Erasmus+ for Mobilities in School Education
Erasmus+ allows pupils, teachers, school principals, and other school staff to take part in learning mobilities and exchange projects in the European education area. Below you will find information on the funding opportunities and conditions for general education schools that would apply if Switzerland were to become associated with Erasmus+.
If Switzerland were to become associated with Erasmus+ from 2027 onwards, which is the declared aim of the Federal Council, general education schools at primary level or lower and upper secondary levels could receive funding from the Erasmus+ programme to carry out mobility projects with partner schools in the European Erasmus+ programme countries.
The funding opportunities offered by Erasmus+ correspond to Movetia’s current programmes for international mobilities to some degree, but some crucial funding criteria would change with an association with Erasmus+. Erasmus+ also offers additional funding instruments and support services. This page provides an overview of what Erasmus+ would offer. Detailed information on the funding conditions and eligibility criteria can be found in the Erasmus+ programme guide.
What would change with the planned participation in Erasmus+?
- School education institutions in Switzerland would have access to all relevant Erasmus+ funding opportunities, tools, and platforms under the Erasmus+ programme.
- Institutions in Switzerland would only be able to apply for funding for participants from schools in Switzerland, and not for participants from schools abroad. The latter would have to apply for funding to the Erasmus+ national agency in their respective countries.
- Switzerland would become a potential partner country for all Erasmus+ programme countries. Educational institutions in Erasmus+ programme countries can carry out projects with educational institutions in Switzerland without any restrictions and send mobility participants to an educational institution in Switzerland.
- Applications would be submitted via the EU’s Erasmus+ application platform.
- In Switzerland Movetia would be responsible for Erasmus” programme administration and management. The funding awarded would be financed directly from the Erasmus+ funding budget.
- The rules and educational policy priorities of the Erasmus+ programme would apply.
Types of activities supported
A mobility project may comprise one or several types of activity. For example, a school in Switzerland could organise a job shadowing for its teachers of Spanish at a partner school in Spain, which could be followed by or combined with a group mobility of school pupils with the same partner school in Spain.
The following types of activities are supported within the framework of mobility projects:
For pupils
Group mobility of school pupils A thematic collaboration based on joint project work between groups of pupils from a school in Switzerland and one or several school/s abroad, supervised by teachers. Joint activities online and in during stays in the partner countries. | Duration: 2 - 30 days |
Short-term pupil mobility Attending a general education school or undertaking an internship abroad | Duration: 10 - 29 days |
Long-term pupil mobility Attending a general education school or undertaking an internship abroad | Duration: 30 - 365 days |
For school staff
Job Shadowing Observation of lessons and the day-to-day work of colleagues at schools abroad | Target group: Teachers, school principals, and other school staff Duration: 2 - 60 days (excluding travel days) |
Teaching assignments A temporary teaching assignment at a school abroad | Target group: Teachers and other school staff Duration: 2 - 365 days |
Courses and continuing education Participation in structured courses and continuing education programmes abroad Special conditions: - A maximum of 40% of the project budget may be spent on courses. Exception: Projects with budgets under 40’000 EUR may spend a maximum of 20’000 EUR on courses - A maximum of 3 participants per school and course; a maximum of 10 participants per consortium and course | Target group: Teachers, school principals, and other school staff Duration: 2 - 10 days |
Other supported formats
Invited experts Experts from abroad are invited to provide in-school continuing education in Switzerland | Target group: School principals, education professionals Duration: 2 - 60 days |
Admission of trainee teachers Placement of trainee teachers for teaching assignments
| Target group: Trainee teachers from abroad Duration: 10 - 365 days |
Preparatory visits Meetings with potential partner schools abroad to plan joint mobility projects | Target group: Staff from general education schools or other institutions involved in school education Scope: Maximum of 3 participants per visit |
Eligible countries
Under Erasmus+ learning mobilities to the following countries are supported:
EU Member States and Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Turkey, and the United Kingdom (from 2027)
Conditions for application and participation
For participants:
Pupils, teachers, school principals, and other staff of general education schools at primary level or lower and upper secondary levels, as well as organisations providing early childhood education based in Switzerland
For institutions:
- Public and private general education schools at primary level or lower and upper secondary levels based in Switzerland
- Educational institutions based in Switzerland (e.g. cantonal authorities, universities of teacher education…) which coordinate a project for schools
For projects:
- One application per call and per institution
- Optional project duration: 6–24 months
- All projects must incorporate the horizontal priorities of Erasmus+ and selected priorities for school education (see Erasmus+ School education)
- Activities must take place in an Erasmus+ programme country (or with invited experts in Switzerland)
- All projects must meet the Erasmus+ quality standards.
