Erasmus+ programme for undergraduate students presents new advantages at the UAL

The 2022/2023 call for applications includes a significant increase in the number of places, to over 1,300, and almost half a million euros more in the budget. The new programme innovates with additional grants for travelling to the Netherlands, to UNIGREEN member countries or for using environmentally friendly means of transport. In addition, mobility grants can be applied for from the first year onwards.

From this Monday, all undergraduate students of the University of Almeria can submit their applications to participate in the Erasmus+ programme. The Vice-rectorate for Internationalisation has presented the 2023/2024 call for applications, the deadline for which will end on 9 January.

The new Erasmus Programme has a significant increase in funding, which has led to an increase in the number of grants for UAL students. “The budget has grown at the University of Almeria by almost half a million euros, from 950,000 euros last year to 1,400,000 euros this year,” explained the vice-rector for Internationalisation, Julián Cuevas.

This call has also increased the number of places offered to over 1,300, combining those of the new KA-131 programme (European Union and other Programme countries) and those of the new KA-171 Programme (from countries outside the European Union, mainly from outside Europe, although also countries from the Balkans and the United Kingdom, to which significant resources will be allocated).

The Vice-Rector’s Office for Internationalisation is making a great effort to provide all UAL students with an international mobility experience. “International mobility is an imperative need and in the curriculum of the students it increases the possibility of getting a job, and not only that, but also a more qualified one”. For this reason, and being “aware that not all students can afford to leave home for six months or a year, there are other short-term programmes, the BIPS, to facilitate this mobility experience for all students without distinction”.

This call has also increased the number of places offered to over 1,300, combining those of the new KA-131 programme (European Union and other Programme countries) and those of the new KA-171 Programme (from countries outside the European Union, mainly from outside Europe, although also countries from the Balkans and the United Kingdom, to which significant resources will be allocated).

María del Mar Sánchez, Director of International Mobility, detailed the many new features of the new programme. To be eligible for the places, students must be enrolled this year in some of the degrees for which places are offered and have duly accredited language skills with a B1 level in English or the language in which the teaching is given. But this year, as a novelty, “the requirement to have passed a minimum number of credits in order to be able to apply for the grant has been eliminated. This means that from the first academic year the students of the University of Almeria can apply for a mobility grant”.

Another new feature is that students who choose as a destination one of the countries participating in the UNIGREEN consortium, “will receive an additional grant of 500 euros per four-month period for applying for a destination included in this European university which is made up of different universities belonging to different countries such as Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Iceland, Portugal and Poland”.

In addition, with the aim of promoting mobility to countries with low demand, the Vice-Rectorate for Internationalisation “provides an additional 500 euros per four-month period to those students who apply for mobility to any university in the Netherlands”.

Also, grants will be awarded to students who travel to their destination countries by environmentally friendly, low-emission means of transport, such as train, bus or carpooling, in order to reduce their carbon footprint. “In this case, students in the K171 and K131 programme will receive extra support in the form of an additional €50 and up to a maximum of up to 4 additional days of living allowance for using this means of transport”.

The funding of the scholarships has different components, with funds from the SEPIE (Spanish Service for the Internationalisation of Education), the Ministry of Education (for beneficiaries of MECD scholarships) and the Andalusian Regional Government (Junta de Andalucía). The monthly amount received by Erasmus students will vary between 310 and 1,100 euros, depending on the country of destination. These grants are intended to cover accommodation and living expenses, however, in the case of mobility to partner countries, through the KA-171 programme, students will also receive a complementary grant for travel expenses.

All information is available on the website of the International Relations Service of the UAL in the section ‘calls’ or through the link www.ual.es/movilidad

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