In this guide
Fast answer
The Erasmus Learning Agreement sets out which courses you will take at your host university (Table A) and which parts of your own degree they will replace (Table B). Three parties —you, your home university and the host university— approve it online before you leave, and if you stick to it, your home university has to recognise those credits without extra exams.
- Rather have us prepare it? Odisea drafts it for you with every equivalence and its syllabus link.
- Unsure about credits? Read how ECTS credits work.
Almost nobody gets a Learning Agreement rejected for a badly filled box. It gets rejected because a course runs in the other semester, is taught in a language you did not expect, or the credits in the two tables do not add up. This guide is about that.
The tables, one by one
| Table | What goes in | Who decides | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | The courses you will take abroad, with code and ECTS | You, approved by the host university | Before you leave |
| B | The group of courses from your degree that they replace | Your home coordinator | Before you leave |
| C | An optional virtual component (online classes or training from the host) | Both universities | Only if you add one |
| A2 and B2 | Changes: courses you drop or add | All three parties | During your stay |
Two rules from the Commission’s official guidelines worth knowing from the start:
- Courses do not need a twin. Tables A and B are not matched one to one: a block of what you learn abroad replaces a block of your degree. That is why three 6-ECTS courses can be swapped for two 9-ECTS ones.
- The totals do have to match. The ECTS total in Table B must correspond to the total in Table A.
An example of the two tables
The courses below are made up; the structure is what matters. The columns are the ones in the official template: code, title as written in the catalogue, semester, ECTS and, in Table B, whether recognition is automatic.
Table A — at the host university (autumn semester)
| Code | Course | ECTS |
|---|---|---|
| ECO210 | European Economics | 9 |
| ECO245 | Financial Markets | 9 |
| MKT130 | Digital Marketing | 6 |
| LAN101 | Local language, level B1 | 6 |
| Total | 30 |
Table B — what your home university recognises
| Course in your degree | ECTS | Automatic recognition? |
|---|---|---|
| International Economics | 6 | Yes |
| Finance | 6 | Yes |
| Marketing | 6 | Yes |
| Electives | 12 | Yes |
| Total | 30 |
Four courses abroad cover four blocks of your degree without any of them being a twin, and both totals are 30. Electives are the natural home for a language course or for a subject your degree does not have.
How to fill it in, step by step
- General details and type of mobility. Your details, both universities’ details and the type: long-term (2 to 12 months, the usual Erasmus study period) or short-term (5 to 30 days with a compulsory virtual part). Add the academic year and approximate dates.
- Find the host catalogue. The host university commits to publishing its course catalogue in advance. Use it, not the list a friend sent you two years ago. Each Odisea university guide links, when one exists, to the official course catalogue and the exchange fact sheet.
- Fill in Table A. A full academic year is about 60 ECTS, so a proportional load is recommended for one semester, around 30. Check every course for semester, language and whether it is open to exchange students.
- Agree Table B with your coordinator. They decide which parts of your degree are covered. Bring the syllabus of each host course: that is what they use to accept or refuse the equivalence.
- State your language level. The two universities agree a recommended level in the language of instruction. If you are not there yet, you commit to reaching it before you start, and the Commission offers the Erasmus+ Online Language Support (OLS) for that.
- Signatures. All three parties must approve it digitally before the mobility starts. Without that approval, recognition is not guaranteed.
Where it is done: the OLA or your university’s platform
Since 2021 the Learning Agreement has to be digital. Many universities use the Online Learning Agreement (OLA), built by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the European University Foundation and the Erasmus Student Network. Others run it in their own system connected to the Erasmus Without Paper network.
So do not follow just any tutorial: the format is the same across Europe, but the platform, the internal deadlines and who signs depend on your university. Ask your international office which one you use before you start.
How the OLA works
- You log in with your university account. Access is through MyAcademicID, with your university’s academic credentials (eduGAIN). If you do not know them, ask your coordinator.
- You start it, or it arrives half-filled. Either your university uploads the list of selected students and you get a pre-filled agreement, or you create one yourself at learning-agreement.eu.
- You add the courses and sign. The signature is on screen; nothing to print. It works best on a touch screen such as a phone or tablet.
- Your coordinator reviews it. They get an automatic email. If something does not work, they can decline the proposal with comments: all signatures are then deleted, you fix it and sign again.
