FAQs Erasmus+ Mobility Studies
Who can apply for a Study Mobility Programme?
- Students who are enrolled at NOVA School of Law in a higher education programme leading to a degree, in the academic year in which they apply and in the school year in which they undertake the mobility;
- 1st cycle students who have completed or obtained equivalence with a minimum of 60 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credits;
- Not open to applicants simultaneously enrolled in another national or international mobility programme.
What is the application period?
First half of March.
How can I apply to a Mobility Programme?
- Application to a mobility programme relevant to the following academic year is done online by filling in an application form, here: netpa > login > out;
- Students must indicate in order of preference four Universities of choice.
Which universities can I go to?
You can check the list of Universities with which the NOVA School of Law has a signed agreement: List of Agreements.
What are the selection criteria for applications?
- Accepted applications are ranked according to the highest average of all the curricular units already completed by the student in the course of study in which they are enrolled, weighted according to ECTS credits and rounded up to the nearest hundredth;
- In the event of a tie, preference is given to the application with the highest number of ECTS credits and course units already completed;
- Students are placed in existing vacancies in the universities to which they have applied according to the preferential order of options included in their application.
What is the deadline for reporting my withdrawal?
Withdrawals must be reported immediately to the Mobility Office and if applicable, to the host university (if you have already been appointed).
Communication of withdrawal should take place before the contract is issued, unless an exceptional situation is duly proven.
Do all students in the Mobility Programme receive a grant?
- When choosing the ERASMUS+ (Europe) and THEMIS (European countries only) programmes, the exchange coordinator will rank the applicants in accordance with the mobility regulations.
- The Erasmus+ Programme has a (limited) number of grants. The number of grants awarded each year to each university body depends on the available European Union budget. Grants are awarded on the basis of the amount allocated to NOVA School of Law and the selection of applicants.
- Grants awarded to Erasmus+ and THEMIS students are intended only to contribute to extraordinary expenses arising from mobility and do not cover all the expenses which the student would normally have in their home establishment.
How are grants awarded?
The order in which grants are awarded:
- Students benefitting from Social Action Services (SAS);
- Students who wish to participate in the Mobility Programme within the THEMIS network;
- Other students.
What documents are required for the Erasmus+ grant contract to be issued?
- Learning Agreement (here) with three signatures;
- Copy of identification document (Citizen Card, Passport, Residence Permit);
- Tax identification number;
- IBAN and proof of account ownership (Portuguese account, and proof must be issued by the bank, an ATM receipt is not sufficient for this purpose);
- Proxy (draft);
- Copy of the proxy holder’s identification document (Citizen Card, Passport, Residence Permit);
Why should I appoint a proxy?
You should appoint a proxy (a relative or friend), who will be responsible for dealing with any matter relating to the NOVA School of Law during your period of mobility.
How and when is the Erasmus+ grant paid?
The amount of the grant will be transferred to the IBAN number indicated on the the Erasmus platform, at the latest 30 days after the signature of the Erasmus+ contract by the Vice-Rector of NOVA University.
The payment will be made in 2 phases: 70% and 30%.
How much is the Erasmus+ grant?
| Programme Countries | Monthly Individual Support SMS studies – 2020/2021 |
| Group 1 | Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, The United Kingdom, Sweden. | 400€ |
| Group 2 | Germany, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, The Netherlands. Baixos. | 350€ |
| Group 3 | Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, Turkey. | 300€ |
In order not to have to return the grant, do I have to be approved in all curricular units of my Study Contract?
If the mobility programme only comprises one semester, you must pass a minimum of 6 ECTS credits; if it comprises one school year, you must pass a minimum of 12 ECTS credits. Failure to comply with this rule implies the full refund of the grant received.
Do I have to pay tuition fees at the host university?
Participating in the Erasmus+ programme means that you have been selected for a mobility programme and that you will benefit from the Erasmus status, and therefore do not pay tuition fees at the university where you are going.
Do I have to pay tuition fees at NOVA School of Law?
Yes, fees are due regularly. Students on the mobility programme must maintain their regular financial status at NOVA School of Law.
Do I have to register with NOVA School of Law in the semester/year that I am going to participate in the period of the mobility programme?
Students must be duly enrolled at NOVA School of Law in the curricular units of the cycle they are attending in the academic year in which they apply and in the academic year in which they are undertaking the mobility period.
After the appointment and acceptance by the host university, what documents do I need to present to formalise my application?
