Erasmus program: Learning Agreement

Written by: Kerstin Lakits, Jul 14, 2022

Taking some courses at a foreign university in another country is an amazing complement to your studies. But which courses should you attend at the receiving institution? That is what the Learning Agreement is for. Here you will learn everything about this contract!

What is a Learning Agreement?

The Learning Agreement is the most important document of your Erasmus adventure and consists of three parts. Therein you declare which courses you will attend at the receiving institution and for which courses they are recognized at your own university. During your stay you can insert changes and after your stay you fill in the grades that you received.

Structure

The Learning Agreement consists of three separate documents:

  1. Before the mobility: You plan which courses you will attend and the Directorate of Studies (Studienprogrammleitung) confirms that these courses will be recognized.
  2. During the mobility: If you want to attend different courses or cannot participate in a course during the mobility, then you can document these changes here.
  3. After the mobility: After your exams, you add your grades for each courses here.

In all three documents, the first page handles personal data as well as information about the receiving and sending institutions.

Then there is a table where you put in your course, ECTS and grades. Then you, the sending university and receiving university sign the table.

What do I have to keep in mind?

Since the Learning Agreement is essential for a successful and problem-free stay abroad, then everything has to be correct. Therefore, make sure that…

  • you earn at least three ECTS per month.
  • you respect the or max. number of ECTS, if the receiving university has requirements concerning the ECTS per semester.
  • you always let all parties sign the Learning Agreement.
  • you hand in your Learning Agreement before the deadline.

Filling out the form: helpful tips

The first page is mostly about you, your home university and the receiving university. You will get the contact information for the guest university after your nomination. If you do not know the ISCED code for your field of studies, then you can research it with this tool.

Before the mobility: All the information for the left column is in the curriculum of your receiving institution. The information for the right column is in the curriculum of your home university.

During the mobility: If something changes during the mobility and you delete a course or add another one, you write it in the left column. Then you add the corresponding courses at your home university to the right column. Make sure that you hit the minimum number of ECTS.

After the mobility: In this table you list all the classes and add the grades that you have received. If the grading system at the receiving institution is different from your own (e.g. A to F instead of 1 to 5), you need to transform them.

FAQs

What does the Learning Agreement look like?

The Learning Agreement is a pdf file. The main part is a table with two columns. The left column is for courses at the receiving institution and the right column is for the courses at your home university.

Where do I get the Learning Agreement?

You will find the Learning Agreement on the Erasmus platform “Mobility Online“, after you have been nominated for a spot.

I will study at two different universities. Do I need to fill out two separate forms?

You have to fill out two Learning Agreements – one per university.

Who signs the Learning Agreement?

You, the receiving institution (oftentimes the Erasmus coordinator) and the sending institution (Directorate of Studies) have to sign every Learning Agreement.

At first glance, the Learning Agreement may seem complicated, but with our tips it is easy to fill out. We have more information about the Erasmus+ grant, so that everything runs smoothly. Discover our Study Abroad articles that inform you about studying abroad, internships abroad and semesters abroad!

Are you doing your Erasmus semester in Austria and still need an accommodation? Then a STUWO dormitory will be perfect place for you and we provide you with a beautiful and comfortable apartment for a smooth stay abroad!

Questions?

We are happy to help!