ERASMUS Social Top-Ups and Green Travel
Social Top-Ups and Top-Up Green Travel
Here you will find all the information you need about applying, eligibility criteria and documentation requirements for Social Top-Ups and the Green Travel Top-Up.
Obligation of proof
Obligation of proof
Am I required to submit proof?
Yes, all students who apply for a Social Top-Up and/or Top-Up for Green Travel in their ERASMUS application must submit proof of eligibility for the respective Top-Up.
How do I provide the proof?
For Social Top-Up proof please use the templates > in our download centre.
For Green Travel Top-Up please scan the proof and send it to us.
Scanned (not digital!) signatures are sufficient on all documents.
When should I submit the proof?
The proof for Social Top-Up must be submitted together with the signed Grant Agreement (document specifying the amount of ERASMUS funding) by email to:
outgoing[at]uni-weimar.de
The proof for Green Travel (e.g. train or bus ticket) must be submitted with your “Confirmation of Departure” / “Confirmation of Stay” at the latest by e-mail to:
outgoing[at]uni-weimar.de
What happens if I do not submit proof?
If the proof of eligibility for a Social Top-Up:
- is not submitted with the “Grant Agreement” or
- is incomplete (e.g. without signatures) or
- no good reason is given with the submission of the “Grant Agreement” as to why the proof could not yet be provided,
you will receive a new “Grant Agreement” without the funding for Social Top-Ups (250 Euros/month).
If the proof of eligibility for the Top-Up for Green Travel:
- is not submitted latest with the “Confirmation of Departure” / “Confirmation of Stay” or
- is inconclusive (e.g. without travel destination) or
- no good reason is given as to why the proof could not yet be provided,
we reserve the right to reduce the second instalment of your ERASMUS grant accordingly, in line with the funding amount for standard travel (see travel funding).
Social Top-Ups
Social Top-Ups
What are Social Top-Ups?
Social top-ups within the ERASMUS programme are additional financial grants that students can receive under certain conditions (see below). The aim of social top-ups in the ERASMUS programme is to promote equal opportunities, strengthen social justice in higher education and make the ERASMUS programme more accessible to disadvantaged or less privileged groups.
Which Social Top-Ups are available?
Students who are eligible to receive an ERASMUS scholarship may apply for one of the following Social Top-Ups in addition to the monthly funding rates:
| Social Top-Up* | long-term stays (min 2 months) | short-term stays (min 5 days) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Social Top-Up "first-time academics" | 250 Euro / month | 100 Euro / one-off |
| 2. | Social Top-Up "working students" | 250 Euro / month | 100 Euro / one-off |
| 3. | Social Top-Up "students with disabilities | 250 Euro / month | 100 Euro / one-off |
| 4. | Social Top-Up "students with chronic illness" | 250 Euro / month | 100 Euro / one-off |
| 5. | Social Top-Up "students with child/ren" | 250 Euro / month | 100 Euro / one-off |
* Some Social Top-Ups are counted towards the Auslands-BAföG according to a > federal decree of 8 May 2024.
How do I apply for a Social Top-Up?
You can apply for the Social Top-Up using the online application form for your ERASMUS grant. Simply tick the social top-up you wish to apply for on the form.
We will then include the Social Top-Up in the total amount of your ERASMUS grant; we will inform you of the total amount of your ERASMUS grant when we send you the Grant Agreement (see Checklist 2). Attached to the Grant Agreement, you will find a pre-filled ‘Declaration of Honour’ for the top-ups, which you must sign and submit together with your Grant Agreement.
1. Social Top-Up for „first-time academics“
Students can apply for this Social Top-Up under the following conditions:
| If there are two parents: | If both parents are known and accessible, then students can apply for this Social Top-Up if neither parent has an academic degree. If one parent does not have an academic degree and the other does, then this Social Top-Up cannot be granted. |
| In there is one parent: | If only one parent is known, then only this parent can be considered. If this parent has an academic degree, this Social Top-Up is not granted. If this parent does not have an academic degree and the other parent is not known, this Social Top-Up can be granted. |
| Academic degree: | An academic degree is a degree obtained at a university, a university of cooperative education (Berufsakademie) or a university of applied sciences (within or outside Germany). If you are unsure whether your parents' degree is classified as study-equivalent, please send an e-mail request to erasmus-mobilitaet[at]daad.de |
2. Social Top-Up for (self-)employed students
Students who were engaged in one or more jobs before starting their studies abroad are eligible to apply for this Social Top-Up.
