Erasmus Traineeship

To be eligible for an Erasmus traineeship grant, you must:

• be registered as a full-time student at the University of Gothenburg at the time of applying.
• not simultaneously receive another EU-funded grant.  
• have agreed on a traineeship with a company or organsiation.
• do a full-time traineeship for a duration between 2 months and 360 days on-site at one single organisation/company for a coherent period, or 5-30 days combined with a virtual component.  Please note that some organisations are not approved for an Erasmus traineeship.
• Intend to get your degree at the University of Gothenburg. Get the traineeship credited, recognised through the Diploma Supplement or carry out the training after graduating (Read more under headline Recent graduate) In any event the traineeship period has to be approved by your department. Students taking one or a few courses without purpose of graduating are not eligible for the Erasmus traineeship grant.
• The traineeship must be in a country that takes part in the Erasmus programme. Note: Switzerland is not part of Erasmus on an equal footing with the Programme Countries, but will rather enjoy the same status as other third countries. Therefore it is not possible to finance an Erasmus traineeship within the programme at the moment.
• To receive the grant you need to be physically present on-site at the receving organisation or at least in the hosting country during the traineeship period.

An Erasmus traineeship carried out remotely from Sweden is not an approved activity for the grant, but if your traineeship period starts remotely from Sweden and transitions to a traineeship on-site abroad, you can receive a grant for the part that takes place on-site abroad, provided that the remaining period is at least 60 days.

Do I need to be a Swedish citizen to apply for an Erasmus traineeship grant?

A student no longer needs a particular citizenship or permanent residency status to take part in Erasmus exchange activities. All students at a Swedish university or university college are eligible as long as they meet the remaining grant requirements.

The grant is not intended to cover all of a student’s extra costs that arise in connection with the placement (such as travel and accommodation expenses), but should rather be considered a partial contribution. The value of the grant depends on the location and duration of the placement.

Long-term traineeship during the acadmic year 2025/2026

The grant amount is calculated based on the number of days abroad, but for simplicity the amounts below are shown per month (30 days).

• Group 1: €710/month (30 days)
  Programme countries with higher living costs:
  Denmark, Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Austria
• Group 2: €660/month (30 days)
  Programme countries with lower living costs:
  Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, the Czech Republic, Türkiye, Hungary

Switzerland and the United Kingdom are not currently part of the Erasmus+ Programme and are therefore not eligible destinations for an Erasmus traineeship grant.

Short Blended Traineeships during the academic year 2025/2026

Grant amounts for short blended mobility:

• Days 1–14: €79 per day
• Days 15–30: €56 per day

Travel grant and travel days

All students going on long-term and short blended traineeships receive a travel grant.
The amount is based on the one-way distance between the home university and the host organisation.
All participants also receive a grant for travel days, calculated at the same daily rate as study days.

Double funding

It is not permitted to receive more than one grant from the EU or from the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) for the same mobility period.

Payment of the grant

If you have submitted a complete and correct application on time and been approved, the payment will be made around the start of your traineeship.
It is not possible to give an exact date for the transfer, as processing times vary between banks.

Holiday periods

You are entitled to keep your grant for the days when your host organisation is closed due to public holidays, for example during Christmas and New Year.

For which countries may a traineeship grant be approved?

The following countries are categorised as programme countries and can fully participate in the Erasmus :

• The 26 EU Member States (Not Sweden)
• EEA countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway
• Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey
• "Outermost regions": the Canary Islands, Madeira, the Azores, Mayotte, Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthelemy
• The Territories in the list, “Overseas countries and territories
   

Switzerland and the UK are not currently part of the Erasmus program and are therefore not approved countries for Erasmus traineeships.
Switzerland and some other countries have initiated their own Government scholarship that students can apply for. However, for traineeships in Switzerland, the student's application must go through a Swiss partner university who is willing to administer the students´application. Contact your department to find out if there is an agreement with such a partner university.

It is important to know that Government scholarships cannot be combined with funding from The Swedish Board of Student Finance (CSN) so the student must choose one of the forms of funding.
 

Which types of organisations are eligible to serve as traineeship hosts?

• Businesses, organisations and centres for research and education
• Swedish public employers and international secretariats of foreign universities.
• Swedish diplomatic representations (for example embassies and consulates)

The offices of the political parties at the EU Parliament are not considered to belong to the EU Parliament and may therefore be approved as traineeship hosts.

Which organisations are not eligible?

• EU institutions and other EU bodies
• Organisations that administer EU programmes, for example national offices for Erasmus such as the Swedish Council for Higher Education (to avoid potential conflicts of interest and/or double funding).

However, EU institutions may be approved for students receiving a grant for a traineeship at an EU institution from the Swedish Council for Higher Education. (The website above is linked to information in Swedish. Please contact  the Swedish Council for Higher Education for information in English)

Can a traineeship be completed at a foreign university/higher education institution?

