For selected participants

HOW TO PREPARE FOR ERASMUS+ STUDIES ABROAD
Obligations of Outgoing Students
2021/22 ACADEMIC YEAR

Dear Outgoing Student,

This Handbook contains detailed information on practical steps you, as an outgoing exchange student, must take - mostly on your own - to arrange your Erasmus Study Programme. You can also seek advice and guidance from Erasmus Faculty Coordinators or the Erasmus Office. You will experience that Erasmus+ involves a lot of administrative work. This is why we have established a system where all programme participants have their own responsibilities. Please keep this in mind and be prepared to undertake a lot of individual work in addition to your current study commitments and to dedicate sufficient time and patience to make the necessary arrangements for the mobility. If you follow the guidelines of this handbook, you will avoid the last-minute rushing and problems. The official forms to be filled out for studies abroad and the administration of grants are uniform across European universities and are mandatory.

Contents:

1. Planning and collecting information
2. Application to the host university
3. Registration at the host university
4. Compulsory online language assessment (OLS language tests 1 and 2)
5. Documents to be submitted to the ErasmusOffice of the University of Miskolc
6. Other administrative and study arrangements before departure for mobility
7. Self-check
8. Arrangements in the host country
9. Arrangements after mobility
10. Faculty Credit (ECTS) Coordinators 

1.PLANNING AND COLLECTING INFORMATION
As soon as outgoing students are selected, the ERASMUS OFFICE sends the basic personal data of students to the host universities by e-mail. This is the nomination.
Note that this is only a nomination for an Erasmus grant. The nomination is accepted only after you have prepared the required materials (see point 2), and submitted the requested documents to the host university. You have to submit your application and requested documents to the host university according to their instructions, in most cases online (the mode of application and the deadline of submission vary from university to university). It is essential to know the host university’s Erasmus web site and keep the required deadline.
IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU COLLECT ALL FUNDAMENTAL INFORMATION ON THE HOST UNIVERSITY WELL AHEAD OF YOUR SCHEDULED DEPARTURE  DATE. IF YOU ARE DUE TO DEPART IN THE SECOND SEMESTER, YOU ARE RECOMMENDED TO START ORGANISING YOUR MOBILITY IN SEPTEMBER!

WHAT INFORMATION TO COLLECT BEFORE DEPARTURE FOR MOBILITY?

• What study programme shall I choose at the host university? What courses available at the host university will be recognised by the University of Miskolc? What is the language of instruction at the host university?   Applicants are highly recommended to collect information on learning opportunities at partner institutions because the University of Miskolc, the receiving university and the Erasmus student conclude a Learning Agreement, most probably online (information about the online LA will be sent later). You must choose a study programme that is recognised by the University of Miskolc. You can seek for assistance and guidance on European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) from Faculty Erasmus Coordinators (list of coordinators can be found at the end of this document).
• The number of courses Erasmus students can choose is not set, but the number of credits they are required to take up in the Learning Agreement is 30.

PLEASE NOTE that it is of vital importance to be aware of the language of instruction at the receiving university (partner institutions are located in non-English language areas and the number of courses of the study programme in English can be limited). We would like to draw your attention to partner institutions in Spain, Italy, France and Greece where, with one or two exceptions, very few courses are available in English. It is highly recommended that only students who speak the language of these countries apply for Erasmus mobility to these countries and undertake the courses in the host language or else studying in these countries will be quite difficult.

• Students are recommended to register for courses at host institutions which correspond or similar to courses at the University of Miskolc in the semester when you depart for mobility or the following semesters. You must be aware that you cannot attend only language courses since this is not the primary objective of the Erasmus programme.
• What deadlines does the receiving university set for submitting application forms and other documents and booking accommodation? When does the semester begin? You must respect the deadlines set by host universities because late applications are not always accepted.
• Does the host institution or the country set specific rules applicable to incoming students? (residence permit, insurance, minimum grant, obligatory administrative fees for multiple-service provision such as unlimited travelling possibilities within Germany).
• What are the costs incurred while doing studies abroad? What are the local living conditions like? How much is needed per month to cover local living costs? Is there an advance accommodation deposit or advance rent payment?

USEFUL ADVICE ON PREPARING FOR STUDIES ABROAD:

BLENDED MOBILITY (combination of physical and online mobility)
Due to and depending on the pandemic, host universities will offer different types of learning: onsite/in-class/physical combined with online, or exclusively online.  Blended mobility means the combination of learning in physical presence and online. The concrete mode of learning will be communicated by the host university before the start of the semester. Later, even when the pandemic is over and life gets back to normal, blended mobility may remain the mode of learning for the long run. Outgoing students are only entitled to the Erasmus grant for the period actually (physically)  spent at the host university/country (no grant is awarded for the period when studies are done online from the sending country).