- Application form from the host university;
- Study Plan form, which contains the curricular units to be taken in the Study Mobility programme and the curricular units where you may have equivalence at NOVA School of Law;
- Learning Agreement with a minimum of 20, 30 or 60 ECTS credits, depending on whether it is for a mobility period of three months, a semester or academic year respectively;
- Academic records with information on the number of ECTS credits and curricular units already completed at NOVA School of Law;
- European Health Insurance Card. For more information consult the website.
What is the Learning Agreement / Study Contract?
The Learning Agreement / Study Contract is the document that you must deliver to the Mobility Office before you leave, which contains the curricular units that you will be doing abroad and their correspondence with NOVA School of Law curricular units and guarantees the recognition of the curricular units successfully completed abroad. The student, the host university and the university of origin must sign the document.
I intend to make changes to the initial Learning Agreement. How should I proceed?
Any change to the initial study plan should be reported to the Mobility Office by completing and submitting the 2nd part of the Learning Agreement ‘During Mobility’, which will be forwarded to the Erasmus+ Coordinator for approval of the proposed changes.
How many ECTS credits do I have to enrol for?
A minimum of 20, 30 or 60 ECTS credits, depending on whether you have a mobility period of three months, a semester or an academic year respectively.
Can I apply for curricular units that are not included in my course plan?
Yes, since these curricular units and the corresponding ECTS credits will be counted as free electives.
Is it possible to extend my Mobility period?
Yes, provided that the Erasmus+ Coordinators (of the host institution and of NOVA School of Law) agree with the request for extension. This request must be made up to 30 days before the end of the mobility period initially foreseen by filling in this form.
How is the recognition of credits, equivalences and grading carried out?
- The recognition of credits and grading is carried out by a committee for the appreciation of requests for recognition of courses completed under the mobility programmes composed by three members appointed by the Scientific Council of NOVA School of Law.
- The curricular units successfully completed by the student at the host university may be recognized (credits and grades) as long as they appear on their Learning Agreement and in the Transcript of Records.
- Curricular units attended at the host university to which compulsory or restricted subjects at NOVA School of Law correspond can be awarded equivalence provided the curricular unit has the same purpose regardless of the country.
- Optional choice subjects listed in Table 9 of the first cycle regulations can be freely replaced by subjects offered at the host university.
- ECTS credits awarded by the host university are granted to the curricular units undertaken at the host university except in the case of equivalence to compulsory subjects and restricted option subjects, which can only be recognized if they fulfil the number of ECTS provided for at NOVA School of Law, with any excess being given as a free option curricular unit.
- The grades obtained in the Erasmus+ programme are taken into account in the calculation of the average of the course at NOVA School of Law, in accordance with the applicable legal conversion rules.
- Curricular units undertaken in mobility with a syllabus similar to those the student has completed at NOVA School of Law cannot be recognized.
Do I need to know the language of the country where I will be studying?
Language preparation is a very important factor as it can represent an obstacle to learning within the classroom and to communication with the people of the host country.
In some host institutions, classes will be taught in English so there may be a requirement for the applicant to prove proficiency in the language by presenting an international certificate (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge, etc.). The selected student will be responsible for fulfilling the host institution’s requirement and presenting the respective certificate.
The European Commission has contracted an online language support service, OLS – Online Linguistic Support, at no cost for participating students, but the assessment of language proficiency is contractually obligatory.
What is OLS – Online Linguistic Support?
Before going abroad, Erasmus+ participants can check their knowledge of the language of the country where they will study or work, so that they can make the most of their experience.
Online Linguistic Support consists of the following:
- Initial Assessment Test (Test 1) of the student’s linguistic competence – before the start of the mobility;
- Language Course – during mobility;
- Final Assessment Test (Test 2) of the student’s linguistic competence – at the end of mobility.
Who is responsible for dealing with accommodation issues?
Accommodation is the responsibility of each student, not of the host university nor the home university.
Accommodation solutions may be available for foreign students, and in such cases, the host university itself will inform the student of this possibility.
When I return to NOVA School of Law, do I have to submit any documents?
At the end of the mobility, all participants must provide proof of their mobility as well as its successful completion by means of the Declaration of Stay, Transcript of Records (for study mobility), the final Student Language Proficiency Assessment Test (OLS) and successfully submitting the Final Report to the European Commission’s Mobility Tool platform.