Key Action 1
– Mobility for learners and staff –
Higher Education Student and Staff Mobility

Inter-institutional1 agreement 2016-2018

between institutions from
Programme and Partner Countries2

[Minimum requirements]3

The institutions named below agree to cooperate for the exchange of students and/or staff in the context of the Erasmus+ programme. They commit to respect the quality requirements of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education in all aspects of the organisation and management of the mobility, in particular the recognition of the credits (or equivalent) awarded to students by the partner institution. The institutions also commit to sound and transparent management of funds allocated to them through Erasmus+.

A. Information about higher education institutions

1 Inter-institutional agreements can be signed by two or more higher education Institutions (HEIs), at least one of them must be located in a Programme Country of Erasmus+. 
2 Erasmus+ Programme Countries are the 28 EU countries, the EFTA countries and other European countries as defined in the Call for proposals. Eligible Partner Countries are listed in the Programme Guide. 
3 Clauses may be added to this template agreement to better reflect the nature of the institutional partnership. 
4 Higher Education Institutions (HEI) from Erasmus+ Programme Countries should indicate their Erasmus code while Partner Country HEIs should mention the city where they are located.
5 Contact details to reach the senior officer in charge of this agreement.

B. Mobility numbers6 per academic year

[Paragraph to be added, if the agreement is signed for more than one academic year: The partners commit to amend the table below in case of changes in the mobility data by no later than the end of January in the preceding academic year.]

[*Optional: subject area code & name and study cycle are optional.]

6Mobility numbers can be given per sending/receiving institutions and per education field (optional*: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/Pages/international-standard-classif...)

C. Recommended language skills

For more details on the language of instruction recommendations, see the course catalogue of each institution [Links provided on the first page].

* At the University of Vienna, a B2 level of German is mandatory for courses of German studies. For courses in other fields of studies prospective incoming students are requested to verify the offer of English taught courses in the specific field of study.

7For an easier and consistent understanding of language requirements, use of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is recommended, see http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/resources/european-language-levels-...

D. Respect of fundamental principles and other mobility requirements

The higher education institution(s) located in a Programme Country of Erasmus+ must respect the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education of which it must be a holder. The charter can be found here: https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus/actions/erasmus-charter_en

The higher education institution(s) located in a Partner Country of Erasmus+ must respect the following set of principles and requirements:

The higher education institution agrees to:

• Respect in full the principles of non-discrimination and to promote and ensure equal access and opportunities to mobile participants from all backgrounds, in particular disadvantaged or vulnerable groups.
• Apply a selection process that is fair, transparent and documented, ensuring equal opportunities to participants eligible for mobility.
• Ensure recognition for satisfactorily completed activities of study mobility and, where possible, traineeships of its mobile students.
• Charge no fees, in the case of credit mobility, to incoming students for tuition, registration, examinations or access to laboratory and library facilities. Nevertheless, they may be charged small fees on the same basis as local students for costs such as insurance, student unions and the use of miscellaneous material.

The higher education institution located in a Partner Country of Erasmus+ further undertakes to:

Before mobility

• Provide information on courses (content, level, scope, language) well in advance of the mobility periods, so as to be transparent to all parties and allow mobile students to make well-informed choices about the courses they will follow.
• Ensure that outbound mobile participants are well prepared for the mobility, including having attained the necessary level of linguistic proficiency.
• Ensure that student and staff mobility for education or training purposes is based on a learning agreement for students and a mobility agreement for staff validated in advance between the sending and receiving institutions or enterprises and the mobile participants.
• Provide assistance related to obtaining visas, when required, for incoming and outbound mobile participants. Costs for visas can be covered with the mobility grants. See the information / visa section for contact details.
• Provide assistance related to obtaining insurance, when required, for incoming and outbound mobile participants. The institution from the Partner Country should inform mobile participants of cases in which insurance cover is not automatically provided. Costs for insurance can be covered with the organisational support grants. See the information / insurance section for contact details.
• Provide guidance to incoming mobile participants in finding accommodation. See the information / housing section for contact details.

During and after mobility

• Ensure equal academic treatment and services for home students and staff and incoming mobile participants and integrate incoming mobile participants into the institution’s everyday life, and have in place appropriate mentoring and support arrangements for mobile participants as well as appropriate linguistic support to incoming mobile participants.
• Accept all activities indicated in the learning agreement as counting towards the degree, provided these have been satisfactorily completed by the mobile student.
• Provide, free-of-charge, incoming mobile students and their sending institutions with transcripts in English or in the language of the sending institution containing a full, accurate and timely record of their achievements at the end of their mobility period.
• Support the reintegration of mobile participants and give them the opportunity, upon return, to build on their experiences for the benefit of the Institution and their peers.
• Ensure that staff are given recognition for their teaching and training activities undertaken during the mobility period, based on a mobility agreement.

E. Additional requirements

For A WIEN01:

Students with special needs should contact the International Office as soon as possible after the nomination to enable the organisation of the best assistance possible. Team Accessible Studying offers detailed information on how to access individual buildings, organise exams, find accommodation and other support services.

F. Calendar

1. Applications/information on nominated students must reach the receiving institution by:

[* to be adapted in case of a trimester system]

2. The receiving institution will send its decision within 6-8 weeks.

3. A Transcript of Records will be issued by the receiving institution no later than 5 weeks after the assessment period has finished at the receiving HEI.

4. Termination of the agreement: Termination of this agreement or changes in the data set above can be amended annually, if communicated before December 1st. Neither the European Commission nor the National Agencies can be held responsible in case of a conflict.

G. Information

1. Grading Systems of the institutions

For A WIEN01:

1.      = excellent (outstanding performance)
2.      = good (generally good, but with some errors)
3.      = satisfactory (generally sound work with a number of substantial errors)
4.      = sufficient (performance meets the minimum criteria); = minimum passing grade
5.      = unsatisfactory (< 50%; substantial improvement necessary; requirement of further work);

At the University of Vienna, the workload of an individual course is measured in ECTS credits. A full semester workload comprises 30 ECTS credits.

For the University of Ghana:

At the University of Ghana, the workload of an individual is measured in credit hours. A full semester workload comprises a minimum of 15 credit hours equivalent to 30 ECTS credits.

2. Visa

The sending and receiving institutions will provide assistance, when required, in securing visas for incoming and outbound mobile participants, according to the requirements of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education.

Information and assistance can be provided by the following contact points and information sources:

3. Insurance

The sending and receiving institutions will provide assistance in obtaining insurance for incoming and outbound mobile participants, according to the requirements of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education.

The receiving institution will inform mobile participants of cases in which insurance cover is not automatically provided. Information and assistance can be provided by the following contact points and information sources:

4. Housing

The receiving institution will guide incoming mobile participants in finding accommodation, according to the requirements of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education.

Information and assistance can be provided by the following persons and information sources:

8 Scanned copies of signatures or digital signatures may be accepted depending on the national legislation