Study mobility (Europe)

Study mobility (Europe)

Erasmus+ provides an opportunity for students to gain international experience and expertise by studying at higher education institutions in Europe, with which bilateral cooperation agreements have been signed.

Prerequisites for Candidates

Erasmus+ programme is available for all RTU students from all specializations and levels of higher education. To apply for participation in Erasmus+ study mobility a student has to be registered at least as a 3rd semester student at the Bachelor level or 2nd semester student at the Master level. The student cannot have academic debts, must have adequate grades (weighted average grade cannot be lower than 6.25), good knowledge of English and a well-defined objective for participating in a mobility.

Students who intend to develop Bachelor or Master Thesis at a partner university should coordinate their plans with a professor of a particular university before applying.

In case student applies for the Erasmus+ mobility within the same level the Erasmus or Erasmus+ scholarship has been received before, note that the maximum period of Erasmus+ mobility is 12 months; minimum – 2 months.

Erasmus+ programme has four main stages:

Application for the Erasmus+ scholarship and selection process

Application has to be done online in outgoingexchange.rtu.lv. Participants of the programme will be selected in competition based on the average mark and language test results.

Before applying Student has to do following:

  1. Get acquainted with information on the website;
  2. Attend informative seminars organized by the RTU International Mobility Unit.
  3. Explore a list of partners in European countries available in outgoingexchange.rtu.lv and consider opportunities to acquire study courses corresponding to your RTU study programme at a required study level in a language you are fluent at.
  4. Identify living conditions of a particular country and the expected mobility costs.

INFORMATIVE EVENTS – In September and February all interested persons are invited to participate in informative events about Erasmus+ programme. There are discussed and explained various issues related to the selection process and Erasmus+ scholarships. Information about events you can find at outgoingexchange.rtu.lv.

APPLICATION DEADLINES – Application has to be done online in outgoingexchange.rtu.lv, attaching all necessary documents (CV, Transcript of records, Language test certificates if available).  

The application deadline is February 20 and September 20.

There are two application periods for Erasmus+ mobility – in September and February. Applications for Erasmus+ study mobility and Erasmus+ traineeship mobility are held separately. In case you would like to apply for both mobilities, you have to do both applications in outgoingexchange.rtu.lv.

Applying for the Erasmus+ scholarship until September 20, mobility will take place in the next spring semester; applying until February 20 – the mobility will take place in the next autumn semester.

PREREQUISITES FOR CHOOSING A SUITABLE PARTNER UNIVERSITY

To successfully participate in the competition, special attention should be devoted to the choice of appropriate university. Using a list of «Erasmus+ Partners in Programme Countries», students must select the host university and the study programme in accordance with students’ current study programme. The offered fields for study exchange are indicated for each partner university. Applications for mobility at universities, where the exchange in the relevant field is not foreseen, will be rejected.

The choice of suitable university has to be done also based on study courses offered by partner university. The study offer should completely or partially correspond to your study courses at RTU scheduled for the following semesters, also it should correspond to your current study level (Bachelor, Master, Doctoral). You cannot choose to study lower level courses as they will not be recognized after the mobility.
When inspecting the information on partner’s homepage it is necessary to find out whether the teaching language is English. Information on courses and language of instruction can be found on the website of partner university.

By submitting the online application students have to choose maximum three prospective universities, which are in suitable for study mobility. After selection process will be finished students will be asked to confirm the final choice – one university from the pre-selected three. Applicants are competing with each other if the same university is selected by many students. The priority will have students with higher summary evaluation in selection process.

The list of universities chosen by RTU students within the Erasmus+ programme in previous years is available in section «Documents for Downloading».

SELECTION PROCESS – Submitting the application in online platform outgoingexchange.rtu.lv the applicant has to be sure the application is complete and all necessary amendments are uploaded (CV, Transcript of records, Language test certificates if available). All incomplete applications will be rejected after application deadline.

After application deadline, an English language test will be organised. All applicants will be evaluated based on the average mark and language test results. All applicants will be ranked accordingly to the final score. Erasmus+ scholarship commission will confirm the number of students nominated for Erasmus+ traineeship mobility and provided with Erasmus+ grant for the mobility period.