Traineeships at another higher education institution may be approved if the mobility clearly concerns work and not studies.
The following rules apply:

• The student must engage in work and not studies during the traineeship period.
• The student must be ‘employed’ as an intern at the host institution and may not be enrolled as a student. (If the student is enrolled in courses at the host institution, the visit is considered a study period and not a traineeship.)
• If higher education credits are awarded for the traineeship, they must be for the placement specifically and not for ‘normal’ course participation.

Can I complete an Erasmus traineeship in my home country?

A student who prior to enrolling at a Swedish higher education institution resided in another Erasmus country may complete a traineeship in that country. However, such traineeship are given the lowest priority in the assessment of applications.

Note that this provision only concerns which country the student moved from to study in Sweden and has nothing to do with the country in which the student has his/her ethnic roots or was born.

In which subject areas can I apply for an Erasmus traineeship?

There are no limitations. The Erasmus grants are not connected to certain subject areas. All students who meet the eligibility requirements can apply.

You can carry out an Erasmus traineeship lasting anywhere between five and 360 days:

• The traditional Erasmus traineeship lasts between 60 and 360 days with the same host organisation.
• Short blended mobility lasts between five and thirty days and combines a shorter physical traineeship with a virtual component that can take place before, during, or after the physical period.
  The virtual component must be full-time, have clear learning objectives, and be closely linked to the physical part of the traineeship. It must also be organised by the host organisation. The student and the host organisation can jointly agree on how the virtual component is arranged.

You can only receive an Erasmus grant for the physical mobility period abroad, not for the virtual part.

There are three different ways to carry out an Erasmus traineeship connected to the University of Gothenburg. The rules for credit transfer and recognition depend on the type of traineeship you undertake.

1. Traineeship as part of your studies (mandatory/embedded traineeship)

This type of traineeship is an obligatory part of your study programme, for example as part of a work placement (VFU) or another internship period.
The traineeship is credit-bearing and forms part of your regular programme.

2. Voluntary or independent traineeship

A voluntary traineeship is not linked to a specific course, but it must still have a clear academic connection to your studies at the University of Gothenburg and be relevant to the degree you intend to obtain.
The traineeship can, for example, be carried out between semesters, during the summer, or alongside other studies.

This type of traineeship is recognised through a statement in your Diploma Supplement. Students are responsible for including the necessary documentation when applying for their degree. These documents are provided if the scholarship application is approved.

3. Traineeship after graduation (recent graduate traineeship)

It is also possible to complete a traineeship after you have finished your studies.
In these cases, no credit transfer or recognition via the Diploma Supplement is required.
You must apply for the Erasmus traineeship grant while you are still registered as a student at the University of Gothenburg and enrolled in studies leading to a degree. The traineeship must begin and be completed within 12 months after finishing your final course towards your degree.

You can ask your Department about already established contacts with companies and organisations. Many companies and organisations are happy to receive interns, and many also advertise internship opportunities on their websites.

Is there any company or organisation where you would like to do your traineeship? Contact the company with your questions.

In the list below, you will find searchable portals and more, where you can find traineeship placements.

• ErasmusIntern
• Go Overseas
• Annonsportalen
• Föreningen för utvecklingsfrågor, FUF
• Globalplacement.com
• JobTeaser
• Tyska i praktiken
• Career services at School of Business, Economics and Law
• Praktik inom utrikesförvaltningen

Traineeship within the EU institutions

For internships at EU institutions, you can apply for the "Praktik vid EU-institutioner" program through the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR).

IAESTE

International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience, provides international internships for students mainly in technical subjects. Currently, only students within the Faculty of Science can travel through IAESTE.

More information

For specific questions about tips on established contacts with companies and organisations, or whether the traineeship can be credited or recognized, please contact the international coordinator or internship coordinator at your department.

Applications are submitted by email to: erasmustrainee@gu.se

Grants are awarded continuously to all approved applications, as long as funds are available.

The application consists of only one document: the Learning Agreement for Traineeships (LAT).
This document is a contract between the student, the University of Gothenburg, and the host organisation. The LAT must be prepared in consultation with your host organisation and must outline, among other things, the tasks you will perform as well as the expected outcomes and learning objectives of your traineeship. The LAT must be signed by the contact person at the host organisation and by you as the student.

Please note that your application must be endorsed by someone at your faculty or department who confirms the relevance of the traineeship and that it aligns with your studies at the University of Gothenburg.
Students whose applications are approved will receive the fully signed LAT together with the grant decision.

Note: You will find the Learning Agreement for Traineeships document by closing this tab. (It is located under "Documents for application")

Only complete applications submitted on time will be processed.

If your application is approved, the next step is to complete a Grant Agreement, which includes your bank account details, among other things.

It is important that you have good insurance coverage while being on an Erasmus traineeship abroad.

The University of Gothenburg has signed the so-called Student UT insurance with Kammarkollegiet for students studying or completing a traineeship abroad within the framework of an exchange programme or exchange agreement.

Please note that Student UT does not apply in Sweden, so in cases where traineeship are done remotely from Sweden, it is important that you make sure you are covered by a home insurance or equivalent during this part of the traineeship period.

