The Erasmus+ ‘Student Mobility for Studies’ mobility action offers OUC’s undergraduate and postgraduate (Master and PhD) students the opportunity to participate in the Erasmus+ Programme and secure a grant for studies (SMS) in any foreign country that participates in the Programme, other than the country of the sending institution and the country of their permanent residence.

A mobility activity may combine placement and studies at a foreign university.

• The Member States of the European Union,
• Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey, Republic of North Macedonia, and Serbia.

The Erasmus+ mobility action for studies offers students the opportunity to:  

•  benefit educationally, linguistically and culturally from the experience of attending a university outside their country of residence or Open University of Cyprus,
• develop their European identity,
• acquire international experience,
• become familiar with the educational system of other countries, and enrich their social skills.

• Undergraduate students enrolled in at least the second year of study.
• Postgraduate (Masters Level) students who have already successfully completed one (1) yearlong thematic units or two (2) semester-based ones.
• PhD students, who are enrolled in at least the second year of study.

Note: The SMS action is addressed to students who have not completed the minimum number of credits (or Modules) required to obtain their degree, meaning, there is still a period of study at the time of application, which may be replaced by a period of study abroad.

The Open University of Cyprus and the Erasmus+ Programme support the participation of students with fewer opportunities.

Specifically, students and graduates with fewer opportunities are considered individuals:

• with physical, mental and mental disabilities,
• with physical and mental health issues,
• with a low socio-economic background,
• with an immigrant/refugee background,
• students/graduates, political refugees,
• people who are children of single-parent or large-child families from a low socio-economic background,
• people who are parents themselves and belong to the category of people from low socio-economic backgrounds,
• people from rural, deprived and remote areas,
• people from dysfunctional families, as well as students/graduates with Learning Difficulties (e.g. dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia),
• as well as individuals who are parents or have careers that are not included in the above categories and cannot be absent abroad for an extended period.

For more information: https://idep.org.cy/wp-content/uploads/protereotites_entaksis_poliomorfias.pdf 

Students with disabilities:

People with disabilities include people whose physical or health status makes it difficult to participate in an Erasmus+ mobility activity without additional support. European Commission and Open University of Cyprus encourage the participation of students with disabilities in all activities of the Erasmus+ programme. Erasmus+ grants may therefore be higher than the regular study or traineeship grants to offset the specific difficulties faced by the participant (such as adapted accommodation, travel assistance, medical attendance, supportive equipment, adaption of learning material, an accompanying person for students and staff with disabilities). This additional support grant is a contribution based on real costs.

Potential host universities are universities operating in a country that participates in the Erasmus+ programme that is not the student’s country of origin or the country of their home University (Cyprus in the case of OUC students). In order to undertake mobility for studies (SMS) at universities abroad, it is mandatory to have an Erasmus+ inter-institutional agreement between the sending and the host university in the student’s particular subject areas.

OUC students participating in the Erasmus+ mobility action for studies are exempted from fees for tuition, registration, examinations, and charges at the host University. They are not exempted from the tuition fees or administrative cost for their programme of study at OUC. Participation in the Erasmus+ SMS mobility action does not affect other scholarships provided to OUC students.

• from 2 to 12 months, per circle of study

• Students may apply for and receive an Erasmus+ grant for mobility periods of up to 12 months maximum in each circle of study, regardless of the number and type of mobility activities they undertake. That is, a student may participate in mobility activities for up to 12 months in each of the 3 circles of study (undergraduate - master - doctoral).
• A mobility activity may combine a period of internship/placement at a host organization and study at a partner university.
• Any previous participation in the LLP - Erasmus+ Programme is counted towards the maximum 12-month period of mobility per circle of study.

The minimum duration of mobility is 2 months with two exceptions:

a) People with fewer opportunities

b) PhD candidates

Students who belong to the aforementioned categories a) or b) and who are unable to participate in periods of long-term physical mobility for studies can combine a shorter period of physical mobility with elements of virtual mobility (blended mobility). In addition, every student can participate in Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs). In BIPs, physical presence mobility must last between 5 and 30 days, be combined with a mandatory virtual component that will facilitate collaborative online learning and teamwork, and award at least 3 ECTS credits.

1. People with fewer opportunities can move abroad for a period of 5 to 30 days: The minimum duration with physical mobility is 5 days. In short-term mobilities in these cases, an online component is mandatory.

2. Study mobility for PhD candidates: To better meet the different learning and training needs of PhD candidates and to ensure equal opportunities, PhD students reserve the right to apply for short-term mobility of between 5 and 30 days, or for long-term mobility from 2 to 12 months in person. In the case of short-term mobility, the online component is not mandatory.

Students may apply to secure Erasmus+ funding for studies during the Calls for Applications announced by the OUC Mobility Office.

