European Placement Opportunities (EPO) Consortium Erasmus+ KA 131 2024 Project Period Student Mobility for Traineeships 1st Call of Applications (2024-1-TR01-KA131-HED-000197451)

What is Erasmus+ Student Mobility for Traineeships?

“Internship (traineeship)”, is a process of vocational training and/or gaining work experience by the beneficiary in an enterprise or organization in another program country. Erasmus+ student mobility for traineeships cannot be used for research assignments, analysis purposes regarding academic studies within the scope of a specific education program. Placement enables students to gain practical work experience in the field they are studying. The economic sector chosen for placement should be a sector relevant to the present vocational education program of the student.

Attendance in courses at a higher education institution is not accepted as a traineeship.

What are the European Placement Opportunities (EPO) Erasmus+ Internship Consortium?

The European Placement Opportunities Erasmus+ Internship Consortium (EPO) is coordinated by Afyon Kocatepe University and carried out in partnership with Manisa Celal Bayar University, İzmir University of Economics (IUE), Afyon Kocatepe University, Kütahya Dumlupınar University, Uşak University, Manisa Organized Industrial Zone, and Manisa Celal Bayar University Technology Development Zone Inc. (Manisa Technopark).

The purpose of establishing the consortium is to create traineeship opportunities in EU member countries for students enrolled at partner universities, in connection with their fields of study.

Duration of Mobility

The duration of internship for students is minimum 2 months. (60 calendar days)

When planning a placement in 2024 project period, please keep in mind that it should be completed by no later than July 31, 2026.

While determining the internship dates, the academic calendar must be taken into consideration and internship mobility should not be planned simultaneously during the periods when the courses and exams continue.

Who Can Apply?

Students must first meet the following minimum requirements to participate in the activity:

1. Being a full-time student enrolled in a higher education program at any of the formal education cycles (first, second or third cycle) within the higher education institution,

2. a) Having a minimum of 2.20/4.00 CGPA for first cycle (undergraduate) students,

b) 1-The associate degree graduation grade being minimum of 2.20/4.00 for students who have transferred from the associate degree, whose transcript has not been prepared yet at the application stage, 2- High school graduation grade being minimum of 75/100 for first year students,

c) Having a minimum of 2.50/4.00 CGPA for second and third cycle (graduate) students,

3. The total period not exceeding 12 months with the new activity if the applicant has benefited from higher education mobility activities in the 2014-2020 and/or 2021-2027 Erasmus+ periods within the current education cycle. 

• The traineeship activity can be carried out during the study period in any academic year, and for students in the final year of their study programs, it can be conducted within 12 months after graduation.
• For an internship activity to be carried out after graduation, the application must be submitted before the student graduates (while still enrolled in an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral program).
• Students who have already graduated cannot apply.
• Unlike student mobility for studies, there is no requirement to be at least in the 2nd year of study for the traineeship activity.

In addition to the average of success and foreign language scores, when calculating the Erasmus selection score of students who have previously benefited from higher education student or internship mobility within the scope of Erasmus+ (2014-2020 or 2021-2027) within the same education cycle, a deduction of 10 points is applied for each activity previously utilized (regardless of between study-internship distinction).

Language Proficiency

The students who want to apply for ERASMUS+ Mobilities (Student Mobility for Study and Mobility for Traineehips) have the chance to increase the score of their IUE English Proficiency Exam they had before. In the framework of this, the students will be able to re-take the English Proficiency Exam held by School of Foreign Languages of IUE on different dates during the academic year.

It is compulsory for:

• Students who do not have English proficiency exam score previously taken,
• Transfer students who do not have any English exam score,
• Graduate students who do not have any English exam score obtained before starting the program

         to take English Proficiency Exam if they want to apply for Erasmus+ mobilities.

The evaluation criteria and weighted scores to be used in evaluating the mobility applications are given below:

Additionally,

Receiving a disciplinary punishment or having to retake a failed course poses no obstacle to apply.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Students who will graduate at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year Fall or Spring semester can also benefit from Erasmus+ internship mobility within the first 12 months following their graduation, depending on the end date of the project they applied for. Students in this situation are required to submit their applications between the dates specified in the announcement before graduating.

Students wishing to benefit from internship mobility as a recent graduate are required to submit a document regarding their graduation status, which they can obtain from the Student Affairs Directorate, at the time of application.

Unlike Erasmus+ Student Mobility, students do not have to be in their second year of education to apply for Erasmus+ Traineeship Mobility. For the application of first year students, their academic grade point averages at the end of the first semester will be considered.

Students who are on leave of absence in the relevant semester cannot apply/ benefit from the Erasmus+ mobility activities.

