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Through the LLP/Erasmus programme (Lifelong Learning Programme / Erasmus), several hundred students each year travel from Charles University (CU) for a study period abroad in another European educational institution. In 2014/2015 more than 1500 bilateral agreements have been prepared for students from CU, covering over 2000 places for one- or two-semester study periods abroad. They include destinations in all the countries that have joined the LLP/Erasmus programme.

Organising study periods abroad through the Erasmus programme requires an administrative procedure which has been simplified by CU’s on-line system. Through this system every participant in the Erasmus programme can follow the individual administrative steps and the current position, download the necessary documents in pdf format, check the date and the amount of the financial support sent to them, etc.The Erasmus programme on-line system uses data from the Student Information System (SIS) and information about the bilateral agreement on the basis of which a student is nominated for a study period abroad.

• Selection procedures and nomination of students in 2014/2015

• Applying through the on-line system

• Study plan

• Application Form

• Transferring grants to a Komerční banka technical bank account

• Decision of the Dean to Award a Grant

• Financial Agreement

• Health insurance

• Studies abroad, changes to the study plan, extending the study period

• Obligations after returning

Selection procedures and nomination of students in 2014/2015

The selection procedures to fill the available places are the responsibility of the individual faculties or sections of faculties (departments, institutes, etc.), which announce the selection procedures, and ensure all students have equal access to them and the selection is transparent. Selection procedures have either one round (in faculties where they are organised centrally), or two rounds, with the first round being organised by the department or institute and the second at central (faculty) level. The result of a selection procedure is a list of successful students, listed in order of preference for the individual countries. Students apply to take part in selection procedures according to the conditions stipulated by the selection commission and by registering in the CU on-line system.

Nomination of students

Students who have been successful in a selection procedure can be nominated for the Erasmus programme. Students are nominated by the faculty coordinator (authorised by the dean) through the on-line system. Once nominated, students are entitled to receive financial support.

Applying through the on-line system

When registering in the on-line system, all candidates can apply for up to three destinations for any one selection procedure from among the places offered by the CU faculty they are enrolled at. When choosing destinations, they should take into account the field of study offered there.

All students who fulfil the Qualifying Conditions of the Erasmus programme can apply through the

Students gain access to the system by using their personal number (the eight-figure number on their student identity card below the photo) and the password that goes with the identity card. If they have forgotten the password or it has expired, they can get a new one from the CU Central Authentication Service at https://ldap1.cuni.cz/language/switch?lang=en

Deadlines

The on-line system is open for applications for Erasmus study periods abroad in the winter and summer semesters 2014/2015 from 15.2.2014. The dates at which selection procedures are held are fixed by the individual facultiesor their sections (departments or institutes). The results of the selection procedures are announced by the Erasmus faculty coordinators and are also entered in the on-line system (by indicating whether students are nominated or not nominated).

If the available student-months are not all used up in the “spring” selection procedures, additional selection procedures can be held to fill further places in the summer semester 2014/2015. The on-line system will be open on 1.9.2014 for registration for these additional selection procedures.

Study plan

The study plan abroad must correspond to the study programme followed by a student at CU. Subjects can be recognised if they have a recognisable equivalent in the study programme at CU. The study plan can be made up of mandatory, elective, or optional subjects. If a course taken abroad has no specific equivalent in the accredited study programme, it can be recognised as an optional subject.

Students enter the subjects they have chosen to study abroad into the study plan in the on-line system. When printed, the study plan takes the form of a Record of the Study Plan Abroad (Protokol o studijním plánu v zahraničí). The compatibility of the individual subjects is approved by the guarantor of the study programme (or the chairperson of the council of guarantors of the study programme) and then by the Vice-Dean for Study Matters. Subjects approved on the Record of the Study Plan Abroad are entered in the Learning Agreement which is part of the Application Form sent to the partner institution abroad. At the same time, these subjects represent the minimum requirements for completing the chosen study plan at the receiving institution.

In some cases partner institutions have their own application forms or Learning Agreement forms, and sometimes they require a transcript of students’ academic results. It is therefore essential that students check the requirements of the partner institution and provide all the required documents in cooperation with the programme coordinators.

The completed Learning Agreement included in the Application Form does not have to be the final version, and it is usually possible to alter it after the start of the study period abroad. The final version of the Record of the Study Plan Abroad must correspond to the subjects that the student studies abroad and which the partner institution confirms on the Transcript of Academic Records.

