For a study exchange, you need to be selected and nominated first by one of the WUR Exchange Coordinators. Go to arranging your study exchange for more information.

Internships and theses abroad need to be arranged by students themselves. After that, you can apply for an Erasmus+ Grant. See: this article for the conditions of the Erasmus+ grant for internships and thesis, and go to the Erasmus+ application article for an explanation on how to apply.

You can find WUR's contracts with partner universities on this website. Make sure your study field is included in the contract as well. On our partner universities page, you can find more information about each university.

In short: no. Some universities accept ‘free movers’ or ‘contract students’, but the exchange office is not involved in those procedures, and in most cases, students would have to pay fees to the guest university.

For a thesis, however, it might be possible to do research at a non-partner university. In that case, the WUR Exchange Coordinator will not be involved, and you can apply for an Erasmus+ grant for a traineeship. You can find more information on how to apply for the Erasmus+ Grant traineeship in this article.

Please find the application deadlines for study exchange on this website.

The credits are transferable if you go on exchange to a partner university. But be aware that courses not followed at WUR (including minors etc.) require prior approval from your Study adviser and the Examining Board of Wageningen University, to count as part of your study programme. Since credit and grading systems differ among countries and between universities, the results you obtain with external courses will need to be converted to fit the credit and grading system used by Wageningen University. The Examining Board of Wageningen University will do this. You can find information about how to get your electives approved via the PlanApp here: How to plan electives from another university?

From 1 September 2024, grades of courses taken abroad will no longer be converted to a grade at Wageningen University. Instead, if the course was successfully completed, your Transcript of Records will show ‘sufficient’. The initial grade as issued by the hosting university will be included in the diploma supplement.

More detailed information can be found in this article under the heading 'Conversion and recognition of external credits'.

We expect you to follow at least ¾ of the regular number of credits; in case of an exchange for a semester, this is 22.5 ECTS. It's also possible to follow a bit more, up to around 35 ECTS. Discuss the planning of your study and credits with your study adviser.

We expect students to be present at the classes and exams and to put effort into their studies during their exchange. If you fail a course, however, normally this will not have consequences for your Erasmus+ grant.

Follow the instructions given to you by the host university. Most universities will have their courses published on their website. If you have trouble finding courses, ask the WUR Exchange Coordinators and your contact at the host university for advice.

If you want to change courses after starting your exchange already, please contact both exchange coordinators and make sure they approve that. After that, make sure to register the changes in your Learning Agreement via Osiris. If you change your courses, please also make sure to update this in the PlanApp and request approval (again) for the external courses. 

If you go on exchange to one of our partner universities, you do not have to pay tuition fees at the partner university. You do need to be registered as a full-time student and pay tuition fee at Wageningen University.

However, some universities may require additional fees, such as administrative fees, which must be paid by the student. Additionally, students may be charged fees for visas, which they must cover as well.

Note: if you go to study abroad at a university which is not a partner of WUR, you probably do have to pay tuition fees!

We encourage students with special needs to apply for study exchange. Students with a disadvantaged background due to economic or medical reasons can apply for a monthly top-up (extra grant money) of the Erasmus+ grant. Also, Erasmus+ can provide compensation for extra costs due to special needs. You can apply for the monthly top-up by checking the applicable box at the Grant Agreement; please note that proof documents will be required. If you need to make any costs due to special needs (like buying adjusted equipment), please inquire with us prior to making the purchase about the possibilities for reimbursement by sending an e-mail to studentexchange@wur.nl.

It is possible to do a mobility period (study or internship) in your country of origin as an Erasmus+ student, provided that your country of origin is not the country where you normally study and live in. As long as you are officially a WUR student, you can go to all countries. So, if you are a Spanish WUR student, you can get an Erasmus+ grant if you go for exchange or thesis/internship to Spain. For non-EU countries, however, we do not provide an Erasmus+ grant to students going to their country of origin. 

You can be reimbursed for not using your OV-card if you study (or do an internship) abroad. Please send the start and end date of the period in which you want to stop your OV-card to outgoing.exchange@wur.nl, and the Exchange Team will send you a filled-in document allowing you to stop your OV from DUO temporarily. For more information, see: OV-vergoeding buitenland.

Make sure you hand in the form at DUO on time, preferably two months before departure.

Travel insurance

Wageningen University & Research has arranged a collective continuous travel insurance agreement for study-related travels of WUR students. Please note that you do need to have travel permission from WUR. This insurance covers a maximum travel period of 365 days, includes insurance of luggage (also in case of theft) and accidents and is subject to terms and conditions.

