Erasmus in Spain: Process, Funding and Tips

In short: For Erasmus in Spain you don’t apply in Spain but at your home university, usually just under a year before you leave. From Germany you get 540 € a month for it in 2026/27, from Austria 470 €. You pay no tuition fees in Spain. The biggest challenges are the room and the language: almost all courses are taught in Spanish.

Who is Erasmus in Spain for?

Erasmus is an exchange: you stay enrolled at your university in Germany or Austria and study for one or two semesters at a Spanish partner university. Students in bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programmes can take part. The requirement is an agreement between your department and the Spanish university. So where you can go is decided by the list of partner universities for your degree programme, not by your wishes.

You are entitled to up to 12 months per study cycle, in single-cycle programmes such as medicine up to 24. You can split them over several stays, including a mix of study and internship.

If you want to study in Spain from start to finish, you need a completely different route with its own admission: it’s explained under Studying in Spain.

The timeline: from 12 months before to your return

Your own university’s deadlines are the most important ones, and they come earlier than most people expect. The following timeline applies to a September start. For a February start, everything shifts by about five months.

1. 12 months before: get informed and start Spanish

   Look at your department’s partner universities and ask the International Office about the internal application deadline. Each university sets it itself. Start learning Spanish now if you are still below B1.

2. 9 to 10 months before: apply at your home university

   You apply to your department or International Office, usually with a motivation letter, a transcript of your grades and a wish list of partner universities. The selection happens there, not in Spain.

3. 5 to 6 months before: nomination

   Your university registers you with the Spanish university. This is called the nomination. Example Universidad de Granada: nomination from 1 to 30 April for a September start, from 1 to 31 October for a February start. Individual faculties differ slightly.

4. 4 to 5 months before: apply at the host university

   After the nomination you fill in the host university’s online application yourself. In Granada it runs from 1 April to 15 May. That’s also where you tick whether you want to join the mentoring programme.

5. 3 to 4 months before: Learning Agreement and funding

   You agree on your courses, sign the grant agreement with your university and, if you are eligible, apply for Auslands-BAföG (German state student funding for study abroad).

6. 2 to 3 months before: room, insurance, language test

   You look for accommodation, apply for the European Health Insurance Card and take the programme’s online language test.

7. Arrival: registration at the International Office

   You have your arrival confirmed, enrol in your courses at the faculty and adjust the Learning Agreement if courses are cancelled or clash.

8. Departure and return

   You have the end of your stay confirmed. The host university sends the Transcript of Records to you and your university. With it you apply for recognition at home and receive the last instalment of the grant.

Learning Agreement and recognition

The Learning Agreement is your most important document. You, your university and the host university sign it before you leave, these days usually digitally as an Online Learning Agreement (OLA). It sets out which courses you take in Spain and what they count for at home. Whatever is agreed there, your university must recognise without further conditions. Whatever is missing there, it doesn’t have to credit.

• Check the language of instruction of every course in the faculty’s course catalogue.
• Add backup courses. Courses clash or are full.
• Watch the semester: many Spanish subjects are only offered in the first or only in the second half of the year.
• Changes after arrival are possible, but only in the first few weeks and with the consent of both sides.
• Get it in writing at home how Spanish grades (scale 0 to 10) will be converted.
• Keep all versions of the agreement and the course descriptions.

How much money is there in 2026/27?

The grant depends on your home country, not on the Spanish city. In both countries Spain is in the middle country group. In Germany the National Agency at the DAAD sets the rates, in Austria the OeAD. The money is paid out by your university, usually in two instalments.

What you should know about it:

• Top-up: The 250 € is for students with fewer opportunities, for example with a disability, a chronic illness or a child. German universities often also include first-generation students and working students. Your International Office will tell you the exact criteria and proof required.
• Travel costs: What counts is the distance between the two university towns. The Canary Islands fall into a higher distance band than Andalusia. Not every German university pays the lump sum on top of the monthly rate: ask.
• Green travel: If you travel by train, bus or car sharing, you get the higher lump sum and extra funded travel days. To Andalusia that’s a very long journey, to the Canary Islands practically impossible.
• Funding period: Some universities don’t fund every day of the stay, only a maximum period, for example four months per semester. The remaining days then run without money. Read your grant agreement carefully.

Auslands-BAföG on top

Erasmus and Auslands-BAföG can be combined. The Erasmus grant stays exempt up to 300 € a month, only the part above that counts as income. Abroad you also get a travel cost supplement and, if needed, a health insurance supplement. Because the needs-based rates abroad are higher, students who get nothing in Germany can also qualify. The office responsible for Spain is the Studierendenwerk Heidelberg, and you should ideally apply six months in advance.

In Austria, recipients of Studienbeihilfe (the Austrian study grant) can also apply for the Beihilfe für ein Auslandsstudium (grant for study abroad), for a maximum of 20 months. The application must be made within three months, and you must show at least 3 ECTS per month.

Language: OLS, language courses and the level you need

Most faculties expect or recommend Spanish at B1, for Hispanic Studies in Granada B2. Not every university requires a certificate, but your level directly decides how many credits you bring home. The Faculty of Economics in Granada, for example, states: all courses are taught in Spanish, only a few in English.

The EU’s Online Language Support (OLS) is part of the programme. Before you leave, you take a language test there in the language of instruction. It’s mandatory, except for native speakers, but has no effect on whether you are allowed to go. Afterwards you can use the platform’s free online language courses.