Duration of mobility abroad: the Erasmus+ programme requires a minimum of study period of three months, which must be strictly respected. Since this period is not sufficient to complete a semester, a 4-5-month study programme abroad is recommended. Please note that the period of 3 months is not sufficient for completing your study programme and passing all the exams. The academic schedule, the beginning and the end of the teaching and examination periods at host universities must also be considered. Credits are awarded for a completed semester, passed courses and exams in the examination period at host universities.

Individual Study Programme (in HU: kedvezményes tanulmányi rend): You must have completed the previous semester to be eligible for Erasmus+ mobility. You must have active student status at the University of Miskolc and maintain this active status during your full mobility period abroad. You must be enrolled for the semester at the University of Miskolc, sign up for courses in the Neptun system and apply for an Individual Study Programme in the Dean’s Office. In the application for the Individual Study Programme you must specify the courses that you are considering for recognition after mobility. You are advised to contact your teachers whose courses are similar to those at the host university and will probably be recognised by the Univ of Miskolc. You should anticipate the amount of study commitments awaiting you after your mobility period. You cannot reduce your mobility period on the grounds that you have to take exams at the University of Miskolc.

Arrival  date at the host university: most universities expect the incoming Erasmus students to arrive on a specific date. Usually, there is an orientation week just before the start of the semester. Participation in orientation is highly recommended. Students have to adjust their arrival to the instructions of the host university (the starting date of the semester can be quite different at the different universities, e.g. in Scandinavian countries semesters start in August and January, in Germany they start in October and April).

Financial matters: The Erasmus+ grant is only a contribution to covering the expenses of study mobility abroad and is not intended to cover the full costs of the period abroad. The amount of the grant will be fixed in the Grant Agreement between the student and the Univ of Miskolc. A grant calculator software calculates the exact amount of the grant by days. The amount of the grant is recalculated after returning to Hungary, based on the dates in the Certificate of Attendance.

Country rates of the Erasmus+ grant:

The first instalment of the grant is paid after the Erasmus Office receives all required documents (signed Grant Agreement, signed Learning Agreement, copy of your health insurance policy, leaving permit (in HU: 1. sz. melléklet) signed by the head of institute, dean, chancellor, completed OLS online language test.

Amount of the 1st instalment : total amount of the grant as stated in the Grant Agreement minus one month’s grant. The first instalment must be  min. 70% of the total grant.

2nd instalment of the grant: students receive the withheld one-month grant (or a part of it) after returning home and presenting all required final documents. The amount of the grant will be recalculated if the arrival and departure dates in the Certificate of Attendance are different from  those in the Grant Agreement. If the duration of studies abroad proves to be longer than fixed in the Grant Agreement, no additional grant can be allocated when the mobility has already finished, so these extra days will be zero-grant days.

2.PREPARATION OF APPLICATION MATERIALS FOR THE HOST  UNIVERSITY

Please note that once you have become an Erasmus+ student, you must satisfy the expectations of the host university. Act as expected, precisely follow the instructions of the host university and respect the set deadlines.

You must download or fill out online an Application Form, Accommodation Form and the Learning Agreement of the host university available on its website. The Faculty ECTS Coordinator approves the Learning Agreement. All completed and signed documents and forms or other annexes required by the host university must be submitted to the International Office (which has different names at host universities: Erasmus Office, Exchange/Mobility Office, European Education Centre, International Study Centre, Akademische Auslandsamt) of the host university by the set deadline. PLEASE NOTE that the host university officially registers the nominee student as an Erasmus student and issues a Letter of Acceptance after receiving  and accepting all the required documents from the student.
The majority of the universities use an online application procedure, which closes at a set deadline and late applications are not accepted. Host universities usually require Transcripts of Records to annex to the application documents. The Transcript of Records consists of a list of courses taken and credits awarded for the particular programme in the previous completed semester at the sending university. It is unnecessary to translate the Transcript since it can be printed from the English website of the Neptun system. The Dean’s Office or the Students’ Centre  sign and stamp the Transcript.

To summarise, the documents that must be sent to the host university are basically as follows: Application Form, Accommodation Form, Learning Agreement, Transcript of Records,  a photo, copy of passport.

