- How can I apply to win an Erasmus mobility grant?
Each academic year, a new call is issued to apply for the assignment of an Erasmus mobility grant. The call, along with the rankings and other additional information, can be found on this page
- What are the requirements necessary to apply?
The fulfillment of general, academic, and linguistic requirements is expected. For example, candidates will have to obtain a minimum of 6 ECTS credits, complete the enrollment at Sapienza within the specified deadlines, and possess the required linguistic proficiency required by the host university (language proficiency levels are detailed alongside each location mentioned in the announcement). The specific requirements for the current academic year are specified in the call.
- How to choose the most suitable Erasmus location based on your degree?
The main aspects include:
- selecting the appropriate level of study (1 for Bachelor's degree, 2 for Master's degree, 3 for specialization or doctorate), ensuring alignment with the corresponding reference level at Sapienza University,
- coherence within the study field (e.g., 0320, 0310) with respect to your degree program,
- to verify the compatibility of your study project with the subjects offered by the host university. During the application, it is indeed required to prepare a 'Preliminary Training Project' (draft Learning Agreement) for each location the student intends to apply. These drafts account for having carefully consulted the educational offerings of the partner universities.
- The language skills necessary to pass exams, often delivered mostly in the language of the destination country (the offer in English is sometimes available, but it is not as extensive as that of subjects delivered in the dominant language of a certain country). Before submitting the application, it is important to verify the actual possibility of carrying out mobility at the chosen host location (e.g., the language of delivery of the exams of interest, the possibility of taking exams outside one's area of study).
Additionally, the Call indicates the partner universities where it is possible to carry out mobility only for the second semester.
- How to choose the study area?
The chosen study area, identified by a code and descriptive text (e.g., 0320 - Journalism and Information), should be selected based on its compatibility with one's own study cycle. Before submitting your application.
It is unlikely – especially in the fields of humanities, social sciences, political science, economics, etc. – that the name (label or heading) of an exam abroad will be identical to that in the Italian academic plan. However, it is essential that there is a correspondence in terms of disciplinary area and credits with the exams for which validation is sought. This means that exams in the economic field can only be recognized with other exams in the economic field, not with exams in law, history, or sociology, and that the number of ECTS and CFU must be consistent.
Please note that students enrolled in study courses L-37 International Cooperation and Development and LM-81 Development and International Cooperation Sciences can only apply for study areas 0310, 0312, and 0314. Otherwise, the application will be considered invalid.- Is it possible to start the mobility during the first year of a Master's Degree program?
Yes, only if you are enrolled in a three-year degree course at Sapienza at the time of application (in the 3rd year or out of course) and plan to enroll in a Master's degree program provided by the Department of Communication and Social Research. Mobility can only be done in the second semester.
Typically, candidates are only allowed to select level 2 locations that provide suitable educational opportunities aligned with the Master's degree program. However, for Spanish universities, where a single course of study is offered, there might be a possibility to apply for level 1.- How many destinations is it possible to apply for?
Applicants may apply for up to five destinations. Please be aware that the priority order of your applications is binding for the purpose of location assignment. Your choice is irrevocable and cannot be changed. It is mandatory to prepare a Preliminary Training Project for each destination the student is applying for.
- How to create your own Preliminary Training Project for the application?
To create your Preliminary Training Project, you should compare the Italian courses that have not yet been taken before departure (regardless of the semester or year in which they are defined in the Italian academic plan) with those offered by the foreign university. However, it is important to ensure that the semester in which the courses are offered abroad coincides with the semester you plan to leave. Indeed, even the choice of semester should be made considering the semester in which the foreign university offers the most exams consistent with the Preliminary Training Project, based on the exams not yet taken.
NOTE: Candidates have access to the Learning Agreement Search Tool: a tool provided by Sapienza to facilitate the search of foreign exams for validation. You can access the Learning Agreement Search Tool at the following link- Is it possible to choose courses from faculties different from the one with which you have an agreement?
It depends on the regulations of the host universities (which can be more or less restrictive).
- How can I include a foreign exam in the Preliminary Training Project (draft LA) if it has fewer credits (ECTS) than those required by my university?
In many courses, there is a "tolerance" related to individual exams or to the total credits obtainable abroad in the semester. Exams that are "partially recognizable" are NOT accepted: an exam worth 12 CFU in Italy cannot be validated if you take an exam worth 6 ECTS abroad, thinking that the remaining 6 CFU can be "integrated" with further activities upon return to Italy.
For example, a 9 CFU exam can be recognized, always assuming such tolerance is provided for in your course of study, with an 8 ECTS exam, or with two exams worth 5 ECTS each.
If I have a series of Italian exams worth 9 CFU, I will need to identify one or more foreign exams that are thematically consistent with one or more Italian exams. This reasoning should also be applied using the "package logic," which has been indicated as good practice for Erasmus+ mobility for many years.
