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.
Most students prepare for the wrong thing: a fluent performance in English. The question the coordinator on the other side of the table is actually trying to answer is far simpler — if I send this student, will something go wrong?
This article covers the questions that really come up, what each is testing, and how a good answer is built.
First: is the interview part of the score?
In most countries the selection score itself is mechanical — a mix of academic average and language test result. In Turkey, for example, the ranking is 50% academic average + 50% language exam score, with additions and deductions for specific circumstances. The interview usually is not part of that arithmetic.
So what is it for? In most institutions, one of two things:
- A briefing and placement conversation. You are already in the ranking; now the question is which partner university you go to, whether your course matching is feasible, and whether you understand the process.
- A departmental filter. If places are scarce and scores are close, the coordinator decides in this conversation who goes where.
In both cases the interview works less like an exam and more like a risk assessment. Build your answers accordingly: prepared, realistic, and unlikely to create problems.
The 14 questions that come up
1. "Why do you want to go on Erasmus?"
What it tests: whether your motivation is real or "everyone is going".
Weak answer: "To develop myself and experience new cultures." They have heard that sentence six times already that morning.
A strong answer names something concrete: a course, a lab, a research area, a plan after graduation. "I want to go for data mining; the partner's curriculum has two electives we don't offer here" does more work than ten sentences about culture.
2. "Why that university and that country?"
What it tests: whether you researched your choice or picked it off a list.
Make at least two of these appear: curriculum, language, cost realism. "My German is B1, the courses are in English but I can use German day to day" or "the living cost fits my budget and I have calculated the blocked account requirement" both signal preparation.
3. "Have you done the course matching? Which courses will you take?"
What it tests: this is the critical question, because a delayed graduation is a problem for both you and the department.
Do not leave it blank. Find four to six courses in the partner's catalogue, note their ECTS, and think about which of your own courses they could replace. "I went through the course catalogue; these three overlap with our modules, and I'd like to finalise the matching with you at the Learning Agreement stage" is the answer of a student who knows the job.
Detail: how to fill in a Learning Agreement.
4. "What is your language level? Can you follow lectures in it?"
What it tests: whether your exam score reflects reality. Sometimes the question is asked by switching into the target language — not panicking is enough.
Do not oversell. "I still find academic listening hard, so I'm preparing by working through recorded lectures before term starts" is more reassuring than "my English is excellent".
5. "How have you planned your budget? What if the grant is not enough?"
What it tests: whether you might have to come home mid-semester for financial reasons.
Give numbers: rent range, monthly spend, when the grant arrives and in how many instalments. "I have savings to cover two months until the first instalment" is the complete answer. Real figures: Erasmus budget guide and when the grant is paid.
6. "How will you handle accommodation?"
What it tests: whether you know when dorm applications open and how the private market works.
"The university housing application opens three months before term and it's in my calendar; if that fails I'll look at these platforms" is enough.
7. "Have you lived abroad before? Have you lived alone?"
What it tests: adjustment risk. Never having lived alone is not a minus — but you need to know it.
Be honest: "It will be my first time living alone, so I've made a checklist for the first month" turns inexperience into preparation.
8. "What will you do if something goes wrong during the semester?"
What it tests: whether you know who to call.
A good answer names three channels: the host institution's international office, your departmental coordinator, and your home Erasmus office. A student who knows this is a student who does not disappear when a problem appears.
9. "How many semesters do you want to go for, and why?"
What it tests: fit with your curriculum. Autumn or spring usually depends on internships, your final project and compulsory course scheduling — base your answer on that.
10. "Will this delay your graduation?"
What it tests: question 3 in another form. If you can say "I have X ECTS now, Y by the end of term; with the matching in place there is no delay", you have passed it.
11. "Give me a reason to select you."
What it tests: whether you can summarise yourself in one sentence.
Talk about contribution, not personality: speaking at the information session after you return, writing notes for the department, sharing the experience in a student club. Keep it concrete and small.
12. "Are you planning to work there?"
What it tests: whether you know the rules. Student work rights vary by country; "I've checked the weekly limits and whether my residence permit allows work" is enough. Detail: working while on Erasmus.
13. "Do you know the visa and residence process?"
What it tests: the risk of missing the start of term because of an appointment backlog. If you know the order, say it: acceptance → blocked account or proof of funds → insurance → appointment → address registration on arrival.
14. "Do you have any questions for us?"
What it tests: the last check on your preparation. Do not say no.
Three that work: where course matching most often goes wrong, which document the second grant instalment depends on, and whether there is a way to contact students who went last year.
The last 30 minutes before the interview
- Open the partner university's course catalogue and write down four to six courses with their ECTS.
- Memorise your own average and language score.
- Be able to state your rent range and monthly spend in one sentence.
- Prepare two sentences about yourself in the target language.
- Prepare three questions and ask at least one.
Three common mistakes
- Never looking at course matching. This is usually the only real reason someone is filtered out.
- Overstating your language level. It surfaces the moment they switch languages, and it costs you the room's confidence.
- Waving the budget away with "I'll manage". The coordinator reads that as the risk of an early return.
If something about your own institution is unclear — who sits on the committee, how long it takes, which questions came up — ask a question; students from the same department answer.