grant. The size of the Erasmus grant varies from year to year. The Erasmus Grant level for 2013-14 is dependent on your host country and the rates are as follows:
Country / Monthly grantBAND 1 - Bulgaria, Romania / € 275
BAND 2 - Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey / € 315
BAND 3 - Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland / € 375
In addition to the above monthly rates, a supplementary one-off payment of €400 is awarded to students attending a priority Erasmus country. These countries are: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey.
The total Erasmus grant is paid in two instalments. If you have requested the grant to be paid into a UK bank account then the sterling amount will be calculated using the exchange rate that was in place when the University received the funds from the British Council. The first payment is usually paid from September provided that initial funding has been received from the British Council, the required forms have been completed and returned, and you have enrolled on the Oxford Student System. This payment represents 80% of the total Erasmus grant.
The remainder of the Erasmus grant will be paid during Trinity Term, the date of which will be subject to the University having received the remaining funds from the British Council, as well as confirmation that mobility dates remain the same.
An additional one-off payment of €500 is paid to students with a household income of £25,000 or less who are in receipt of an Oxford Opportunity Bursary during their year abroad. Please note that this additional payment is only for students in this income range who are in receipt of an Oxford Opportunity Bursary by 20th December. This payment will be made at the beginning of Hilary Term. No additional application is necessary for this as details of all eligible students will be received directly from the Oxford Opportunity Bursary team.
5.1 Students with disabilities
Additional grants may be available for students who have a disability or exceptional special needs that would significantly limit their ability to study or work abroad. If you would like further information about this or wish to apply for this additional funding you should contact the Erasmus Coordinator at for further details.
6. Maintenance Support
6.1 Government Maintenance Support
Erasmus students are considered for grants and loans for living costs in the same way as when you are studying in Oxford, based upon the standard eligibility criteria.
For English students completing an Erasmus work placement, in section 3 of your application to Student Finance England you will need to select that you are completing a ‘Placement in the UK or abroad’. English students completing an Erasmus study exchange will need to select ‘Study abroad’. You will then need to select ‘Yes’ to the question asking if you have been accepted onto the Erasmus Exchange Scheme. This should ensure that you are eligible to be assessed for means-tested maintenance support.
If you believe that you have been assessed incorrectly in your application for government maintenance support then please contact your regional funding agency as soon as possible and explain your status as an Erasmus student.
Contact details for the regional funding agencies are:
Regional Funding Agency / Telephone Number / WebsiteStudent Finance England / 0845 300 50 90 / www.studentfinance.direct.gov.uk
Student Finance Wales / 0845 602 8845 / www.studentfinancewales.co.uk
Student Awards Agency for Scotland / 0300 555 0505 / www.saas.gov.uk
Student Finance NI / 0845 600 0662 / www.studentfinanceni.co.uk
6.2 Oxford Opportunity Bursary
Students who are means tested in their application for government support will be automatically assessed for an Oxford Opportunity Bursary.
6.3 Travel Grants
Additional travel grants are available from Student Finance if you undertaking an Erasmus study exchange or work placement abroad for at least 50% of any academic term. You can apply for a travel grant if you are studying a full-time higher education course and you are receiving student finance that depends on your household income, e.g. Maintenance Loan or Maintenance Grant.
The amount of travel grant you can receive depends on your household income and covers reasonable costs incurred on travel expenses during an academic year. The first £303 of travel costs are disregarded meaning you can receive your costs less £303.
7. Tuition Fee Waiver
7.1 Undergraduates
Home/EU students
If your Erasmus exchange/placement (or total of individual Erasmus qualifying placements) is for the full academic year then you may be eligible for the waiver of your Year Abroad tuition fee. A full academic year is generally considered to be more than 24 weeks excluding holidays.
If you are eligible for a tuition fee waiver the University will inform Student Finance of this by submitting a Change of Circumstances form so you do not need to amend your Student Finance application. We will inform your College however it is recommended that you also still ensure your College are aware you are taking part in the Erasmus programme.
If your Erasmus exchange/placement is for less than a full academic year (24 weeks excluding holidays) then you will be required to pay your usual fees (or the standard Year Abroad tuition fee for Modern Language Students on their year abroad).
Overseas students:
If you have ‘overseas’ fees status then you will have to pay your usual fees (or the standard Year Abroad tuition fee for Modern Language Students on their year abroad) regardless of the length of your placement.
Details of Undergraduate Year Abroad fees can be found on the Fees and Funding website.