You can request a personalised insurance certificate by emailing the following details to servicedesk.facilities@wur.nl:

• You are a WUR student
• Reason for the trip
• Full name (same as passport)
• Date of birth
• Nationality
• Home country
• Country of destination
• Start date of the trip
• End date of the trip

For questions or problems before or during your exchange, you can always contact International SOS via tel.no. +44 20 8762 8008, or you can download the International SOS app. You can find more information in this article about insurance.

Health insurance

Check with your current insurance company if your stay abroad is covered (note a difference between EU and worldwide insurance). Ensure that you are clear about your coverage. Be clear about claim procedures – do you pay upfront, what percentage, are there co-payments, etc.

Liability insurance

Liability insurances are offered by all big insurance companies, and covers costs for damage you might cause to other people. The liability insurance should be arranged individually by the students. Do check, however, if you're not covered yet by your parents' insurance (this is possible for children until 23 or 27 years old).

If you do not have liability insurance yet, we strongly encourage you to take it, as they are normally not so expensive and could save you a lot of money and trouble.

Study exchange: you can apply for an Erasmus+ grant after we have nominated you for an exchange period at one of the partner universities, you can find more information about the Erasmus+ grant for study exchange in this article.

Internship/thesis: to apply for an Erasmus+ grant (financial support), you need to fulfil the requirements, which you can find in this article.

At the moment, grants are available only for these non-EU destinations: England and Switzerland. This information may change. For the most up-to-date details, please check this article.

Students going to Switzerland to study at a Swiss university are excluded from Erasmus+, since they can apply for the Movetia grant through the Swiss university. If you are going to Switzerland for an internship or thesis, however, and you do not apply for Movetia, it is possible to apply for Erasmus+. The grant amount per month is the same as the amount for 'Programme countries with higher living standards (Group 1)'. 

Yes, you can apply for an Erasmus+ grant. The grant amount per month is the same as the amount for 'Programme countries with higher living standards (Group 1)'. 

Study exchange: on this page you can find all information about the application process to apply for an Erasmus+ exchange and an Erasmus+ grant for study.

Internship/thesis: on this page you can find the procedure and the forms you need to fill in to apply for an Erasmus+ grant for an internship or thesis abroad.

No, the grant is never guaranteed, since it depends on the budget and the number of applications. But generally speaking, we will allocate you the Erasmus+ grant as long as you meet the requirements and send your documents in time.

Depending on the living standards of the country you are going to, the monthly grant differs. When doing an internship/thesis, you receive an addition. Regularly, the amount of grant changes. Although we try to keep the overview as updated as possible, please the amounts in the following articles only as a guideline: Erasmus+ grant amounts for study exchange & Erasmus+ grant amounts for traineeships.

We calculate the total grant amount based on the start and end dates of your Grant Agreement. As the start date, take the first day of class. End date is the date of the last exam. Don't forget to mention as well on the GA if you intend to follow introductions days or a language course prior to the mobility; those days can be added to the exchange duration so that you will receive a grant for a longer period. If you cannot find the dates online, email your contact at the host university to ask. Generally speaking, it's better to take a bit too wide range than too narrow, as it will be easier to limit your total grant amount a bit than to extend it. At the end of your exchange, we will compare the dates of your GA to the dates confirmed by the host university on the Statement Receiving Institution (SRI), and we will recalculate your grant amount if needed. Note that extending the Erasmus+ grant is only possible if the extension is requested at least 1 month before the initial end date by emailing studentexchange@wur.nl.

'OLA' stands for 'Online Learning Agreement'. It is only used for study exchange, not for traineeships. Most universities in the EU are connected via the Online Learning Agreement platform, but not all. You can fill in and submit your Learning Agreement via Osiris > Stay Abroad Request > Learning Agreement. For instructions, have a look at the Erasmus+ application article.

Make sure you enter the coordinator's email address at the host university, as the platform will send automated notification emails to them requesting a signature.

The Learning Agreement needs to be approved by both Wageningen University and the receiving university.

We need your LA no later than the start date of your exchange and preferably at least 1 month in advance. The sooner both universities approve it, the sooner we will be able to pay you the first part of your Erasmus+ grant.

There are multiple options. For most European universities, the OLA is sent to the host university automatically after approval by WU. In all other cases, the Exchange Coordinators will email you a PDF of the OLA, which you need to send to the host university for signature.

Sometimes, in addition to the digital version, a university requires a PDF of the OLA. If so, please email outgoing.exchange@wur.nl to request one.