Note that if taking part in the selection process, students will be required to have a valid digital Covid-19 certificate, as taking part in on-campus activities is allowed only with a valid Covid-19 certificate according to current regulations in Latvia and RTU.

After the nomination/before the Erasmus+ mobility

Students selected for Erasmus+ study mobility will be asked to confirm the final choice of the university in the online platform outgoingexchange.rtu.lv and to upload the necessary documents.

APPLICATION TO THE HOST UNIVERSITY – Students apply for studies at the host university, taking into account application deadlines, procedures and documents to be submitted. Detailed information on application to the partner universities is available at the website of a particular university (e.g., under Sections Erasmus+, Exchange Studies, International Students, etc.) or sent via e-mail.

If the application to the host university has to be sent by RTU Erasmus+ coordinator, the student has to submit to the coordinator a fully completed application, e-mail or postal address to which the application has to be sent, as well as the description of the application procedure well in advance.

Application procedures are different at each university. The student should be ready to submit various documents, for example, an application, transcript of records, proof of language skills, passport or ID card copy, proof of insurance, dormitory application, application for language courses, a letter of motivation, CV, etc.

Copies of documents submitted to the host university must also be submitted to RTU Erasmus+ coordinator, together with the «Learning Agreement for Studies» and «Application for Study Results Transfer». RTU Erasmus+ coordinator must also receive the «Acceptance / Admission Letter» sent electronically or by mail to the student by the host university within 2–6 weeks after the application deadline. If the «Acceptance / Admission Letter» is sent to RTU Erasmus+ coordinator, the student is immediately informed.

CONFIRMATION OF STUDY COURSES – when the appropriate university for mobility has been chosen by a student, study courses should be approved by the academic advisor and study programme director, student must prepare the following documents (documents (forms available under Documents for Downloading)):

  • «Learning Agreement for Studies»
  • «Application for Study Results Transfer»

Choosing appropriate study courses is a key criterion for a successful Erasmus+ mobility. Erasmus+ study mobility is based on the acquisition of study courses at the host university that in content completely or partially correspond with the study courses at RTU. First, it is necessary to find out study courses planned for the following semesters within RTU study programme. Then the student finds similar study courses at the host university in the volume of 30 ECTS or 20 CP.

RTU study courses must correspond to the courses offered by the host university in terms of content, but their titles can differ. Section A or compulsory study courses should match in content completely; section B or professional specialization study courses should comply with the chosen specialization, but in terms of the content they can slightly differ. If the study programme also comprises section C or elective study courses, students can choose any courses offered by the host university, including language courses.

By signing the «Learning Agreement for Studies» and «Application for Study Results Transfer», the study programme director and the academic advisor at Foreign Students Department approve the chosen study courses and the transfer of the results of study courses successfully acquired at the host university during the Erasmus+ mobility.

IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS FOR NON-EU STUDENTS – Students holding a valid Latvian residence permit can travel within EU countries for 90 days. HOWEVER, as the exchange period usually lasts longer and the purpose of stay is studies not travel, students must be holders of immigration permit (VISA, residence permit, etc.) of the particular country. To find out information on immigration formalities of the receiving country, students must contact international office of receiving university and embassy of the particular country. Each country have different immigration formalities, but usually embassy will require an original of the «Acceptance / Admission Letter» among other documents. Often it will be required that Latvian Residence permit is valid for the whole period of the exchange.  

GRANT AGREEMENT – After receiving the «Acceptance / Admission Letter» and for non-EU students after settling immigration formalities (holding VISA or residence permit of the particular country), shortly before going to Erasmus+ mobility, RTU Erasmus+ coordinator and the student conclude «Mobility Grant Agreement», which provides the amount of scholarship, the procedure and time of its allocation. Usually scholarship is paid before the student leaves for mobility.

To calculate the amount of scholarship, information on Erasmus+ mobility period, precisely specifying the start and end dates, must be submitted to RTU Erasmus+ coordinator. Introduction Week / Orientation days or language courses before the start of the studies are part of the mobility period, but they must be presented in a written form.

