Erasmus+ top-ups
Erasmus+ coordination, counselling for university staff and students with special needs
Advising students on Erasmus+
Erasmus+ top-ups
Inclusion and equal opportunities are central concerns of the Erasmus+ programme generation for the 2021-2027 period.
Photo 1: Marcus Aurelius/Pexels, Photo 2: Emma Bauso/Pexels
The aim is to make going abroad easier for students and university staff by removing potential barriers. Depending on funding line, project and type of mobility, participants with fewer opportunities may be eligible for additional financial support in the form of monthly social top-up payments, travel allowances or reimbursement of actual costs for their stay and preparatory travel.
Top-up for students and university staff with disabilities or chronic illnesses
Funding through a lump-sum grant (only for students)
Students and graduates who have been accepted by their home institution for an Erasmus+ funded study programme or a traineeship abroad can receive funding through a lump-sum grant if they require additional funding due to one of the following
- a degree of disability of 20 or higher;
- a proven disability;
- a chronic illness.
Proof must be provided in the form of a medical certificate confirming that there is an additional financial need abroad due to the illness.
Please inform the International Office about your additional needs. The monthly allowance is EUR 250, regardless of the country you will be spending your stay abroad in.
Funding through a separate application ("actual cost application")
Examples of additional costs include barrier-free accommodation, travel assistance, medical care abroad, adaptation of learning materials or an accompanying person. Depending on your additional financial requirements, you can apply for a one-off grant or submit a personal application ("real cost application") for additional funds.
Who can receive funding?
- Anyone who has a degree of disability of at least 20 or a chronic illness
- and has been accepted for an Erasmus+ funded study/internship abroad or a teaching mobility (STA) or mobility for further education and training (STT)
What is funded?
The total is determined according to your personal needs and paid out in addition to your regular Erasmus+ scholarship.
- for students a maximum of EUR 15,000 per semester and EUR 30,000 per academic year
- for university staff up to EUR 15,000 per mobility
Please note that additional costs can only be taken into account if they
- are not covered by national agencies (e.g. integration offices, health insurance funds, regional associations, social welfare offices, student services)
- result from the stay abroad, for example airfares and costs for accommodation for accompanying assistants or for barrier-free accommodation
How do I submit my application?
You will be required to provide evidence of the difference between the costs at home and abroad, so make sure to allow sufficient time for the application.
Required documents
- Copy of proof of disability or chronic illness
- Cost estimate based on calculation form
- Cost estimates or printouts from Internet searches
The application should be submitted to the International Office at least three months before your departure. From there, the application is submitted to the NA DAAD. The special funds will then be calculated on the basis of the actual additional costs incurred.
Experience reports on studying abroad with disabilities
- Semester abroad in Great Britain and Belgium with visual and incipient hearing impairment (English video with subtitles)
- Abroad with autism (English video with subtitles)
- Experiences in Malta of a student with Down syndrome (English video with subtitles)
- Semester abroad in Finland as a deaf person (English video with subtitles)
- Studying in England with a wheelchair (German experience report)
- Wheelchair basketball pro Lukas Gloßner on his semester abroad in Spain (German experience report)
- Short stay in Portugal with chronic illness (German-language field report)
Further testimonials
Further information
Please see the NA DAAD website for more information. Please also take a look at the online platform InclusiveMobility.eu, where higher education institutions can describe their accessibility options. The platform contains tips and advice that will help you prepare for an Erasmus+ stay.
Privacy policy: Personal data will be treated as confidential and will only be processed in accordance with the relevant data protection legislation to the extent that this is necessary for your application and participation in the Erasmus+ programme.
Top-up for students with child(ren)
Students who are funded by Erasmus+ for a stay abroad and travel abroad with their child/children can apply for a monthly lump sum via their university, which is paid in addition to the regular Erasmus+ funding instalment.
The lump-sum funding amount is EUR 250 per month (regardless of the number of children).
Please contact the International Office well in advance of your stay abroad so they can send you the application form for special funding.
Further information from the NA DAAD (in German)
Testimonials from students with children
More testimonials: Practical examples: Erasmus+
More information on studying abroad as a parent
Top-up for first-in-family students (from Erasmus project 2022)
Students whose parents have not obtained an academic degree recognized in Germany can apply for this top-up.
In the case of single parents, this rule only applies to the parent with whom the child lives.
Testimonials from first-in-family students
- Feature page „Going abroad as a first-in-family student” (in German)
- Going to France as a first-in-family student
Top-up for employed students (from Erasmus project 2022)
Students who were employed before the start of their studies abroad and cannot continue this employment during their stay abroad are entitled to apply for this top-up.
For employment subject to social security contributions
- monthly earnings must be between EUR 450 and EUR 850
- and the student must have done this job regularly for at least 6 months before the start of mobility
Note: Unfortunately, students who are self-employed are not eligible to apply.
Note: Top-ups cannot be combined. Please keep your proofs.
Other Erasmus+ funding formats
Preparatory travel
NA DAAD provides financial support for trips designed to prepare for an Erasmus+ stay abroad in programme countries for study or internship purposes. These trips serve to explore local conditions (accessible housing, conditions on campus, public transportation, etc.) and are funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Who can apply for this funding (Erasmus Project 2023)?
- Participants with a degree of disability of 20 or more or a proven disability, due to which there is an additional financial need or a chronic illness, due to which there is an additional financial need
- Participants with child(ren)
Further information
- Applicants are responsible for planning and organising their own trip.
- Travel period: January to November of a year
- Application deadline: Please submit your application at least 3 months before the start of your trip.
- The funds are paid out as a lump sum after the trip.
Information on the DAAD's general terms and funding conditions (in German)
Blended-short-term mobility
Students and graduates who are unable to participate in long-term physical mobility, for example due to their field of study or due to fewer opportunities, can combine a short physical stay with a mandatory virtual component (blended-short-term mobility).
The following funding rates apply in the 2023 and 2024 projects:
| Number of funding days | Funding rate | Grant ("fewer opportunities")* |
| Up to day 14 | EUR 79 per day | EUR 100 |
| From day 15 to 30 | EUR 56 per day | EUR 150 |
In addition, one day of travel before and one day of travel after the activity can be taken into account when calculating the financial support depending on the duration of the trip.
*Students and graduates with fewer opportunities receive a one-off grant for blended short-term mobility, depending on the total duration of the physical mobility.