The insurance provides around-the-clock coverage of for example the following:

• Personal injury
• Medical and dental care
• Home transport
• Visits by relatives (in connection with life-threatening injury/illness)
• Disruption (in connection with a family member’s life-threatening injury or death, or extensive property damage)

Read the terms and conditions carefully. Remember that you may need to complement Student UT with additional insurance. As always, it is important that you take charge of your own insurance protection.

Also, remember that you are only covered by the insurance when you are in the hosting country, and when you are travelling directly to and from that country. The insurance goes into effect 14 days prior to the start of your placement and expires 14 days after completion. The total insurance period is stated on the insurance certificate.

The Student OUT insurance only covers illness or injury to the extent that this is not compensated by other insurance, regulation, or law. For example, Student OUT does not cover emergency medical care in a country where you are entitled to healthcare through the social security system or equivalent. If you are doing an internship in a country where you are covered by such benefits — for example, because you are a citizen of that country or grew up there — you should primarily use that coverage in the event of illness or injury. If you do not have access to such coverage in your host country, the conditions for emergency medical care under Student OUT will apply. If you are unsure about which insurance conditions will apply to you during your internship, we recommend that you contact Kammarkollegiet for an assessment.

Notification of claim

In the event of damage or an incident, you must complete a damage report.
If you use the e-service for the damage report, please provide erasmustrainee@gu.se as the contact person at the University of Gothenburg.

Go to Kammarkollegiet’s webpage about terms and conditions and claim notifications

Insurance certificate

Your insurance certificate is sent to you by email together with the decision if your application is approved.The certificate clearly states your insurance period.
The certificate also shows the telephone number to the international assistance company Falck Global Assistance. Call the number if you need assistance quickly while abroad.

Falck Global Assistance can be reached by: Phone: +46 85 87 71 749 or E-mail: fga@se.falck.com

When travelling within Europe, the medical part of Student UT will not apply. Instead, you will be covered by the European health insurance. You must therefore always bring a European health insurance card, available from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan), when travelling in Europe.

Student information from the Swedish Social Insurance agency (Försäkringskassan) (external website)

All outbound students within the Erasmus programme are offered to take an online language test before the traineeship period in the language mainly used at the receiving organisation/company.

The intention with the test is to give the students an idea of their language skills. The test is available in many of the languages spoken in the EU countries.

The test is voluntary and the same tool also offers  language courses. The language test and course a are free of charge for students.

Yes, but the total duration of all student mobility activities – including both studies and traineeship – may not exceed 360 days per cycle (first, second and third cycle).

Students who travel by train, bus, bicycle, or share a car with at least one other student are eligible to apply for a green travel grant. At least 50% of your journey must be completed using a sustainable mode of transport to qualify as a green trip. Means of transport such as boat, car (one person), motorcycles, or airplane are not considered green.

If travelling green extends your journey, you may receive up to three additional travel days in each direction. The green travel grant only applies to travel from Sweden to the traineeship country and back to Sweden.

Students who have special needs and/or have children (the child does not have to accompany the exchange) can receive extra support. If this support does not cover incurred costs, you can also apply for Erasmus inclusion support.

In cases where you as a student need educational support or special adaptations during your time abroad you have the opportunity to seek a special grant for additional costs that may arise. “Additional costs” refers to the extra costs that will affect the department or individual students and that are not financed in other ways, for example:

• transport
• teaching materials
• accommodation
• Assistant / companions
• medical follow-up, physiotherapy
• medical examination in the host country

Note that the grant only applies to students with permanent disabilities or illness.

To apply for this grant, please contact erasmustrainee@gu.se at the International Centre.

You can receive additional funding on top of the regular Erasmus grant if you currently have, or have previously had, refugee status under the Refugee Convention, or if you are under subsidiary protection according to national regulations.
This support also includes individuals who currently have or have previously had a residence permit as a person in need of protection under earlier legislation.
Other types of residence permits, or residence permits granted by another country, are not eligible.

To apply for this inclusion support, please contact erasmustrainee@gu.se. You will be asked to provide the first page of your residence permit decision from the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket).

The protection of personal data varies significantly between countries. The University of Gothenburg (GU) is committed to safeguarding your personal integrity and applies the principle of data minimization. 

Within Europe/EEA, the General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR, applies. 

For traineeships at organizations in countries outside the EU/EEA, GU will not transfer personal data to the host organization. Instead, as a trainee, you are responsible for sending the necessary information to the host organization, which may include your personal data. You should be aware that the requirements for personal data protection in these countries do not always correspond to the standards within the EU/EEA. This may entail risks to your privacy, as the GDPR does not apply outside the EU/EEA. Such risks may include, for example, that you as a data subject are not entitled to information about further processing of your personal data, or that the recipient otherwise does not comply with GDPR. The level of risk depends on the host country’s own data protection legislation.

If you have questions regarding how your personal data will be processed by the host organization, you should address them to your contact person at that organization. You may also contact GU’s international officer at erasmustrainee@gu.se for questions regarding the traineeship placement process.

For general questions regarding data protection at the University of Gothenburg, you can contact GU’s Data Protection Officer at dataskyddsombud@gu.se.