Students will not be selected before an institution for placement is designated.

Erasmus+ Grant Quotas

Due to limited grant quotas, no specific quotas have been allocated per faculty/school/institute. Applications will be accepted from all academic programs and will be evaluated university-wide based on the Erasmus Score.

Important Note:

The studies, scientific research and projects that students carry out to support or complete their personal academic studies cannot be considered as internship activities.

Students who are in a thesis period in the master program cannot apply to Erasmus+ traineeship mobility to conduct their credit-based thesis studies (which is out of traineeship framework) under the control of an advisor. These students should apply for Erasmus+ Student Mobility for Studies.

Where do traineeships take place?

5. The sector in which the internship will take place must be related to the student’s current study program.
5. It is not necessary to have a prior agreement with the host organization.
5. The organizations hosting the internship can be any public or private sector entity established in one of the eligible countries and operating in the labor market or in the fields of education, training, youth, research, or development.
5. Although not an exhaustive list, the following types of organizations can be considered suitable internship placements:

• Small, medium, or large enterprises in the public or private sector
• Local, regional, or national public institutions
• Embassies or consulates of the sending country abroad
• Organizations or associations related to the business world, such as chambers of commerce, craft associations, stock exchanges, and trade unions
• Research institutes
• Foundations
• Schools/institutes/training centers (including any type of educational institution from preschool to secondary education, as well as vocational or adult education institutions)
• Non-profit organizations, associations, and NGOs
• Institutions providing career planning, professional counseling, or information services
• Higher education institutions (must hold an ECHE – Erasmus Charter for Higher Education)

5. The following organizations are not eligible for higher education internship activities under Erasmus+:

• Institutions and agencies of the European Union (see: https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/institutions-and-bodies/search-all-eu-institutions-and-bodies_en)
• Organizations such as National Agencies that manage EU programs.

The suitability of the internship placement and program content with respect to the student’s study program is evaluated by the authorized faculty/department officials of the relevant academic unit.

The process and documents required for application

The processes of application and placements will be conducted online through TURNAPortal system (https://turnaportal.ua.gov.tr/) which was launched by Turkish National Agency. Students who are planning to apply for this call will visit the web site above with their e-state username and password and complete the application accordingly.

Required documents should be uploaded to the related section of Application Portal. For the online application processes to be carried out and the application documents to be uploaded online, applicants must strictly adhere to the specified deadline.

Application Documents:

• Up-to-date IUE transcript: The students who will apply for this mobility should upload the barcoded transcript, which will be downloaded from E-State Platform. However, the information on this document should be compared with the information on the current transcript that appears on OBS. If the transcript on E-State Platform is outdated, an update must be requested via e-mail to IUE Student Affairs Directorate (student@ieu.edu.tr). After the update, the barcoded transcript should be uploaded to the application portal. Applications of students who submit a transcript without a barcode or signature will not be taken into consideration.

• English Language Certificate: Regarding the English language certificate, applicants should pay attention to the following:
• If you intend to use the English Proficiency Exam result administered by IUE before the start of the 1st year, and this score is shown on your transcript, your BARCODED/E-SIGNED TRANSCRIPT will be sufficient for the application. However, if this exam result is not shown on the transcript, you must upload a SIGNED DOCUMENT indicating the exam result to the system.
• For students who want to participate in the Erasmus+ program and improve their PIE results, if you have taken the English exam held on different dates and you want to use this exam result, you must upload the document showing this exam result to the system. You can request this document by e-mail from the Office of International Affairs (oia@ieu.edu.tr ), specifying the date of the exam you attended.
• If you transferred to IUE from a university that was closed by decree, you need to submit a document showing the English proficiency test result you took at the university that was closed. If the School of Foreign Languages of IUE approves the exemption from taking the PIE test, you can use this result in your application. You must upload the relevant document to the application system.
• If there is no exam result that you can submit in an official letter, you must have taken the Proficiency in English Exam held by IUE and submit this exam result.
• Students studying in undergraduate programs whose medium of instruction is Turkish must have taken the Proficiency in English Exam that will be offered by IUE in the previous semesters or during these applications and upload the result of this exam to the system.
• Applications from students who do not have an English language certificate or who submit a certificate without a barcode or signature will not be considered.

• The acceptance/invitation letter received from the receiving institution, which was signed and printed on the traineeship company’s letterhead paper.

• Erasmus Traineeship Company Approval Form: The institution that sent an invitation letter for Erasmus+ traineeship should be approved by the faculty/department’s traineeship commission. At the graduate programs, it should be approved by the relevant head of the department. The signed version of this form should be uploaded to “Other Documents” area on the application platform.