Online Language Support (OLS) – OLS platform is developed by the European Commission. It is aiming at monitoring the language abilities of students before and after mobility. Students have to do language assessment tests in the main language of mobility before the mobility starts and at the end of mobility. Besides of this everyone is welcome to learn a new language or master a language they have already studied. Click here to get started.

During Erasmus+ mobility

Student activities during Erasmus+

  1. Student must meet Erasmus+ coordinator at the host university in due time, complete the required formalities and register for exchange studies, as well as receive a signed «Learning Agreement for Studies», if it has not been signed before mobility.
  2. If changes in the «Learning Agreement for Studies» are necessary, they must be made within 1 month after the start of the study period at the host university, by completing a section «During the Mobility» and coordinating the changes with the host university and RTU academic advisor and study programme director.
  3. Students must successfully acquire the chosen courses. Any problems that occur in mobility need to be addressed in a timely manner, in cooperation with Erasmus+ coordinators at the host university and RTU.
  4. At the end of Erasmus+ study period, the student will receive an acknowledgment of the mobility period «Confirmation of Attendance» and «Transcript of Records» from the host university. The student must clarify when and how the transcript of records will be received, if it is not issued until the end of the mobility. The start and end dates of the mobility approved in «Confirmation of Attendance» must exactly coincide with those written in «Mobility Grant Agreement».
After Erasmus+ mobility

Student activities after Erasmus+ mobility

  1. Within 30 calendar days after the return from the mobility, the student must complete and submit an individual report on the online «Beneficiary Module» system. An invitation to complete the report form is sent to the student’s e-mail a few days after the mobility period end date.
  2. Student must submit «Confirmation of Attendance», «Transcript of Records», as well as other required documents to the RTU Erasmus+ coordinator.
  3.  After receiving the «Transcript of Records», the student must immediately contact the academic advisor and initiate the process of recognition of the acquired study courses. Students are responsible for submitting the «Transcript of Records» to the academic advisor at the International Cooperation Department and initiation of the recognition of the study results transfer.

Other information

Erasmus+ Scholarship

Erasmus+ scholarship will be provided to all students nominated for Erasmus+ mobility after selection process is closed. The scholarship amount for the programme countries is determined by the European Commission and State Education Development Agency.

The scholarships are intended to cover the extra cost related to studying abroad. The scholarships provided by the Erasmus+ programme will only partly cover the total cost of the mobility expenses. The students themselves are responsible for ensuring the necessary additional funding in a timely manner.

Students with disabilities have the opportunity to apply for additional financial support (additional equipment, special transport, accompanying persons, etc.).

The current scholarship amounts are available in section «Documents for Downloading»

Students who are with fewer opportunities can receive additional financial support per month if they are a part of one of the groups and that can be identified based on documents provided by the student:

  1. Person with disability
  2. Person with health problem requiring regular care from a doctor
  3. Person with refugee status or alternative status
  4. Ukrainian civilian
  5. Person from a family with 3 or more children under 18 years or up to 24 years if any of them are a full-time student or from a family caring for a disabled child
  6. Orphaned person or left without care that is up to 24 years old or a person receiving support for losing the only breadwinner
  7. Low-income or deprived person.

Erasmus+ study exchange and traineeship mobility participants can receive special needs support during their mobility for physical, mental or health-related. This additional funding is based on actual costs (e.g. mobility assistant, special transport and equipment, regular procedures and manipulations).

Erasmus+ study exchange and traineeship mobility participants can receive a green travel grant of €50.00 for the whole mobility period. The green travel rate applies if the participant travels to and from the mobility country by bus, train or if at least 2 mobility participants are travelling by car. The rate is subject to the presentation of documents proving the mode and date of travel.

ECTS

Within the Erasmus+ programme, the student must cover study subjects worth 30 ECTS (20 CP) per semester at the receiving university. ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) is a higher education credit system developed to objectively assess the student’s performance studying at different universities with different evaluation systems. ECTS credits are based on the student’s workload required to achieve the expected learning outcomes. 1 Latvian credit point is equal to 1.5 ECTS.

Contact Information
RTU International Cooperation Department, International Mobility Unit 12 Azenes Street, room 223; 332, Riga
Sabīne Miķelsone +371 67089709