Host institutions may also require the following documents:

• a copy of the health insurance
• a Certificate on Erasmus+ status and awarded grant issued by the International Office  of the University of Miskolc
• a Certificate of Language Competence (it can be replaced by a certificate issued by the Dean’s Office, certifying that the language of studies is English at the sending university)

PLEASE NOTE that  Transcript of Records has two meanings:

1. Document proving your completed semesters and results at University of Miskolc (printed from Neptun)
2. Final document with the completed courses  and results  issued by the host university

3.REGISTRATION AT THE RECEIVING UNIVERSITY AND CONTINUOUS CONTACT
It is recommended to keep permanent contact with the International Office or the faculty coordinators  of the host university, because they are the right people to answer your questions concerning local conditions (either academic or social issues).

4.COMPULSORY ONLINE LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT
OLS (ONLINE LANGUAGE SUPPORT) - ONLINE LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT COMPILED BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
All participants selected for Erasmus+ mobility must take an online language assessment  before departure in the main work language of studies at the host university. After you have uploaded your user profile and activated your Erasmus+ OLS account, you will receive an automatically generated invitation e-mail for the language assessment from the OLS portal informing you about log-in credentials and the assessment deadline (generally one month). PLEASE NOTE that the language assessment must be completed within the indicated deadline! This language assessment is a prerequisite to the mobility, however, its result does not affect the mobility in any way.

After receiving the results of the first OLS language assessment, you will be invited to follow the OLS language course in that language. If your result corresponds to B1 or lower CEFR level, it is compulsory to follow the course. If you have achieved B2 or higher level, the course is not compulsory. However, if you wish to make the most of this opportunity and participate in the course either in the work language or the local language of the country, or both languages, you can freely do so.

You must start the course within one month of the date of receipt of the email notification or else the system will withdraw your licence. The access period to the OSL language course corresponds to the number of months of your Erasmus+ mobility. It is very important to exactly indicate the start and the end dates of the study period in your user profile so that the system can allow you the access accordingly and automatically send you emails.

5.DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE ERASMUS OFFICE  OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISKOLC
You must download the following documents from the Erasmus website of the University of Miskolc http://erasmus.uni-miskolc.hu under ’Downloadable documents (in HU: Letölthető dokumentumok)’ 

• Grant Agreement
• Leaving permit (in HU: 1. sz. melléklet )
• Learning  Agreement Before Mobility

TECHNICAL GUIDELINES FOR COMPLETING FORMS
Grant  Agreement:

• The ISCED-F subject code must correspond to the code in the application.
• The grant can only be transferred  to the student’s own bank account (it can be an account opened in Hungary or in a foreign country, it can be HUF-based or foreign currency-based) .
• The Erasmus officer uses special software to calculate the exact number of days to be spent abroad as defined in the Grant Agreement and the amount of the grant to be allocated. You must contact the officer either in person or via email. The officer will notify you about the financial data in an email.

Leaving permit (1. sz. melléklet):

• The upper part contains the student’s personal data and the details of the travel
• The lower part (financial) contains the Budget section divided into different cost units. Only one unit has to be completed:  Ösztöndíj  - here you have to write the amount of your Erasmus grant

Learning Agreement (LA) for Studies Abroad (Before Mobility - Table A and Table B)

• After consultation with the Faculty Erasmus Coordinator you can prepare a Study Plan (30 compulsory credits) and enter the courses you wish to attend at the host university, which would replace the courses at your home institution. The Learning Agreement must be approved by the Faculty Erasmus Coordinators of both universities, either signed and sent to each other by e-mail, or managed on an online platform (information about the way of making the LA will be communicated later).

Changes to the LA (During Mobility - Table A2 and Table B2)
Any changes to the original Learning Agreement must be indicated in the During Mobility form (deleted and added courses) and approved by both universities.

6.OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE AND STUDY ARRANGEMENTS BEFORE DEPARTURE FOR MOBILITY
After you have downloaded and completed the forms, you must make the following arrangements:

• submit a copy of the Letter of Acceptance received from the host university to the Erasmus Office. If you do not have an officially issued Letter of Acceptance, an email in which the host university expresses its intention to receive you and register your application is sufficient,
• enrol for the semester at the University of Miskolc (during Erasmus+ mobility you cannot apply for a passive or postponed semester!) YOU MUST HAVE ACTIVE STUDENT STATUS AND AN ACTIVE SEMESTER DURING MOBILITY,
• apply for an individual study programme (download a form, complete it and contact the academic staff concerned for approval as stipulated by faculty rules)
• check your bank card if it is suitable for use abroad
• submit the Grant Agreement and the Leaving permit (1. sz. melléklet)  signed by the competent Head of Institute and Faculty Dean to the Erasmus Office
• take out insurance coverage that is valid abroad: please note that your present insurance is not valid outside Hungary. You can buy insurance policies at travel agencies, insurance agencies or online at www.eub.hu  or  https://eub.hu/for-students-under-30/ or www.aonstudentinsurance.hu. AON has unfortunately no website in English. A COPY OF INSURANCE DOCUMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO ERASMUS OFFICE.
• apply for a study visa in the host country
• buy your travel  ticket
• pay the tuition fee at the University of Miskolc. Please note that being abroad does not exempt you from payment.

