Grants for internship and gap year programs abroad: Erasmus+ & other
Published on: 13 October 2026
Updated on: 13 October 2026
Table of contents
How can a student in Europe fund internships or gap year projects abroad?
Learn how to fund RealStep internship and gap year programs abroad.
Learn about Erasmus+.
Erasmus+ funding
The most common and popular scholarship for EU students is Erasmus+. Erasmus+ is a European Union program (established in 1987) that supports education, training, and youth mobility across Europe and beyond. Previously, it was only focused on student exchange, but nowadays, it is an umbrella framework for youth mobility, adult learning, education, and more.
How does it work?
As a student, you need to find the organisation where you want to do the internship, training, etc. and get in contact with the organisation, e.g. apply for internship program.
As a student (or youth worker), you do not apply for funding directly to the EU, but through your home university (or youth organisation).
Organisations (home universities, NGOs, youth organisations) need to register in the EU Funding to run Erasmus+ projects (Erasmus+ traineeships), and those grants fund your participation.
How to get Erasmus+ funding?
Begin the application process around a year before the mobility starts to ensure your internship placement and funding.
You are the mediator between organization where you secured internship placement and your university where you ensure funding.
All the paperwork should be done before the internship starts.
You receive the bigger part of the grant during the first month of mobility.
At the end of mobility, you need to complete all mandatory documentation, because failing to do so may result in having to reimburse the grant.
Students may be eligible for ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) recognition through your university.
Popular Erasmus+ internships:
Marketing: international markets and global communication.
Engineering: technical expertise through applied community projects.
Environmental: sustainability, conservation, and climate change initiatives.
Healthcare: in hospitals, clinics or rural settings.
Erasmus+ gap year funding
You can get Erasmus+ gap year funding by doing an internship, a traineeship, as a recent graduate or by joining youth exchanges if you are under 30.
Recent graduate:
You must submit your application while you are still enrolled in your final year of higher education, and finish the traineeship within 12 months of graduating.
Under 30:
Join mobility projects for young people where groups of young people from at least two different countries gather for a short period to implement jointly a non-formal learning programme. Programs are usually a mix of workshops, exercises, debates, role-plays, simulations, outdoor activities, etc. on a topic of their interest -Â from the European Youth Goals.
European Solidarity Corps for full-time volunteering abroad.
Other ways to finance your programs
Look into specific country fundings for students
Example: Financing your internships in Spain
About higher education in Spain
Spain has state (public) and private universities. Some are entirely online, and a growing number let you take at least part of a degree online. Studies follow the three cycles of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA): Bachelor, Master and Doctorate.
State grants (Becas MEC)
The main grants come from the education ministry, awarded on a combination of financial need and academic performance.
Scholarships
MAEC-AECID: the Spanish government’s main programme for citizens of developing countries.
Erasmus+
If you come to Spain on an Erasmus+ exchange, you can receive a monthly mobility grant from the European Commission. Spain sits in Erasmus+ country group 2, so a study placement pays around 420 to 540 € a month.
The Working Holiday Visa allows you to do temporary work (for a year) in a partner country. You can finance your stay through temporary work. RealStep offers this type of programs where we insure your work, or training in a partner country.
You need to be between 18 and 30 years of age, depending on the agreement between the countries, even 35.
You need to check if your country has active bilateral working holiday agreements with other countries.
For example, France has working holiday visa agreement with: Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Japan, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Mexico, Peru, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, Uruguay.
The overall concept of the Working Holiday Permit is to be able to finance your trip. By finding an onsite job, you can quickly reimburse your flights and expenses on site.
RealStep
specialises in locating available professional experiences abroad such as seasonal jobs, training, or internships in more than 30 destinations such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan or South Korea.