• Other Documents: Documents which are subject to evaluation and may affect the weighted distribution of Erasmus points, and/or documents based on the request of additional grant support should also be uploaded to TURNAPORTAL.

GRANT AMOUNTS FOR 2024 PROJECT PERIOD

TRAVEL GRANT SUPPORT

The students will receive travel support to contribute to their travel expenses. The travel grant will be determined based on the km value between the starting point of the mobility and the place where the activity takes place which is calculated by the distance calculator provided by European Commission, and it is calculated using the table below. The amount that will be paid to the students according to the table below is considered a round-trip and the amount is not multiplied by two.

ADDITIONAL GRANT SUPPORT IN STUDENT MOBILITY

Participants with fewer opportunities will receive Additional Grant Support in addition to the standard grant they are entitled to. For this support to be provided, a participant with fewer opportunities is defined as an individual who is economically and socially disadvantaged and falls into one of the categories listed below:

1. Those covered under Law No. 2828 (individuals under the protection, care, or shelter decision issued by the Ministry of Family and Social Services in accordance with Law No. 2828)
2. Students who are under a protection, care, or shelter decision under the Child Protection Law No. 5395
3. Individuals receiving an orphan’s or survivor’s pension
4. Spouses or children of martyrs/veterans, as well as the veterans themselves
5. Those who receive a poverty allowance (it is sufficient for the student or their parents/guardian to provide a document proving that they receive financial aid from municipalities, public institutions or organizations such as Ministries, Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundations, the General Directorate of Foundations, Turkish Red Crescent, or AFAD at the time of their Erasmus application)
6. Persons with disabilities
7. Those whose parent or guardian receives a disability or poverty allowance under Law No. 2022, dated 01.07.1976, on Monthly Payments to Needy, Powerless, and Orphaned Turkish Citizens and to Disabled and Needy Turkish Citizens
8. Those who themselves or whose first-degree relatives receive disaster relief from AFAD
9. Scholarships and aids such as those from the Credit and Dormitories Institution (KYK), merit-based scholarships, other achievement-based grants, and one-time financial aids are not considered within the scope of this financial support.

Students who fall within the scope defined above, upon request and upon submission of supporting documentation, will receive the following Additional Grant Support based on their type of mobility:

INCLUSION SUPPORT

The Erasmus+ Programme encourages the participation of individuals with fewer opportunities.

A person with fewer opportunities is defined as a potential participant whose personal physical, mental, or health condition would prevent them from taking part in the project or mobility activity without additional financial support.

Students who require inclusion support must contact our Office, inform us of their situation during the application stage, and, if requested, provide relevant supporting documentation.

Explanations

• The grant allocated is only for support purposes; it does not aim to cover all the expenses made by the beneficiary.
• There will not be a separate payment from the Erasmus+ fund for expenses such as the plane tickets, accommodation expenses, health insurance, etc. Such expenses are to be covered by the student.
• 70% of Erasmus+ grant is paid before the mobility starts, and the remaining 30% is paid at the end of the mobility after the completion of the paperwork.
• To provide grants for more students and increase the number of mobilities, students will be paid grant only for 2 months at most. If the application numbers are lower than expected or if any student gives up his/her mobility right, then duration to be financed can be increased.
• The higher education institution reserves the right not to pay the remaining payment in part or in full or ask for a reimbursement of an already paid amount for students who fail to fulfil their responsibilities on purpose and participate in the program at the host institution.
• Participants with limited economic and social opportunities will receive Additional Grant Support in addition to the scholarships they are entitled to. Students who meet the criteria outlined in the Turkish National Agency's 2024 Handbook for Higher Education Institutions can receive an Additional Grant Support of €250 per month, upon request and with documentation of their situation.
• Being selected for Erasmus+ program does not automatically qualify the student for a grant. In the event of inadequate grants, students’ Erasmus+ grades will be influential.
• Students who will take part in Erasmus+ Traineeship mobility can apply to their faculty in order to get this internship to be counted as “compulsory internship”. All the procedures related to this request are followed by the students individually. IUE Office of International Affairs do not carry out any transactions
• Students selected for the program may benefit from traineeship program without any grant if they wish to. Those students who are not awarded with any Erasmus+ grant will have the same rights and responsibilities as those who are awarded.

TIMETABLE FOR APPLICATIONS

APPLICATION PROCESS and METHOD

The students who would like to apply for Erasmus+ traineeship mobilities can apply via TURNAPORTAL (https://turnaportal.ua.gov.tr/giris) from November 14, 2025 by logging in with their E-State passwords.

A guideline for how to apply via TURNAPORTAL will also be published separately.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

23.01.2026

Contact

oia@ieu.edu.tr | +90 232 488 81 87