If you want to extend your exchange for more than five days, you have to inform the Exchange Office (studentexchange@wur.nl), and for study exchange also your WUR Exchange Coordinator at least one month before the initial end date of your exchange. An extension must also be discussed with the coordinator of the host university. If everyone agrees with the extension, you can make changes to your Learning Agreement via Osiris. (Make sure to insert your new end date. Your adjusted Learning Agreement needs to be approved by WUR and the receiving institution again.

When you are nominated for your exchange period at one of our partner universities (by your exchange coordinator), you need to fill in the form and check the 'Study' box at your Grant Agreement. Please read this article for more information. If you have arranged the thesis independently of the exchange coordinator. In that case, you need to fill in the internship forms and check the 'Traineeship embedded in the curriculum' box on the Grant Agreement. Please read this article for more information.

When we have approved your Erasmus+ grant application, you will receive 70% of the amount before your exchange and 30% after your exchange upon successful completion of all the forms.

Normally, we will confirm you by email when your Erasmus+ application is complete. After that, within about six weeks, you will receive an email confirming that you will receive the first payment of your grant. It may take up to two weeks after that message before you receive the money in your bank account. So please take into account that it can take up to 8 weeks in total before you receive the money in your bank account. 

This deadline only applies to students who are going abroad for STUDY (so who are taking courses or are writing their thesis at one of our partner universities). If you are going abroad for an INTERNSHIP, you need to submit your forms one month before the start of your internship. 

Unfortunately that's not possible, as these countries/territories are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Go to Overseas Countries and Territories for an overview of countries and territories associated with the European Union.

A top-up is extra money you can receive on top of your monthly Erasmus+ grant amount. You can apply for a monthly top-up (250 EUR/month) for fewer opportunities top-up due to economic reasons or for medical reasons, and/or for a one-time green travel support if travelling sustainably both to and from your exchange destination. Additionally, you will receive two extra days of grant to cover your travel days. For more information about top-ups for study exchange, please read this article. For more information about top-ups for traineeship, please read this article.

Students who receive an 'aanvullende beurs' from DUO can apply for a top-up for economic reasons. When filling in the Grant Agreement, you can check the box 'I wish to apply for a top-up for inclusion due to economic reasons'. Make sure to check the box 'I have added proof of receiving the ‘aanvullende beurs’  from DUO' as well. Go to 'Mijn DUO' and download proof you receive the 'aanvullende beurs'. Attach this file to your e-mail when you send us your Grant Agreement.

Guidance for the DUO download: make sure your PDF download shows a blue bar on top that states: 'This file claims compliance with the PDF/A standard and has been opened read-only to prevent modification'. If it doesn't show the statement, try this:

1. Download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

2. Go to edit>preferences>documents and make sure that in 'view mode PDF/A' you choose 'Only for PDF/A documents'.

3. Open the document with Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Yes, you can still apply. In that case, download the most recent proof from Mijn DUO and send it to us.

Students who are in contact with the WUR Student Deans and who have a provision registered in Osiris can apply for a top-up for inclusion due to medical reasons. Medical reasons can be for example, dyslexia, autism, physical disabilities, chronic diseases or conditions (mental or physical). Make sure you are in contact with the Student Deans (studentdean@wur.nl) and open a 'case' in Osiris.

In the Grant Agreement, check the box 'I wish to apply for a top-up for inclusion due to studying with a disability or for medical reasons' and also make sure to check the box 'I give permission to the Exchange Team to contact the Student Deans to check if there is an adjustment/provision based on a medical statement.'

We will let you know when the top-up is approved.

During the Erasmus+ Grant application, you will need to submit information about travelling green (sustainable). For more information, please see the green travel article for study exchange or for traineeships.

When you got selected for study exchange, we provided you with a confirmation letter, which also contains a statement about your English language proficiency. Most universities will accept this statement as sufficient proof. If it is not accepted or, for example, you need proof of your Spanish language level instead, you will have to take another test. Most likely, the free OLS Placement test will not be accepted as proof. Inquire with the host university about which language tests they find acceptable. The WUR Exchange Coordinators can advise you as well.

For the OLS Placement test, choose the language in which you will follow the courses at the host university. So, for example, if you're going to an Italian university but will follow the courses in English, take the English Placement test.

All students who participate in an Erasmus+ exchange are encouraged to complete one language assessment, unless the main language of instruction is your native language. The OLS is a highly recommended part of your Erasmus+ exchange. Additionally, if you wish, you can follow free language courses at the OLS Platform for multiple languages.

No, you are free to choose if you wish to follow the OLS language course or not.

You cannot receive compensation for a language course itself, but you can receive an Erasmus+ grant during the days you will follow the language course. This only applies if you follow the language course in the host country prior to the start of the courses abroad or internship. If you will follow a language course during the semester or internship, it is not relevant for your grant application.