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Student exchange grants 2- 12 months (= long-term exchange)

• Monthly student exchange grants for the programme country are either €540 (country group 1) or €490 (country group 2).
• The monthly grants for work placements in the programme country are either €690 (country group 1) or €640 (country group 2).
• The student and trainee exchange grant for the partner country is €700/month. In addition, a travel allowance is paid based on the distance to the destination country, e.g. to Brazil €1500, to South Korea €820 and to Kosovo €360.

You can get a grant for a long-term exchange when:

• a minimum duration of 2 months (= 60 days) and a maximum duration of 12 months for student exchanges (or double-degree courses) and placements.
• credits in a foreign higher education institution must accumulate 5 credits / month
• 6 credits / month must be accumulated during the work placements abroad
• studies/work placements abroad are relevant to the degree and the period abroad is fully recognised as part of the degree.

As a grant recipient, you commit:

• follow the Learning Agreement for Studies / Traineeship.
• get the necessary permits, insurance and vaccinations in order
• return the necessary forms and reports on the exchange as instructed and on time
• repay all or part of the grant if you interrupt or cancel your exchange, do not return the required documents to SoleMOVE on time or do not accumulate enough credits during your exchange (5 credits/month for studies and 6 credits/month for internships).
• NOTE: The maximum duration of an Erasmus+ study or work placement period is 12 months at each stage of your studies ( Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD). If 12 months are exceeded, the excess period will be paid from HAMK funds.

The grant will not affect the amount of student support you receive. You must apply for a scholarship well in advance of the start of your exchange. Late applications will not be processed. We aim to pay the grant at least 2 weeks before the start of the exchange, provided that the application documents are stored in SoleMOVE and SoleGRANT. The same exchange period cannot be funded by more than one EU or OPH-managed programme.

The amount of the grant is determined by

• based on the country of destination (see country groups above on page)
• on the basis of the duration of the period
• by type of exchange (student exchange or work placement)
• the grant is calculated for each person individually, taking into account the above factors

Determination of the start and end dates of the exchange

• The scholarship is paid for the time the student is present at the host university/organisation.
• The first day of attendance (e.g. the beginning of the semester, welcome ceremony, etc.) is recorded in the grant application as the start date of the exchange.
• The last day of attendance (e.g. the last day of an exam period).
• The grant will be paid according to the dates on the Acceptance Letter.

The actual duration of the exchange will be checked after the exchange on the Letter of Confirmation / Traineeship Certificate issued by the host organisation..

• If the exchange is shorter than planned, the grant will be recalculated and, if necessary, the student will return part or all of the grant received.
• If you do not accumulate enough credits during your exchange (5 credits per month of study, 6 credits per month of training), you may have to pay back part of the grant.
• An extension of the exchange period also requires an amendment to the grant agreement.

Payment schedule

Grants for long-term exchanges are paid in two instalments. The first part of the grant (80%) will be paid once the required documents have been duly entered into SoleMOVE and SoleGRANT.

The remaining 20% will be paid once the student has entered the post-exchange documents into SoleMOVE within one month of the end of the exchange. If the student was on exchange in an Erasmus+ country, the student must complete the Erasmus Participant Report questionnaire.

When calculating the grant, a month is equal to a calendar month, i.e. 28 to 31 days, depending on the month in question. For long-term exchanges, a monthly allowance is paid for full exchange months and a daily allowance for days in excess of full months. The allowance for each mobile worker is calculated individually, taking into account the above.

Short-term mobility for RUN European University SAP and YES studies

• The extent of SAP studies is 1 – 6 ECTS and and each SAP includes an online component and a one week contact session at at RUN higher education institution in Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands or Portugal.
• The YES studies are one week contact sessions at one of the RUN higher education institution listed above.
• The grants are country-specific and include travel costs and subsistence costs per destination as follows:

Country	Travel costs (euros)	Subsistence costs (euros)	Total grant (euros)
Finland – Austria	330	680	1 010
Finland – Hungary	270	510	780
Finland – Ireland	380	600	1 280
Finland – Netherlands	270	680	950
Finland – Portugal	470	460	930

Erasmus short-term blended mobility

• Duration of exchange period 5-14 days: grant is 79 euros/day.
• Extra days of exchange period 15-30 days: grant is 56 euros/day.
• 1 extra travel day can be added before and after the exchange period.

You will receive a grant for a short-term exchange period if

1. you participate in SAP or YES studies offered by RUN European University
2. you participate in an Erasmus+ short-term blended mobility;
3. you are a Master’s or teacher education student.

