Trinity students on Erasmus+ exchanges at partner European universities have faced significant delays in receiving their Erasmus+ grant funds. The grant, which amounts to around €300 per month of exchange, is described on the Trinity Outbound Mobility website as “intended as a contribution to help with your travel and living costs” while studying abroad. For many students, the grant is a significant factor in deciding to go overseas.
The grant is paid in two installments: approximately 80% upon arrival in the host country and the remaining 20% upon completion of the Erasmus mobility.
To receive the first instalment, students must email three documents to the Outgoing Erasmus Office. The first is a signed Arrival Form confirming that the student has physically arrived at the host university. The second is a Learning Agreement signed by both Trinity and the host university, outlining the modules the student will take abroad, their credit value, and the Trinity modules they would have taken in comparison. The signature confirms that both institutions deem the exchange modules relevant and appropriate for the student’s degree. The third document is a student-signed Grant Agreement, which includes bank details and mandatory proof of medical insurance.
These documents can take time to organise, particularly because they require signatures from both the Trinity coordinator and the host university coordinator.
Ellen Duggan, an English Studies major on exchange at the University of Bologna, submitted her documents on 29th September 2025, as soon as she had obtained all the signatures. She received an automatic reply promising a response within five working days, meaning by 6th October. The Erasmus Office had previously warned in emails that it was “an extremely busy time” and “experiencing a high volume of emails,” so Ellen waited until 22nd October, 17 working days later, before sending a personalised follow-up. On the same day, all Erasmus students received a generic email from Lisa McCormack, Global Mobility Officer, stating, “I am working through them in order of date received.”
Ellen followed up again on 3rd November, now 25 working days after her initial submission, asking:
“When can I expect my Erasmus grant to come through? My decision to go on Erasmus was influenced by the fact that the financial demands of moving abroad would be lessened by the grant, and I am struggling to get by without it.”
Although students are advised to “prepare and budget accordingly, especially considering accommodation costs, food, books, local transport, and social and travel plans,” the Erasmus+ Grant can heavily influence a student’s decision to study abroad. It is prominently featured in Trinity’s Erasmus promotional events, including the Pre-Departure Webinar Series, and is listed under the “Bursary and Grants” tab of the “How can I go?” page on the Outbound Mobility website.
Ellen sent another follow-up email on 27th November, now 38 days past the promised reply, emphasising that “receiving this grant is urgent to me.” On 28th November, she sent another follow-up email and received a reply an hour later confirming that she would be included in the next “payment run” and that “the funds should reach your account within the next two weeks.” What had been expected to arrive in October was delayed until December, leaving Ellen in significant financial uncertainty for two months.
Alex Sloan, a third-year Joint Honours English and French student at the University of Paris, also told The University Times that she had budgeted her exchange around the Erasmus Grant. Sloan relied on the grant for specific expenses such as a €392.30 Paris Metro Pass and mandatory house insurance. Alex, like all students travelling abroad on exchange, was also required to take out travel insurance, with the Erasmus Office recommending three providers with an average cost of €132 per semester. She, too, was ignored by the Erasmus Office after sending a follow-up email 18 days post-submission and has yet to receive a response.
Eoin Gielty and JP Curran, both students on exchange at KU Leuven in Belgium, were also ignored by the Outgoing Erasmus Office. Gielty, who studies Electrical Engineering, shared that it took over nine weeks after sending the documents to receive the grant, and their follow-up emails were all ignored. Curran, who studies Philosophy and English, had a similar experience, commenting that “the office seems to me like it’s just one overworked person”.
Students shared with The University Times that they felt frustrated by the Erasmus Office’s repeated use of generic emails, framing the office as victims of a “high volume of emails” and asking for “patience”, rather than acknowledging that the promised processing timeline had lapsed. They were repeatedly ignored and left waiting for money essential to covering living costs in expensive European cities.
A Trinity spokesperson responded to our request for comment, repeating that “October and November represent the peak period for global mobility operations,” and also that Trinity has “significantly increased” the number of students going abroad in recent years, with more than 1,300 outgoing students last year. The spokesperson also noted that “Erasmus grant processing is more complex than it may initially appear”, citing “stringent compliance requirements” that “often requires several rounds of review and repeated communication with individual students”.
While these factors explain why the Erasmus Grant takes time to process, they do not address why the Outgoing Erasmus Office set itself a five-day response time, and ignored students’ requests for clarity once this time had passed.
The Trinity spokesperson shared that: “Trinity Global conducted an internal review of the Erasmus grants payment process in mid-November and introduced short-term measures to accelerate processing.” They also confirmed that “a broader review of Erasmus grant management has also commenced, with the aim of identifying more sustainable staffing solutions for processing grant payments during the annual peak periods”.
In light of the problems faced by outgoing Erasmus students in Michaelmas Semester 2025, the question now is whether these reviews will improve the experience for outgoing Hilary Semester students and those who follow in future years. The spokesperson included that “Trinity is committed to supporting and expanding global mobility opportunities for students”. Yet, as the number of outgoing students continues to grow, so too will the pressure on mobility offices.
The next round of grant applications will show whether the College can match its promises with action, and improve the Outgoing Erasmus Office so that it can honour its commitments to students abroad.
