Student guides: housing, budgeting, funding, careers and exchange
The money, housing, career and academic side of university life — and, for those going abroad, the process from application to arrival.
These articles answer two kinds of question: the practical work of keeping university life running — renting a flat, making the budget balance, finding funding and internships, planning revision — and the separate list that comes with going abroad: blocked accounts, visas, residence permits, the Learning Agreement, housing.
Each article covers one task from start to finish. Where a fee or a deadline appears, the source is cited, and the update date sits at the top of the page. When a rule changes the article is updated rather than quietly left standing. How we work is described on the about page.
Documents and formalities
Working during Erasmus: what each country actually allowsWork rights on a student visa, weekly hour limits, tax and social security obligations, and whether earning affects the grant.
Erasmus travel and health insurance: is EHIC enough, or do you need private cover?
A guide for Erasmus students explaining EHIC, private health insurance, campus requirements and how to prepare insurance proof.
What is a Learning Agreement and how do you fill it in? Erasmus course matching guide
A step-by-step guide explaining how to fill in an Erasmus Learning Agreement, select courses, match ECTS credits and complete the signature process.
Documents required for Erasmus: the complete application and acceptance checklist
A practical guide bringing together the most commonly requested documents from Erasmus application through post-acceptance in one list.
Erasmus visa and residence permit guide: what to verify before travelling
A basic guide for Erasmus students covering visas, residence permits, municipal registration and official processes by country.
Housing
Renting as a student: the contract, the deposit and the flatmateWhat to check when viewing a flat, which clauses matter in a tenancy agreement, how to get the deposit back, and how to agree terms with a flatmate.
Rental scams targeting Erasmus students: warning signs and how to avoid them
The recurring patterns behind rental fraud aimed at students renting from abroad, how to verify a listing and a landlord, and what to do before sending money.
Erasmus accommodation guide: dormitories, rooms, private housing and deposits
A guide for Erasmus students covering dormitory applications, private rentals, deposits, scam risks and pre-arrival accommodation planning.
Money and budgeting
Student budgeting: making the money last when you first live aloneA realistic way to build a student budget that separates rent from bills, groceries and transport, and does not forget the big payments that arrive once a term.
How much is the Erasmus grant and how is it paid? Amounts, the 70/30 rule, deductions
When each instalment arrives, which missing documents stop the payment, and what to do before you leave so the final instalment is not cut.
Erasmus budget: what a semester abroad actually costs
From the upfront costs paid before you leave to recurring monthly living expenses, a realistic Erasmus budget with country-by-country figures.
Academic
A master's degree abroad: the application calendar that starts a year earlyFrom choosing programmes to language tests, personal statements, references and funding — the order in which a master's application abroad has to be done.
Exam season: how to study without cramming it all into the last week
Spaced repetition, active recall and a revision timetable built backwards — what to use instead of a plan that collapses in week two.
Careers and funding
Your first internship application: CV, cover letter and where to applyHow to build a CV with no work experience, what a cover letter is actually for, how many applications it takes, and how to prepare for the interview.
Finding scholarships and student funding: where, when and how to apply
Types of funding, the application calendar, the documents to have ready, how a personal statement is structured, and how to spot scholarship fraud.
Exams and interviews
The Erasmus language test: format, sample questions and worked solutionsWhat the university language test for Erasmus selection covers, how it is scored, and twelve sample questions in grammar, vocabulary and reading with an explanation of why each answer is correct.
Erasmus interview questions and how to answer them
The 14 questions that actually come up in an Erasmus selection interview, what each one is really testing, weak and strong answers, and what to do in the last 30 minutes before you go in.
Arrival
What to do after Erasmus acceptance: your first 30-day planA guide listing the tasks to complete in the first 30 days from receiving your Erasmus acceptance letter through to arrival week.