The Erasmus+ exchange grant consists of two parts:

1. Basic grant, which depends on the exact start and end dates of your exchange (calculated by the exact number of days). See table below.
2. Travel support, which is determined by two things:
   1. the distance between your LUT campus & exchange university campus
   2. the travel method - whether you qualify for the green travel grant. All students are eligible for at least the non-green travel support.

Travel support is paid to all students going on an Erasmus+ exchange.

When you travel green, you get a bigger travel allowance. The non-green allowance, on the other hand, can be paid to non-green travelers. When determining the amount of the travel allowance, the length of the trip is always calculated using the EU Commission's calculator. The distance is calculated LUT University main campus (Lappeenranta) and the exchange university's main campus. LUT Mobility-Online calculates the distance automatically.

The greenness of the journey is always considered as a whole, i.e. the round trip, and the modes of travel (for also the return part of the trip) must be decided upon in advance when applying for the grant. You qualify for the green travel allowance if at least 50% of your round trip is green, i.e. you avoid flights and seafaring. Read our tips for green travel and more examples of the conditions under which a trip can be counted as green.
 

Also travel time has an effect on the grant amount

In addition to the travel allowance described above, also your travel days can be funded (with the same amount as study days).

For non-green travel (usually by plane), you can receive funding for maximum on 2 travel days (1 day per direction). For example, from LUT to Spain this equals a 2x16.33 €.

For green travel, maximum of 3 days per direction can be accounted for: to Spain this would be a maximum of 6x16.33 € or, for example, 4x 16.33 €, if the actual travel days are only 2 days per direction. Always travel as directly as possible (no unnecessary detours), even when traveling green.

Additional support for special groups

In addition, the Erasmus+ program provides additional support for students who, for financial, health and social reasons, generally find it more difficult to go on a student exchange. The fixed increase in individual support for defined groups is €250/month, and in certain health-related challenges, the amount of support depends on the incurred costs. Support is available, for example, for dependent children or students with a refugee background. Read more here.

Example: how to calculate your Erasmus+ grant total amount

A person living in Helsinki but studying at the Lahti campus goes on exchange to Milan

• The orientation begins on September 5 and the last exam is on 13.2. The basic grant is €2,862.
  
  The Erasmus+ basic grant is calculated using the following method: full months (from day N of the starting month to day N-1 of the ending month) plus additional days. In this example, there are 5 full months (September 5 - February 4) and 9 additional days (February 5-13). With the monthly grant being 540 €, the basic Erasmus+ grant is 5x540 + 9x18 €,
   
• According to the EU Commission's calculator, the distance between the campuses, Lappeenranta and Milan, is 2128 km.
• Green travel, only the Helsinki-Stockholm distance is traveled by ship (ships and ferries are not considered green).
• Travel time in both directions is 3 days, in total 6 travel days.
• No children and no other Erasmus+ additional grants. 

Basic grant 2862+ Green travel allowance 535 + Additional subsidized travel days when traveling green 6x18=€72. A total of €3505.

If the trip had been made by air, the amount of the travel allowance would be €395 and the portion of the travel days €36, in which case the total grant would be only €3,293.

In the Erasmus+ program funded by the EU Commission, a larger grant can be paid to students who, for economic, social or health reasons, generally find it more challenging to go abroad as an exchange student or for an internship. Two forms of extra financial support are available:

• Higher basic Erasmus grant (€250 per month)
• Special needs grant (the amount is assessed on case-by-case basis)

Higher basic Erasmus+ grant 

In addition to the basic Erasmus+ grant, the monthly additional amount of €250 can be offered in the following situations:

• Social barriers: family (underage children to care for - even if the children don't go abroad with you) and family caregivers (agreement on family care with the municipality)
• Disabilities: students who have an EU disability card or are entitled to it, as well as disabled and functionally impaired students (at least moderate functional impairment, as defined here in Finnish)
• Health problems: those suffering from serious and/or chronic health problems (at least moderate functional impairment)
• International protection status: students who have received international protection (refugees, asylum seekers, recipients of international or secondary protection, or the student has a refugee travel document)

Special needs grant

The special needs grant can be offered if exchange studies or internship abroad causes additional costs for which it is not possible to receive support from elsewhere. A special need can be caused by, for example, a mental or physical illness, disability or learning difficulties. Regarding accessibility support, the Finnish National Agency for Education makes decisions on a case-by-case basis.

Checklist for preparing your application

You should set aside plenty of time for arrangements when you need special arrangements related to your period abroad.

In the regular application form in the LUT Mobility-Online system, there is a section where you can already inform LUT International Mobility Services about your special needs. The system also guides you on which forms to present in each case, either by digitally uploading them to the application system or by presenting them personally to the relevant LUT staff.

1. When planning your period abroad, contact LUT International Mobility Services at outgoing@lut.fi (exchange studies) or internships@lut.fi (international internship).
2. Familiarize yourself with the accessibility situation and services of the destination country's higher education institutions or internship organization with the help of the hosting organization's website or the HEAG database. You can also be in direct contact with the receiving organization in advance and ask for more information.
3. If you use services in accordance with the Disability Services Act or receive regular rehabilitation: contact the social service in your municipality and the entity responsible for the costs of the rehabilitation (Kela, insurance company or social service).
4. If you use assistive devices, find out if their insurance is valid abroad.
5. If you have medication: it is recommended to bring the necessary medication with you from Finland for the entire duration of the exchange. However, first check the rules and restrictions related to the import of medicines with the airline and the destination country. Obtaining alternative medicines and local prescriptions from the destination country may be expensive.
6. If you need special arrangements during your studies or internship: check with the host university or internship organization what kind of documentation they require and what kind of arrangements are possible. Practices vary from organization to organization and country to country.
7. Acquire the necessary statements, translate them into English and present them to LUT International Mobility Services staff at least 2–3 months before the start of your period abroad.

For universities outside Europe, and for NOREK Network universities, only the above payments are offered. There are no Erasmus-style extra grants that take the travel time and methods into consideration. The exact length of the exchange does not affect the grant amount in the above destinations, as long as the student takes part in the entire semester the exchange university offers.

For the above, there is unfortunately no extra financial support for green travel or special groups of students, unlike in the Erasmus+ programme. However, it is still recommended to read our tips on how to make your exchange environmentally more sustainable.

Each student is expected to aim for around 30 ECTS per semester during the exchange, and include this amount in their Learning Agreement. 

After the exchange, each student's documents are checked, and the final grant amount is recalculated, if necessary. The minimum to keep the full grant after the exchange is 20 ECTS: if the credits passed are below this, you are required to pay back at least part of the grant, as detailed on the table below. Reimbursement is also required if you fail to carry out the necessary steps after the exchange. Read more about the mandatory actions after the exchange here.