- The host university signs. It is notified once your home university has approved.
- You get an email when it is ready. All three parties can check its status at any time, and you can download it as a PDF.
A practical detail: the platform is in English only. Course titles, though, are written as they appear in each university’s catalogue.
During your stay: changing courses
Changes should be the exception, but they happen: timetable clashes, cancelled courses, full groups. The European rule:
- You can ask for changes within five weeks of the start of each semester.
- All three parties should approve them within two weeks of your request.
- Changes go in Tables A2 and B2; the original tables are not edited, they are kept together as a new version.
If you change a course in Table A, check Table B too: if credits drop on one side, your coordinator has to adjust the other.
When you get back: Transcript of Records and recognition
The host university sends your Transcript of Records, normally within five weeks of publishing your results. With it, your home university has to automatically recognise every ECTS credit in Table B (and B2 if there were changes) and count it towards your degree, without extra assignments or exams. It is a commitment in the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education, which every university in the programme signs.
How your grades are converted into your home scale is decided by your home university. The transcript must include the host’s grade distribution precisely for that.
If you fail a course
The European guidelines do not set one rule: they require your home university to state in advance what happens if you do not pass a course abroad, and to put a link to those rules in the Learning Agreement itself. Open it before you sign. It tells you whether you can resit at the host, whether you take the home exam when you are back, or whether it affects your grant.
How it changes by destination
The document is the same everywhere in Europe; what changes is how you pick courses and how you are graded:
| Destination | What surprises students most | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | Winter and summer semesters; signing up for a course does not register you for its exam; grades from 1.0 to 4.0 | Learning Agreement in Germany |
| France | Many universities only let you pick courses open to exchange students; grades out of 20 | Learning Agreement in France |
| Italy | Credits are called CFU (1 CFU = 1 ECTS); exams in fixed sessions, grades from 18 to 30 | Learning Agreement in Italy |
| Poland | You choose in the USOS system, often in rounds; some courses only open with enough demand | Learning Agreement in Poland |
| Portugal | Universities made of separate schools; many courses in Portuguese; grades from 0 to 20 | Learning Agreement in Portugal |
| Spain | Most undergraduate courses in Spanish; each faculty confirms your list; grades from 0 to 10 | Learning Agreement in Spain |
Before you submit it, check these five things
- Every course in Table A runs in the semester you will be there.
- You can follow it in its language, and it is open to exchange students.
- The ECTS in Tables A and B add up to the same total.
- You used this year’s catalogue, not another year’s.
- Every equivalence carries the link to its syllabus and one sentence on why it fits.
Point five takes the longest and prevents the most rejections. It is exactly what our Learning Agreement service prepares, for Erasmus+ exchanges between European countries only.
Where to go next
- ECTS credits explained
- Erasmus grant 2026: how much you get
- Study abroad checklist
- What is Erasmus and how it works
- Get your Learning Agreement prepared by Odisea
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Erasmus Learning Agreement?
It is the study agreement between you, your home university and the host university. It lists the courses you take abroad (Table A) and the parts of your degree recognised in return (Table B), and it is approved before your stay starts.
Who has to sign the Learning Agreement?
Three parties: you, your home university and the host university. Since 2021 approval is digital, on the OLA or in your university’s own system.
How many credits should I put in my Learning Agreement?
A full academic year is about 60 ECTS. For one semester a proportional load is recommended, around 30, and the credits in Table B must correspond to those in Table A.
Can I change my Learning Agreement once I am abroad?
Yes. You can ask for changes within five weeks of the start of each semester, and they should be approved within two weeks. They go in Tables A2 and B2.
How are Erasmus credits recognised?
Through the Transcript of Records sent by the host university. Your home university must automatically recognise every ECTS credit in Table B without extra exams, as the Erasmus Charter it signed requires.
What happens if I fail a course in my Learning Agreement?
It depends on your home university. The European guidelines require it to set those rules in advance and link them in the Learning Agreement, so look for them before you sign.
Do I need to print and sign the Learning Agreement by hand?
No. Since 2021 it is digital: on the OLA you sign on screen and can download the PDF afterwards if someone asks for it.
Do the courses abroad have to be the same as in my degree?
No. Tables A and B do not have to match one to one: a group of host courses replaces a group of courses in your degree.