7.SELF CHECK

HAVE I SUBMITTED ALL DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR AN ERASMUS STUDY PROGRAMME TO THE ERASMUS OFFICE?

• Letter of Acceptance issued by the receiving university
• Grant Agreement
• Learning Agreement (signed by all 3 parties)
• Leaving permit (1. sz. melléklet)
• Copies of insurance documents
• Online language assessment

HAVE I ARRANGED AND CHECKED ALL MATTERS NOT RELATED TO THE ERASMUS OFFICE?

• enrolment for the semester and signing up for courses in the Neptun system
• submitting an application for an individual study programme to the Dean’s Office
• payment of the tuition fee for the semester of Erasmus studies
• insurance coverage
• have a proper entry visa to the host country
• a bank account with a bank card valid abroad
• buying the travel ticket
• packing the following documents and taking them to the host institution: Confirmation of Arrival (to be filled in after arrival at the host institution), Certificate of Attendance (to be filled in just before returning to Hungary)

8.ARRANGEMENTS IN THE HOST COUNTRY

• Within the first week of your arrival at the host university, you must have the Confirmation of Arrival signed, scan it and send it to rekmagnes@uni-miskolc.hu

9.ARRANGEMENTS AFTER MOBILITY

• You must submit the Learning Agreement (Before mobility and During Mobility), Transcript of Records and Certificate of Attendance issued by the host university immediately after returning to Hungary. If you do not have all of them, submit what you have.
• The Erasmus Office enters the actual days indicated in the Certificate of Attendance issued by the receiving organisation in the electronic database of the Mobility Tool of the European Commission and the system calculates the number of days spent abroad and the amount of the remaining grant. It is of utmost importance to spend as many days on mobility as you have undertaken in the Grant Agreement!
• The credits obtained at the host university must be recognised in your studies at the Univ of Miskolc  and must be entered into Neptun. The Erasmus Office will give you the details on the recognition procedure and forms to be used.
• ALL STUDENTS WHO HAVE RETURNED FROM MOBILITY MUST CONTACT THE FACULTY ERASMUS COORDINATOR AND SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR CREDIT TRANSFER TO THE DEAN’S OFFICE.This is also applicable to students who do not need credits. Since the total number of credits can be exceeded by 10% by study level, you can apply for the recognition within this 10%. The 10% can even be exceeded without sanctions.  You must apply for recognition of ALL COURSES completed at the host university abroad and entered in the Transcript of records.

Please note that obtaining a minimum of 20 ECTS credits out of 30 ECTS per semester is required in order to avoid financial sanctions. If you gained less than 20 credits, the following procedure will be applied:

You will receive the LA After Mobility document (result of the recognition outcome) within 5 weeks of receipt of the Transcript of Records. The courses completed  abroad, their original titles and the name of the host university are entered in the Neptun system. PLEASE NOTE that credit recognition does not mean that you go to a lecturer and he/she enters the credits in the Neptun system. This is illegal. In addition, in cases like this it will not be indicated that you have done a study programme abroad and it will not be entered in your Diploma Supplement.

• Report: you must complete an online questionnaire in Hungarian (EU Survey). You will be emailed the log-in credentials.
• Erasmus website/Alumni: There is a questionnaire summarising the opinions and experiences about the programme and testimonials of Erasmus Students. http://erasmus.uni-miskolc.hu/alumni

You must start arranging the mobility trip in good time since Erasmus+ mobility involves a lot of administrative work. Your grant is paid only after the ERASMUS OFFICE has received all required documentation. The forms can be downloaded from http://erasmus.uni-miskolc.hu

You can obtain advice and guidance on filling out the forms from:

Dóra Diána Andráskó, Institutional Erasmus Coordinator
Institute of Management, Bld. A/4, III, Room 309
Telephone: + 36 46 565 111, extension: 14-38
E-mail:  szvhdora@uni-miskolc.hu

ERASMUS OFFICE:

Ágnes Magyar, Erasmus Assisant

Bld. A/4, 1st floor, Room 112
Telephone: +36 46 565 111 extension 16-42
E-mail: rekmagnes@uni-miskolc.hu

10.FACULTY CREDIT (ECTS) COORDINATORS