Application Form

The Application Form is generated automatically in pdf format and after it has been filled out it can be printed at any time from the on-line system. In addition to personal details and the Learning Agreement it contains further details which must be filled in before it can be printed. These include the planned length of the study period, language skills, previous experience of studying abroad, the reasons for the choice of study and destination, and contact people at CU. As with the Learning Agreement, it is essential to check on the requirements of the partner institution, which may ask for its own forms to be completed, especially regarding accommodation, orientation days, language courses, etc. Partner institutions also often have their own on-line registration.

!!! NB!  Deadlines for applications at partner institutions may be different from those at CU !!!

Partner institutions usually inform students that they have been accepted for a study period abroad by sending a letter of acceptance and/or the confirmed Application Form. These documents are usually sent to the student’s address. If they are sent to the faculty or the European Office at the CU International Office, the relevant coordinators will inform the student at once so he or she can start to deal with the financial documents.

Transferring grants to a Komerční banka technical bank account

When a grant has been awarded to a student, it is transferred to his or her special technical bank account in Euros, which the student has previously activated for the purpose of paying funds to participants in the Erasmus programme. This account is opened only the period that the student takes part in the programme.

The amount of the financial support is stipulated in the financial documents. Students must fill in the account number in the on-line system as a condition for the Financial Agreement to be drawn up.

Activating the account

In order to activate the bank account students must present the following documents at one of the Komerční banka branches listed below:

a) Application Form to study at the receiving institution confirmed by the sending institution

b) Identity card

c) Student identity card or other document confirming identity (passport, ISIC card, etc.).

The visit to the Komerční banka branches listed below should be arranged in advance by telephoning the contact person. After the visit at the arranged time students sign the contractual documents and receive a bank payment card.

Prague - Dlouhá 34, 110 00  Prague 1

Hradec Králové - Čelakovského 642, 502 16  Hradec Králové

Pilsen - Goethova 2704/1, 305 95 Pilsen

Ways the bank account can be used:

1) Withdrawing funds using the payment card

2) Transferring funds to another account

3) Withdrawing funds in cash with no bank charge at certain branches

Overview of basic conditions for operating the bank account

Activation of the account – free of charge

Operating the account during the period of participation in the programme – free of charge

Issuing an electronic payment card (VISA, Mastercard) – free of charge

Purchasing goods using the payment card – free of charge

Closing the account – free of charge

Withdrawals in cash at the branches listed below – free of charge

Charges for withdrawals from cash dispensers (ATMs) and for account transactions are standard charges, as with any other bank account.

Charges in Kč for withdrawals from cash dispensers (ATMs) and for account transactions are as follows:

- Cash withdrawal from a Komerční banka cash dispenser in the Czech Republic using the payment card – 5 CZK

- Cash withdrawal from a cash dispenser of another bank in the Czech Republic using the payment card – 39 CZK

- Cash withdrawal from a cash dispenser abroad using the payment card – 1%, minimum 100 CZK

- Purchasing goods using the payment card in the Czech Republic and abroad – free of charge

- Transferring funds from the account to another account using a transfer order in paper form – 20 CZK

Details of technical bank account (CZ)

We advise students to study in advance the experiences of their colleagues from previous years and then to decide whether it will be better for them to leave their Erasmus grant in the Komerční banka account or to withdraw it in cash or transfer it to another account that they open abroad.

Decision of the Dean to Award a Grant

After receiving the Application Form confirmed by the receiving institution and the letter of acceptance, students are entitled to receive a grant to support them during their study period abroad. This grant is awarded on the basis of a Decision of the Dean.

The faculty coordinator is responsible for drafting the Decision of the Dean to Award a Grant. The letter of acceptance and confirmed Application Form are usually sent to the address of the student given in the Application Form. If they are sent to the faculty or the European Office , the relevant coordinator will inform the student without delay. An e-mail message cannot be considered as a letter of acceptance.

The amount of the grant depends on the level of financial support stipulated for the specific country and on the time spent there, as stated in the Qualifying Conditions of the Erasmus programme.

Financial Agreement

The proper use of the grant that has been awarded and the conditions for paying it out are set out in the Financial Agreement, in accordance with the Qualifying Conditions of the Erasmus programme.

Students sign the Financial Agreement with CU via the European Office. The Financial Agreement will be ready for the student to sign approximately 10 working days after the Decision of the Dean to Award a Grant is issued. The student’s Erasmus application must be properly completed on-line before the Financial Agreement can be printed and prepared. An e-mail informing the student of how the Financial Agreement can be signed and collected will be sent to the address of the student given in the on-line system.