The following conditions apply:
| Period of employment: | Students must have been continuously employed or/and self-employed for 6 months up to 1 month before the start of their mobility (preparation period) to be eligible to apply for this top-up. Example: Your mobility starts on 01 July 2023. Then you must have been continuously employed from 01 December 2022 to 31 May 2023 (= 6 months) within the criteria described below. During this period, you must have earned a monthly average of between 450 euros and 850 euros net to be eligible to apply for this top-up. Month 1: December 2022, 550 Euros Month 2: January 2023, 980 Euros Month 3: February 2023, 400 Euro Month 4: March 2023, 300 Euro Month 5: April 2023, 600 Euro Month 6: May 2023, 220 Euro Total: 3050 Euro (= 508,33 Euro per month in accumulated average) |
| NET earnings (min.): | min. 450 EUR (net earnings of all activities, also self-employed, added up and on average per month) |
| NET earnings (max.): | max. 850 EUR (net earnings of all activities, also self-employed, added up and on average per month) |
| Continuation of activity/s: | Another prerequisite for applying for this top-up is that the activity(ies) can NOT be continued during the stay abroad (mobile work, online work and paid leave also count as continuation). In the case of an employment contract, termination is not a requirement (the employment contract can also be paused). |
3. Social Top-Up for students with disabilities
Students with a degree of disability (GdB) of 20 (or more) who receive ERASMUS funding for studying abroad can apply for this Social Top-Up.
If you do not have a proof of your disability at hand (e.g. disability pass), you can have your doctor issue a letter confirming that you have a disability (it is not necessary to state which disability it is, only the degree needs to be evident). The medical certificate must not be older than 6 months.
If particularly high additional costs are expected to arise due to your disability during your stay abroad, you can do a so-called "long application" , which can cover up to 15,000 Euros per semester, e.g. for an accompanying person. It is also possible to receive a grant for a preparatory trip to explore the local conditions.
The "long application" requires sufficient time in advance (at least 4 months before the start of the mobility).
We ask students to seek advice early. You can find further information here.
4. Social Top-Up for students with disabilities or chronic illnesses
Students with a chronic illness who receive ERASMUS funding for studying abroad can apply for this Social Top-Up.
The basis for the classification of a disease as "chronic" is the definition of the German health ministry. The "List of Chronic Diseases of the Robert Koch Institut" may serve as an orientation.
If you do not have a proof of your chronic illness at hand (e.g. Diabetes emergency card), you can have your doctor issue a letter confirming that you have a chronic illness (it is not necessary to state which illness it is, only that it is chronic). The medical certificate must not be older than 6 months.
If particularly high additional costs are expected to arise due to your chronic illness during your stay abroad, you can do a so-called "long application" , which can cover up to 15,000 Euros per semester, e.g. for an accompanying person. It is also possible to receive a grant for a preparatory trip to explore the local conditions.
The "long application" requires sufficient time in advance (at least 4 months before the start of the mobility).
We ask students to seek advice early. You can find further information here.
5. Social Top-Up for students with child(ren)
Students who travel abroad with their child/children to study can apply for this Social Top-Up. The prerequisite is that the child(ren) is/are taken along during the entire stay. The grant is awarded per family, regardless of the number of children. It is also possible to apply if a caregiver (partner) is travelling with you; double funding is not possible.
If the Social Top-Up grant of 250 euros/month is not enough to cover the costs incurred for the stay abroad with child/ren, students can submit a "long application" with the help of the International Office. This application requires the preparation of a detailed (additional) cost overview, on the basis of which additional funding can be approved.
The "long application" requires sufficient time in advance, so we ask students to seek advice early. You can find further information here.
Green Travel Top-Up
Green Travel Top-Up
How much is the Top-Up for Green Travel?
From the academic year 2025/26, students will receive funding for travelling expenses.
The International Office calculates the travel allowance on the basis of the EU Commission's distance calculator.
The amount of funding depends on the distance to the partner university (following the calculation with the > Distance Calculator) and whether you will be travelling ‘green ’*.
| Distance | Green travel* | Standard travel |
|---|---|---|
| 10 to 99 km | 56 EUR | 28 EUR |
| 100 to 499 km | 210 EUR | 211 EUR |
| 500 to 1.999 km | 320 EUR | 309 EUR |
| 2.000 to 2.999 km | 535 EUR | 395 EUR |
| 3.000 to 3.999 km | 785 EUR | 580 EUR |
| 4.000 to 7.999 km | 1.188 EUR | 1.188 EUR |
| 8.000 km or more | 1.735 EUR | 1.735 EUR |
What is considered to be a ‘green travel’?
If you are travelling to or from the partner university by one of the following means of transport classified as sustainable by the DAAD (at least 50% of the journey distance), your trip is considered to be "green":
- Train
- Carpool
- bus
- bicycle
- on foot
- ...
If you travel green, you can also apply for a subsidy of up to 6 travel days.