Erasmus+ is the largest exchange programme in Europe. Through Erasmus+, you can apply for student exchange, an international traineeship or short blended intensive programmes.
The countries participating in the Erasmus+ programme are the EU Member States and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Northern Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Turkey. You can find more information on the Erasmus+ programme on the website of the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) (the link opens up to a new window). UEF’s partner countries in the Erasmus+ programme are United Kingdom and Switzerland. Read more about partner countries below.
You can find the exchange destinations sorted by faculty and subject from the link at the bottom of this page.
UEF also has bilateral agreements with some European universities, and through the Nordplus programme you can go on exchange in the Nordic Countries.
Who can apply?
Erasmus+ student exchange is open to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral students of all fields. You can go on exchange from your second year of studies onwards, but you can start the application process during your first year.
You must not have a valid employment contract at UEF during the exchange period. You can apply for exchange while employed, but your contract must end before the exchange begins. For more information about employment and student exchange, see the Bulletins and guidelines page and the FAQ page.
Non-EU/EEA students: Before applying, discuss with your study programme coordinator whether an Erasmus+ exchange could extend your studies and/or affect your tuition fees at UEF.
Duration
An Erasmus+ exchange period lasts one semester or a full academic year. The physical mobility period must be at least 2 months – a fully virtual exchange is not possible.
The actual timing and duration of your exchange are determined by the host university’s academic calendar, not UEF’s.
Applying
The application period for exchanges during the following academic year is 1–15 February. You can apply for the autumn semester, spring semester or full academic year.
Supplementary application rounds: 1–15 May and 1–15 September, if places remain available. In supplementary rounds, you can only apply for the upcoming spring semester.
Application process
- Apply in UEF’s internal selection: Submit your application in SoleMOVE. Your department or school supports your application.
- Apply to the host university: After UEF’s approval, you apply for the actual exchange placement at the host university. The host university always requires its own application (paper or online). The final decision on acceptance comes from the host university.
More information about applying is available on the page General instructions for applying. You can find the link to SoleMOVE and instructions for completing the UEF application on the page SoleMOVE application system.
Funding
The Erasmus+ grant is 490/540 € per month (academic year 2025–2026). The grant amount depends on the duration of the exchange and the host country, and it is paid only for the physical mobility period. In addition, you receive travel support, and 2 grant-eligible travel days are added to the duration of the mobility.
Additional support
- Top-up for students with fewer opportunities: If you belong to a group with fewer opportunities to participate in mobility (e.g. students with families, carers, students with disabilities, students with an immigrant background, or students with specific needs arising from physical or mental health conditions), you may apply for additional support.
- Green travel top-up: If you travel to and from the destination using low-emission transport (bus, train, carpooling), you may be eligible for an increased travel grant and up to 6 grant-eligible travel days. Note that ferry or ship travel is not considered green transport in the Erasmus+ programme.
More details about top-ups and travel support amounts are available in the “Funding for exchange studies” section [link].
12 months per degree level
In the Erasmus+ programme, the total duration of study and traineeship periods cannot exceed 12 months per degree level (bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral). For more information about the 12-month rule, see the FAQ page.
Exchange destinations and subject-specific exceptions
Erasmus+ exchange is based on agreements between departments and schools, which are subject-specific. Apply primarily through your own major’s agreement. You may also apply for destinations under your minor, but students majoring in the subject always have priority.
If applying through your minor:
- You must have started your minor studies (completed courses in the registry).
- Your minor must be included in an approved PSP.
- Students majoring in the subject always have priority.
- Many universities do not accept students from outside the agreed field.
Exceptions
In some subjects, you can apply more broadly:
- Education: You may apply for all education field destinations (applied educational sciences and teacher education, educational sciences, adult education and career counselling, special education) as a major subject student.
- Health promotion: You may apply for public health and clinical nutrition destinations.
- Sports medicine: You may apply for biomedicine destinations.
- Logopedics: You may apply for Finnish language and cultural studies destinations, and as a minor subject applicant for linguistics and psychology destinations.
- Sustainable technologies: You may apply for chemistry, forestry and computer science destinations.
Exchange destinations sorted by faculty and subject are available from the links at the bottom of this page.
A separate list of Erasmus+ exchange destinations for doctoral students is available. Always check the up-to-date list on the faculty or subject-specific pages.
OLS language courses and language test
You can take Erasmus+ OLS online language courses (Online Language Support) before and during your exchange. You can also take the OLS language test in the language of your exchange studies.
Note that:
- The test result does not affect your eligibility for exchange.
- The OLS test result is generally not accepted as a certificate of language skills when applying to the host university. If you wish to use the result as proof of language skills, check with the host university first.
Digital Learning Agreement
Complete the Digital Learning Agreement (DLA) before the start of your exchange. The host university may require it as part of your second-stage application. The digital LA is completed via SoleMOVE. You will receive the instructions on how to complete the DLA from International Mobility Services. NB. Some host universities use the term Online Learning Agreement, OLA.
UEF Erasmus code: SF KUOPIO12 UEF Erasmus Charter number: 101011365
UEF Erasmus Charter (PDF file available below) UEF European Policy Statement (PDF file available below)
Erasmus+ partner countries
In addition to programme countries, the Erasmus+ programme includes partner countries. UEF has currently prioritised the United Kingdom and Switzerland as Erasmus+ partner countries.
In practice, this means:
- You can apply for Erasmus+ exchange in the UK or Switzerland if your department has an Erasmus+ agreement with a university in that country.
- UEF does not currently allocate Erasmus+ funding for student exchange or traineeships in other partner countries.
If you want to go on exchange to a university that does not have an agreement with UEF, you can apply as a freemover/visiting student. For more information, see the Freemover page.
Erasmus+ partners by Faculty
You can find your own subject’s Erasmus+ partners from the link below.