Erasmus Programme is an exchange programme conducted by the European Union. It aims to enhance and improve the quality of inter-university education by promoting cooperation between higher education institutions in European Union countries (Erasmus KA131) and candidate countries (Erasmus KA171). The programme was established to provide students with international educational opportunities and to strengthen cooperation between countries. In addition to academic and youth exchange programmes, it also includes cooperation projects in the fields of internships, employment, and sports. Through these exchanges, participants gain international experience and have the opportunity to observe and learn about different cultures and lifestyles firsthand.
The Erasmus programme offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students opportunities for study and internships abroad, and also includes opportunities for academic staff to participate in teaching, training, and various academic cooperation projects. The programme provides students and academic staff with significant international opportunities to engage in education abroad, participate in research projects, and contribute to curriculum development.
The Erasmus programme, which was implemented between 2007–2013 under the Lifelong Learning Programmes, has been carried out as Erasmus+ since 2014. Many programmes previously conducted under the name Lifelong Learning (Comenius, Erasmus, Leonardo da Vinci programmes, the Youth Programme, and five international cooperation programmes: Erasmus Mundus, Tempus, Alfa, Edulink, and the Cooperation Programme with Industrialised Countries) have been brought together under the Erasmus umbrella. As a comprehensive student exchange and cultural programme, Erasmus enables participants to study, teach, or complete an internship in a foreign company abroad during a certain period of their lives.
Students enrolled in formal education at higher education institutions may participate in student mobility within higher education. Student mobility within the Erasmus programme takes place in two forms:
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Study Mobility
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Traineeship Mobility
1. General Information on Erasmus Student Study Mobility
This type of mobility allows students enrolled in a higher education institution in Türkiye that provides formal education and holds an Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) to become exchange students for 1 or 2 semesters (3–12 months) within one academic year at another ECHE-holding higher education institution in a European country. Students also have the opportunity to receive financial support for the period they spend abroad within the programme.
2. General Information on Erasmus Traineeship Mobility
Unlike study mobility, this type involves a student enrolled in a higher education institution completing an internship abroad at a company or organization. Although these two types of mobility differ in purpose, both are included within the Erasmus project. The aim of traineeship mobility is to enable students to gain international work experience in their field of vocational or professional education.
The duration of the activity is valid separately for each level of study (undergraduate, master’s, doctorate) and must be at least 2 months and at most 12 months. Erasmus Study Mobility can be carried out within the framework of inter-institutional agreements. Institutions announce calls for applications to select students who will participate in Erasmus mobility under existing agreements. To benefit from Study Mobility, students must apply to their institution’s Erasmus Coordination Office and take part in the selection process. Each institution determines its own application and selection dates.
Note: Arranging travel abroad, accommodation, passport, and visa procedures are the student’s own responsibility.
Note: Students who are entitled to benefit from Erasmus traineeship or study mobility must attend the orientation meetings organized by the International Relations Office. During these meetings, the workflow that students must follow is explained in detail and a roadmap is provided. Since the responsibility for fulfilling the required procedures during the activity period belongs to the student, these orientation meetings are of great importance for candidates who have earned the right to become Erasmus students.