Course choice and exams: how do your studies work?

Everyday university life in Spain is more school-like than at home. You are enrolled at one faculty and choose your courses mainly there. Subjects from other faculties are often only possible to a limited extent.

• Semester dates: At the Universidad de Granada the first semester runs from September to the end of December, exams are in January, resits in February. The second semester runs from mid February to the end of May, with exams in June and resits in July.
• Grades: Scale from 0 to 10, pass from 5.
• Convocatorias: That’s what the exam attempts are called. There is one regular exam and one resit per subject. If you fail in January, you can sit it again in February.
• Continuous assessment: In many subjects, assignments, presentations and attendance during the semester count towards the grade. If you only show up for the exam, you’ll struggle.

Finding a place: how do you find a room?

Most Erasmus students live in a shared flat. University halls hardly play a role: the Universidad de Granada offers exchange students no accommodation on campus, and the Universidad de Málaga doesn’t provide its own housing either. Both have housing portals where private landlords advertise, in Málaga it’s called Encuéntrame. The university there stresses that it only acts as an intermediary and is not liable in disputes with the landlord.

Demand is highest in September and February. Two approaches work: search online a few weeks before and view by video call, or stay in a hostel for the first few days and view places locally. For five months you usually get a temporary contract. Read what happens to the deposit if you move out early.

You can spot typical scams by these signs:

• The landlord is supposedly abroad and wants to send the key by courier.
• The price is well below what’s usual in the city.
• You’re asked to pay a deposit before any viewing, in cash or through a money transfer service.
• There is no written contract and no copy of the landlord’s ID.

Don’t transfer money for a room that neither you nor someone you trust has seen. More on portals, deposits and contract types in the article Finding a flat in Spain.

What does living cost? The ten cities compared

Rent is the item that sets the cities apart. The table shows asking prices from Idealista: the rent for entire flats per square metre (September 2026) and, where a figure is published, the average price for a room in a shared flat (first quarter of 2026). The Spanish average for a room was 430 €.

The ranking of the prices per square metre is a useful guide to room prices: Granada, Córdoba and Almería sit between Jaén and Málaga. You won’t get by on the Erasmus rate alone in any of the ten cities, but in Jaén it covers the rent and part of everyday costs, in Málaga just the room. What food, electricity and a mobile phone cost is covered under Cost of living in Spain.

Health insurance and paperwork

For one or two semesters the list is short. You enter with your ID card or passport and stay enrolled and insured at home.

• European Health Insurance Card (EHIC): It’s on the back of your health insurance card or you get it free from your insurer. It covers medically necessary treatment in the public health system on the same terms as for locals. Not covered are private doctors and private clinics, or repatriation home. For that you need travel health insurance. The Universidad de Granada explicitly requires proof of insurance from exchange students. Details: Health insurance in Spain.
• Liability and accident insurance: Check whether your policies apply abroad. For internships both are mandatory.
• NIE: You usually don’t need the foreigner identification number for a pure exchange semester. It becomes necessary if you work in Spain or if a landlord, bank or mobile provider asks for it. Then: Applying for the NIE.
• Padrón: Registering at the town hall is mainly worth it for two semesters, for example for reduced bus fares for young residents or, on the Canary Islands, for the resident discount on flights. How it works: Empadronamiento.
• Bank account: A Spanish account isn’t necessary. You pay rent and everyday costs by SEPA transfer and card from your account at home. If your landlord wants Bizum: Opening a bank account.

Erasmus internship: the alternative to studying

Erasmus also funds internships at Spanish companies and organisations, during your studies or in the year after graduating. The minimum duration is two months. The grant is higher than for studying: the University of Münster quotes 690 € per month for Spain. You find the placement yourself and apply at your university, at the University of Münster for example at least one month before the start. For a graduate internship you must apply while you are still enrolled. As soon as you get an employment contract in Spain, you need the NIE.

Which city suits you?

If your department has several partner universities in Andalusia or the Canary Islands, it’s worth comparing. For each city there’s a separate Erasmus article with deadlines, neighbourhoods and budget.

• Erasmus in Granada: large university with a mentoring programme and its own language centre, but no halls for exchange students and hardly any courses in English.
• Erasmus in Seville: big city with two universities. The Universidad Pablo de Olavide campus is on the outskirts, and from June to September it’s very hot.
• Erasmus in Málaga: sea, big city and the largest airport in the region, but the highest rents of the ten cities.
• Erasmus in Córdoba: affordable and manageable. The Rabanales campus is outside the city, and there’s no beach.
• Erasmus in Cádiz: the Atlantic on your doorstep, but the university is spread over four towns. Check your campus before you look for a room.
• Erasmus in Almería: a single campus right on the Mediterranean, low rents, not much big city.
• Erasmus in Huelva: small university with a buddy programme, quiet city. If you’re looking for buzz, this isn’t the place.
• Erasmus in Jaén: the lowest rents and lots of everyday life in Spanish, but far from the sea.
• Erasmus in Las Palmas: big city with a city beach. The main Tafira campus is outside the city, and flights home are long.
• Erasmus in La Laguna: Tenerife’s old university town at around 550 metres altitude, cooler than the coast and not a beach town.

For the weekends: Andalusia road trip and Island hopping in the Canary Islands.

Frequently asked questions

Cover image: Martin Furtschegger · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0