In order for the Financial Agreement to be signed and the grant paid out, the following documents must be submitted:

• the Decision of the Dean to Award a Grant

• the confirmed Application Form and Learning Agreement

• the Record of the Study Plan Abroad (Protokol o studijním plánu v zahraničí)

• the letter of acceptance from the partner institution

Students receive one original of the Financial Agreement, and also an LLP-Erasmus Nomination Letter in English or German for the officials (immigration police) abroad. According to EU regulations students are obliged to register with the immigration police in the place where they are going to study within 30 days of their arrival.

Details of the amount of the grant and how it will be paid

The monthly level of the grants for different countries for the 2014/2015 academic year

For study periods that end before February 2015, grants will be transferred to the students’ activated bank accounts in one payment, no later than 14 days before the start of the study period. For longer study periods grants will be transferred in two payments, the first one covering financial support up till the end of February 2015 and the second one for the remaining time up till the end of the study period. The second part of the grant will be transferred in mid-February 2015. Grants for study periods that begin in 2015 will be transferred to the activated bank accounts in one payment.

Health insurance

EU citizens are entitled to health care in EU and EEA countries in accordance with the EEC Council Regulations 1408/71 and 574/72. However, in all EU countries patients may have to pay some of the costs themselves. For this reason it is the duty of students to make sure they have an insurance covering all medical expenses that is valid for the country they will study in. Since 1.6.2004 an amendment of the Regulations referred to above has been in force, establishing the European Health Insurance Card as the document entitling patients to medical care in EU and EEA countries.

Studies abroad, changes to the study plan, extending the study period

Studies abroad, changes to the study plan, extending the study period

Partner institutions usually inform students about how and when to register/enrol by sending information either by e-mail or in printed form together with the letter of acceptance.

Changes to the study plan

It is not unusual for students to change their study plan during the course of their studies abroad. According to the rules of the Erasmus programme, all changes should be formally notified within 1 month of the start of the studies. Students notify changes to their study plan and submit a proposal for their approval through the on-line system, where they can notify the cancellation of subjects they originally intended to take and the addition of new ones. They then send the document “Changes in the Record of the Study Plan” (Změny v protokolu o studijním plánu) in pdf format to the guarantor of their study programme for approval. The faculty coordinator confirms the changes in the on-line system.

Extending the study period

Erasmus study periods can be extended without entitlement to additional financial support (“zero-grant students”). During the period of extension students have Erasmus status and are able to make use of all the advantages the Erasmus programme offers. A study period can only be extended if this is in accordance with the Qualifying Conditions of the Erasmus programme. This means that the total length of the study period (including the extension) must not be more than 12 months and the study period must finish by the end of the academic year at the latest. The period of extension must follow on directly from the study period that was originally planned.

In order to extend their study period, students should send their faculty coordinator confirmation that the receiving institution agrees with the extension (a letter of acceptance for the period of extension), fill in a study plan for the period of extension in the on-line system, and send the form “Changes in the Record of the Study Plan” (Změny v protokolu o studijním plánu) in pdf format to the guarantor of their study programme for approval. After receiving both documents, the faculty coordinator will extend the study period in the on-line system.

The European Office will send the student an Addendum to the Financial Agreement to be signed, which alters the length of the study period abroad and the obligations after returning. The other provisions of the Financial Agreement remain unchanged.

Obligations after returning

According to the undertakings made in the Financial Agreement, after returning students must submit the following documents to the European Office and complete the final evaluation report:

· a copy of a record of the study results achieved (e.g. Transcript of records, Datenabschrift, Relevé de notes), issued and signed by the receiving institution.

· Confirmation of LLP-Erasmus study period (or similar document issued and signed by the receiving institution confirming the purpose and length of the study period). A form containing the essential elements for this document can be found in Appendix D of the Financial Agreement.

Deadline for submitting document: within 10 days of the date it was issued by the receiving institution, but in any case by 30.9. of the relevant academic year at the latest.

· Final report: Students fill in their final report on the website of the Executive Agency (Mobility Tool). Students log in using their e-mail address (the one they gave in the Erasmus on-line system). The password for access to the Mobility Tool website to fill in their final report will be sent to them at the same e-mail address about 1 month before the end of their study period abroad. Deadline for submitting report: within 15 days of completing the study period.

The European office keeps a record of all the printed documents required after the end of the study period and the final reports. Students can check whether they have been received in the on-line system.

Details of financial arrangements if the study period is terminated early

If the “Confirmation of study period” document shows that the study period has been terminated early, students are obliged to return the part of the grant that they have received but were not entitled to.