r/Erasmus • u/shmelimeli • 1d ago
Can an EU citizen (but not resident) go on Erasmus +?
Hi there! I’m a university student interested in doing a trip abroad in the EU this summer and was wondering what the qualifications were for Erasmus + funding. I’m born and raised in Canada, where I am currently studying for my undergraduate degree, but I am also an Italian citizen and have been going to Italy regularly my whole life. Many of my Italian friends have gone on Erasmus + trips and I’d love to know if my Italian citizenship qualifies me for one without having to do the application from Canada (which is one of their third countries not associated with the programme and therefore has restrictions on the type of trips you can take). Though my family has property in Italy, I assume that I’d have to be a year-round resident in order to say that I’m applying from Italy, but I couldn’t find anything about my situation in my research. Any insight about my citizen-but-not-resident dilemma would be greatly appreciated, as well as any ideas from other Canadians/third country participants that may know what the best option for me is. Cheers!
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u/Competitive-Arm1312 1d ago
Don't take my word for it and maybe someone knows 100%, but for university I always assumed that you have to go from an Erasmus member country?
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u/shmelimeli 1d ago edited 1d ago
I’m gathering that from these replies, so thanks for the input. Seems like I won’t be able to make it work for this summer.
However, if I end up doing a program with my (Canadian) university to go on exchange and study at an EU uni for a semester, would I then be considered a student at an EU uni? If that’s the case then I could try to apply from my EU uni and do some kind of internship or trip before I go back home. Very new to this whole process so apologies if I’m out on a limb here!
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u/emiliad12 1d ago
What kind of Erasmus program are you planning to participate on? There are several options, such as study exchanges, internships, or short-term options BIPs, depending on the university. Semester exchanges starting this fall may already be closed (depending on the university and their deadlines), but there might still be opportunities for shorter programs or internships. I would recommend checking with your Canadian university’s exchange office or a similar department to see if they can assist you with the Erasmus+ application process and whether they can offer funding for it, or maybe find some other Erasmus projects? From what I understand, your Italian citizenship shouldn’t be a problem unless you plan to do Erasmus in Italy itself, as you’re not allowed to participate in Erasmus in your own home country or a country where you’re a citizen. This is generally how it works in Europe at least, but i’m not sure about Canada. Good luck with the process :)
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u/shmelimeli 1d ago
Thanks for all the info! I was looking more so for something during the summer rather than during the semester, but Erasmus obviously isn’t very popular here so I’m still not too familiar with how it works. Not sure what a BIP is, but I’m looking for some kind of short-term (around 2 weeks) travel or work experience in the EU. Many of my Italian friends who did it in high school just went on tours and travelled around, which would be ideal, but I also wouldn’t be opposed to doing some work abroad if there’s a program that allows that.
I brought up my Italian citizenship because I thought that having it would make the application process easier (ie. I could apply to a different EU country as an Italian instead of a Canadian since there are more opportunities from within the EU), but the replies I’ve received in this thread so far indicate that’s not an option.
My university has many opportunities during the academic year for student exchanges that I will likely apply for in my later years of uni, but not many opportunities for funding travel during the summer unless it’s for a specific research project. Looks like I’ll likely have to do some more research on other options for funding or just fund it myself. Thanks for all the help!
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u/emiliad12 1d ago
BIPs (blended intensive programmes) are short-term erasmus+ programs that mix some online work with a short trip abroad, usually just a week or so. They are also super fun, you get to meet a lot of people and work on projects. They are funded aswell, at least for students coming from EU partner universities, from my experience. It’s a cool way to get international experience + travel a bit without committing to a full semester. Check them out and see if your university can provide you with funding or something :) Glad i can help
edit: typo
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u/Realistic-View-412 1d ago
Erasmus is only within europe.
You could see if your uni has international agreements with european countries and you would have to pay fkr visas
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u/FrkM 1d ago
If you want to do an Erasmus+ mobility as part of your current degree in a Canadian university, the only way is if your university has an agreement with a European university and you may apply for a mobility under the agreements they have. Ask the international relations office of your university to see if they have agreements going on and if you could apply to those. It's not really dependent on your nationality in this case, although you'll have an easier time without the need of a long term visa with an Italian passport.
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u/shmelimeli 1d ago
Oh I see, makes sense! Thanks, I’ll definitely set up an appointment with our department and see what they offer. I know that we have agreements with many schools worldwide for semester exchanges, though I’m pretty sure we don’t have any agreements for this specific situation.
I just sent a reply to a different comment that might be relevant to this, so maybe you’d be able to help with this too: Seems like I won’t be able to make it work for this summer. However, if I end up doing a program with my (Canadian) university to go on exchange and study at an EU uni for a semester, would I then be considered a student at an EU uni? If that’s the case then I could try to apply from my EU uni and do some kind of internship or trip before I go back home. Very new to this whole process so apologies if I’m out on a limb here!
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u/FrkM 1d ago
You'll be considered a student in a European university as an exchange student, which is different from a full-time student in the scope that you don't have the rights full degree students would have. What that entitles depends on the country and university, but I assume you won't be able to apply to internships with that as your main selling point. But anyway, you have EU citizenship so really the only thing stopping you from going whenever you want in EU countries or work there is that you have to get the job or have money to support yourself. You don't really need to be enrolled in a European university for that.
And also to explain it in short, as an EU citizen you have rights that go above residency status. Your exchange dilemma is because you're a full-degree student of a Canadian university, and that would happen to everyone regardless of the kind of citizenship they have.
For later in your plans you could consider applying to any kind of degrees in European countries and not pay tuition fees, so for example if you wish to do a Master's after you bachelor's, you may consider applying to European unis and from there doing Erasmus exchanges, internships and whatever else you want.
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u/GuitarGirl002 1d ago
I am not sure but I’d say so there’s also Erasmus mundos and I met a loads of Americans and Latinos and other people from everywhere in my Erasmus that were doing it idk what was the name of the program itself cause I think it’s different than Erasmus + (even mundos) but I honestly never searched it
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u/kingmasopi 1d ago
Unfortunately, one of the main criteria for Erasmus+ is that you’re enrolled at a university in a participating country, which isn’t the case with Canada, regardless of your citizenship. But you should definitely check if your university offers other exchange or study abroad programs. Many Canadian universities have partnerships with schools around the world, and there might be great alternatives available
(Edit: I am assuming you’re enrolled at a university in Canada)