Interested students wishing to participate in the Erasmus+ mobility action for studies and receive accreditation for the courses enrolled to at the host university should:

1. Contact the OUC Mobility Office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to express their interest to apply for the SMS action.
2. Search OUC’s partner universities (OUC inter-institutional agreements are available on the Programme’s website) and search their study guides to identify programmes and courses offered in the semester(s) during which they wish to conduct their study abroad.
3. Consult their OUC Programme Director and find together the appropriate foreign university with the corresponding courses for the Thematic Units, which are still left for completion to satisfy the qualification requirements of their Programme of Study.
4. Complete the ‘Learning Agreement’ (either in the relevant file or online at learning-agreement.eu, depending on the possible host university) with the relevant courses and the corresponding ECTS credits of the host University and send it to OUC Mobility Office. Students attending Programmes of Study with year-long Thematic Units will have to enrol in courses abroad for both semesters of an academic year.
5. Submit online the Erasmus+ Application for the SMS mobility action: HERE
6. Submit to the OUC Mobility Office (at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) the following documents before the applications deadline:

• (Online) Learning Agreement (filled on https://learning-agreement.eu/)
• Foreign language proficiency certificate (if the teaching language is not their mother tongue)
• Transcript of Records.
• e-Copy of identity card / passport.
• Documents and attestations for the certification of people with fewer opportunities, according to the terms of the Inclusion and Diversity Guide.
• For PhD candidates: Certification of PhD supervisor.

Evaluation of applications and Selection:

The University’s competent body evaluates all applications submitted using the following criteria:

• Priority for students with disabilities.
• Study cycle: Undergraduate students’ applications (with priority to those in the pre-final year of studies) are examined separately.
• Foreign language proficiency level demanded by the host institution (if this is not Greek). Aiming to improve the quality of all mobilities carried out in the framework of the Erasmus+ programme and to achieve better learning outcomes, the level of language proficiency required for internships abroad is noted in the Erasmus+ inter-university agreements, and is checked by OUC and the host university/organization.
• Motivation to participate in the Erasmus+ Mobility Programme.
• Transcript of records (weighted average grade).

Selected students are informed by the OUC Mobility Office of further action required prior to the commencement of their mobility period for studies abroad.

When the student receives OUC’s approval to participate in the Erasmus+ Programme, s/he must submit the final Learning Agreement and any other documents requested by the host University before its respective deadlines. OUC students must receive the Learning Agreement signed by the host university, indicating acceptance of his/her mobility.

Comments / Complaints:

The Mobility Office of the Open University of Cyprus, in its effort to continuously improve the services offered and to provide better support to those interested in participating in the European Mobility Programme Erasmus+, provides the possibility of submitting any complaints and comments on issues related to the services provided. Online form: HERE.

The study period abroad must be an integral part of the student’s Programme of Study at OUC (modules of at least 20 ECTS per semester must correspond to OUC Thematic Units), and is fully recognised by Open University of Cyprus in the Diploma Supplement, which is issued along with the awarded degree. Upon the end of the mobility period, the host University must provide the student with a detailed transcript of record for the courses s/he has attended and was examined in the framework of the Erasmus+ Learning Agreement.

ERASMUS STUDENT CHARTER

The Online Linguistic Support (OLS) system supports language learning for Erasmus+ mobility participants. The OLS offers participants in Erasmus+ the opportunity to improve their skills in the foreign language(s) they will use to study and work abroad. The programme is available in all EU languages. More information is provided here.

Beneficiaries receive funding covering their travel and subsistence expenses. The Erasmus+ grant varies according to the host country and the participants’ mobility duration. For the SMS mobility action, the host university does not charge any tuition, registration fees or other administrative expenses to Erasmus+ students who pay their normal tuition at Open University of Cyprus.

• Travel costs

OUC students participating in Erasmus+ mobility actions may receive travel expenses only if their mobility to the host organization starts from Cyprus or other remote regions, such as Iceland or Malta or other overseas countries and territories. Travel distance is calculated using the EU’s distance calculator tool:

https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/resources/distance-calculator_en

• Subsistence

 The monthly amount of the Erasmus+ grant for each student is determined based on the host country:

• Students with fewer opportunities receive an additional support on top of the EU grant above, to cover individual costs under the Erasmus+ Programme, amounting to 250 EUR per month.
• Students with fewer opportunities receive a top-up amount to the individual support of their EU Erasmus+ grant of an amount of 100 EUR for a physical mobility activity period of 5-14 days and 150 EUR for the one of 15-30 days.

Students on short-term physical mobility (blended mobility and doctoral short-term mobility) receive daily subsistence, irrespective of the host country, as follows:

• Students with fewer opportunities receive a top-up amount to the individual support of their EU Erasmus+ grant of an amount of 100 EUR for a physical mobility activity period of 5-14 days and 150 EUR for the one of 15-30 days.

OUC MOBILITY OFFICE

Rectorate

Tel.: +357 22411659 / 944

email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.