These guidelines are valid and should be considered for the drafting of the final Learning Agreement and an eventual Change Form.- Examples of suitable Learning Agreements (LA) or Preliminary Training Projects
EXAMPLE OF LA (thematically consistent exams and full credit adherence):
- POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY (code 900884) 6 ECTS = GEOGRAPHY OF NORTH-SOUTH RELATIONS 6 CFU
- POLITICAL SYSTEMS OF LATIN AMERICA (code 802471) 6 ECTS = HISTORY OF EURO-LATIN AMERICAN RELATIONS 6 CFU
- SUSTAINABLE POLICIES AND ECOLOGICAL TRANSITIONS (code 806044) = BIOTECHNOLOGIES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 6 CFU
- POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY (code 902255) = SOCIAL POLICIES FOR COOPERATION 6 CFU
- INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND INTEGRATION PROCESSES IN THE ASIA PACIFIC AREA (code 802591) = SOCIAL AND POLITICAL SYSTEMS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST 6 CFU
Total: 30 credits to be completed and 30 in recognition
EXAMPLE 1 WITH "EXAM PACKAGE”:
- Migration & Demographic trends (code 76487) 3 ECTS + Research Techniques and Statistics (code 76440) 6 ECTS = DEMOGRAPHY 9 CFU
- Global Political Economy (code 76438) 6 ECTS + Development Economics and International Development Cooperation System (code 76477) 3 ECTS = INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC POLICY 9 CFU
Seminar III for Exchange Students Professional Communication (code 17262) 8 ECTS = THEORIES OF COMMUNICATION AND DIGITAL MEDIA 9 CFU
Total: 26 credits to be completed and 27 credits in recognition
EXAMPLE 2 WITH "EXAM PACKAGE": - Systems and Processes of Advertising and Public Relations (UNIDENTIFIED CODE 000) 6 ECTS + Human Resources Management (UNIDENTIFIED CODE 000) 6 ECTS + Business Strategy (UNIDENTIFIED CODE 000) 6 ECTS = CORPORATE COMMUNICATION - ADVERTISING STRATEGIES WORKSHOP 9 CFU + ORGANIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES ADVANCED COURSE 9 CFU (course chosen from Student's Elective Activities in another Faculty of Sapienza)
- Technical English I (UNIDENTIFIED CODE 000) = BUSINESS ENGLISH WORKSHOP 3 CFU
- Consumer Psychosociology (UNIDENTIFIED CODE 000) 6 ECTS = THE SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR 6 CFU
Total: 24 credits to be completed and 27 credits in recognition
These examples highlight the importance of carefully evaluating the educational offers of foreign universities and how significant the role of the Academic Mobility Officer (RAM) is, coinciding with the teacher who will validate the exams upon return from mobility.
- How is the Preliminary Training Project evaluated?
IThe evaluation system for the "Preliminary Training Project" will follow the scale below. This evaluation will also consider the thematic and disciplinary adherence between Italian and foreign courses, and whether the foreign exams included are actually available in the partner's offer indicated as a destination.
Erasmus scores on a 50-point scale for 1-semester scholarships:
6 CFU 10
9 CFU 15
12 CFU 20
15 CFU 25
17 CFU 28
18 CFU 30
21 CFU 35
24 CFU 40
27 CFU 45
30 CFU 50
Erasmus scores on a 50-point scale for 1 academic year scholarships:
6 CFU 5
9 CFU 7.5
12 CFU 10
15 CFU 12.5
18 CFU 15
21 CFU 17.5
24 CFU 20
27 CFU 22.5
30 CFU 25
33 CFU 27.5
36 CFU 30
39 CFU 32.5
42 CFU 35
45 CFU 37.5
48 CFU 40
51 CFU 42.5
54 CFU 45
57 CFU 47.5
60 CFU 50
Language skills
- How is it possible to certify language skills?
Candidates who do not possess any language certification must undergo language proficiency test(s) by the University Language Center (CLA).
To be exempted from the test, one of the following parameters have to occur:
- Having passed the language test at the CLA for application to the Erasmus Call for Applications referred to the previous year;
- Native speaker (C2 level is recognized according to the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education);
- Bilingualism (C1 level is awarded ex officio);
- Possession of an official certificate issued by one of the Certifying Bodies specified in the announcement.
- Upon enrollment, individuals are required to take an assessment for English language proficiency for the registered academic program, with a recognized proficiency level set at B2.
- Possession of a high school diploma from an international high school and recognized by the MUR for English, French, German, Spanish or Portuguese languages;
- Recognition, during previous mobilities, by the Language Center of the host university, of a language level corresponding to the required level.
Note: Modalities for CLA test exemption may be subject to updates for the future 2025/2026 announcement.
- Is the linguistic exam obtained within the study plan considered valid as exemption?
Qualifications in linguistics obtained within the framework of your personal study plan WILL NOT be considered for exemption. Likewise, declarations made by teachers, including university professors, or the completion of curricular exams in a different language, will not be deemed valid.
- Some locations have two or more language requirements. Is it necessary to possess all of them?
The language requirements should be regarded as alternatives. The possession of one or more skills will be assessed based on the language of the course delivery at the host site.
Mobility
- When is it possible to do the mobility?
The period of study abroad can be carried out starting from June 1st and ending by July 31th of each academic year and must be carried out continuously. The initiation of the mobility must in all cases align with the beginning and end of the academic semester of the host university.
- How long can the Erasmus mobility last?
Erasmus mobility is categorized into two types:
- Long Mobility: This involves a minimum duration of 2 months (60 days) and a maximum of 12 months (24 months for single-cycle degrees).
- Short Mobility: This is exclusively for doctoral students, with a range from a minimum of 5 days to a maximum of 30 days. The duration of the mobility should coincide with the period during which the host university conducts classes and examination sessions (e.g., four-month, five-month, or semester durations). Each study cycle allows a maximum of 12 months of mobility (with a limit of 12 months in the Bachelor degree and 12 months in the Master degree).
- What activities are possible during the Erasmus mobility?
Students participating in Erasmus mobility can:
- Attend courses and take exams.
- Combine a study period with a curricular internship period.
- Conduct research for the preparation of their thesis or doctoral thesis.
- Engage in research within the context of the relevant doctoral or specialization school.