- All applicable funding criteria, according to which projects are assessed and funded, are set out in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide in the chapter ‘Mobility for pupils and staff in School education’. A Programme Guide is published in October of the preceding year for each application year.
Funding amounts
Financial support per learning mobility is provided in the form of lump sums for specified budget categories.
The exact grant amounts for the new year are expected to be announced in October with the publication of the Erasmus+ Programme Guide. The rates listed here apply to 2026 and are for guidance only:
- Organisational lump sum for the institution: 100–500 EUR per mobility (e.g. 100 EUR for group mobilities of pupils and courses, 350 EUR for job shadowings, 500 EUR for long-term mobilities of pupils)
- For travel: 28 EUR -1’735 EUR per mobility, depending on the distance (e.g. 28 EUR for up to 99 km for non-environmentally friendly travel, 1’735 EUR for a distance greater than 8’000 km)
- For accommodation: 36 EUR - 85 EUR for pupils and 84 EUR - 191 EUR for staff (per day, depending on the country of destination)
- For course fees for continuing education: 80 EUR per participant per day
In addition, grants may be available to cover language preparation, exceptional costs, and special needs. Please refer to the current programme guide for further details.
How to apply
With an association as of 2027 educational institutions based in Switzerland could only apply for funding for short-term projects in 2027. Short-term projects are suitable for institutions seeking to gain initial experience with Erasmus+ as they can be more easily implemented due to their limited duration.
Accreditation for institutions in school education will not be available for educational institutions in Switzerland for the time being. It is not yet clear when any potential accreditation scheme might be available to educational institutions in Switzerland. Accreditation would allow educational institutions to plan their mobilities and exchange projects over a long-term period and to receive funding for learning mobilities on a regular basis over the course of any given Erasmus+ programme generation. A precondition for a future accreditation would be the successful completion of an Erasmus+ funded short-term mobility project.
Next steps for your project planning
Become familiar with the funding conditions
Familiarise yourself with the supported activities and the applicable funding conditions under Erasmus+. You can find an overview on this page. Detailed information is contained in the chapter ‘Mobility for pupils and staff in School education’ in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide.
Develop a project idea
What objectives does your school seek to achieve with a mobility project, and which types of eligible activities are suitable to reach these objectives? Plan your project with the necessary flexibility in terms of its alignment with the Erasmus+ funding criteria while at the same time taking into account Movetia’s current funding conditions. In most cases projects which meet the Erasmus+ criteria can also be funded through Movetia’s current funding opportunities in case Switzerland does not become associated with Erasmus+ by 2027.
Find information on the funding opportunities under the current Swiss programme for international mobilities here:
Find partner schools
Make use of existing contacts or search for new partners via the European School Education Platform (ESEP). You can apply for funding for preparatory visits to a partner institution as of now. Information on international contact seminars (TCA) is available via our newsletter.
Prepare your application
Further information on the application process will be made available by the end of 2026.
Expected application deadlines are in February and October 2027.
Further information
Contact
The school education team will be happy to assist you in the conceptualisation of a project application in accordance with Erasmus+ guidelines.