The SAP (= Short Advance Programmes) studies offered by RUN European University always include a short-term exchange period and online studies. Students apply for SAP studies via the courses offered by RUN European University (https://run-eu.eu/).

Erasmus+ short-term blended mobilities include a short-term exchange period and also a compulsory virtual component.

• Open to all students.
• Duration is 5 – 30 days.
• The duration of the virtual component is not specified.
• The minimum extent is 3 credits (= short exchange period + virtual component).
• The credits gained are fully recognized as part of your degree.

When accepting the grant, you agree to the following conditions:

• to follow the approved Learning Agreement for Studies/Traineeship or the RUN EU-SAP study programme;
• to take care of the necessary permits, insurances and vaccinations;
• to submit the necessary documents and reports according to given instructions and on time;
• to repay the grant in full or partially if you cancel or interrupt your mobility period abroad, if you do not upload all required documents in SoleMOVE when you return or you do not receive the required number of credits.

If you are applicable for Finnish financial aid, you can also receive it when you are abroad. The grant has no effect on student financial aid.

You should apply for the grant well in advance before the start of the mobility period. The grant will be paid 2 weeks at the latest before the start of the period abroad provided that you have uploaded all the required documents in SoleMOVE and SoleGRANT.

You can only apply for one EU or EDUFI funded programme at a time.

The amount of the Erasmus+ grant depends on:

• the duration of the exchange period;
• the type of exchange (participation in SAP studies, blended intensive programme or short-term exchange for master’s and teacher education students).

Payment schedule

Grants for short-term exchanges are paid in one instalment before the start of the exchange period  when you have uploaded the required documents in SoleMOVE and SoleGRANT.

When you return, we will check the actual duration from the Letter of Confirmation / Transcript of Records / Traineeship Certificate / Transcript of Work awarded by the host organisation.

Fewer opportunities top-up

The Erasmus+ programme pays a ‘fewer opportunities top-up’ to Erasmus students who have fewer opportunities to participate in the Erasmus programme. From the academic year 2022-23, this category will include: family members (with minor children to care for even if they stay in their home country), carers (with a carer’s agreement with the municipality), disabled and disabled persons (at least moderate functional impairment), students with serious or chronic health problems, or students granted international protection.

The additional allowance for long-term mobility (2-12 months) is €250 per month and for short-term mobility €100 per exchange of 5-14 days or €150 per exchange of 15-30 days. In addition, students on short-term student and trainee mobility will receive a travel allowance based on the distance to the destination.

Eligibility for the top-up support us proven with the declaration on honour signed by the student and HAMK. It is then uploaded to the SoleGRANT grant application.

Special needs and inclusion support

In addition to the fixed fewer opportunities supplement mentioned above, students can also apply for and receive an inclusion grant based on actual costs if they have more or different costs than the fixed grant covers, or if they also have other obstacles to the mobility period than the one on the basis of which the fixed supplement was granted.

More information on the website of the Finnish National Board of Education.

If a student on an Erasmus+ exchange chooses to travel green, they can receive a Green Mobility supplement by travelling to their exchange destination in a more environmentally friendly way, either by train, carpooling, or bus.

A student is eligible for green travel support if the whole trip, most of the trip, or at least the second leg of the outward-return journey, is made using less polluting modes of travel. From the academic year 2022-2023 onwards, the green travel allowance and maximum travel days will depend on the type of mobility:

• For students on long-term mobility (2 – 12 months) to programme countries: €50 flat-rate green travel supplement + up to four (4) travel days.
• For students on long-term mobility (2 – 12 months) to partner countries: distance-based green travel allowance + up to four (4) travel days.
• For students on short term (multi-country) mobility to all countries (5 – 30 days physical mobility): 50 EUR fixed green travel allowance + up to six (6) travel days.
• For students with fewer opportunities for short-term mobility to all countries (physical mobility of 5 to 30 days): distance-based green travel allowance + up to six (6) travel days.

The additional support will be paid after the exchange period, once the student has submitted a Green Mobility Guarantee Form (receipts or equivalent proof) for their trip to international@hamk.fi .

Ideas for greener travel

• Erasmus by Train
• 7 best tips fo Erasmus+ green travel

The grant does not affect the amount of the student financial aid.
Read more about KELA grants for studying abroad: https://www.kela.fi/financial-aid-for-students-if-you-study-abroad

In addition, you should check about external funding. Different organisations, foundations, cities, friendship associations etc. may have funding available for studies abroad. Also check the websites of Council of Finnish Foundations (in Finnish) and Fulbright Center.

EDUFI traineeship for higher education students and recent graduates
You can apply for a traineeship abroad through EDUFI and be paid a scholarship by EDUFI.