Erasmus CV Example

An effective Erasmus CV should answer one central question: why are you a strong match for this particular study exchange, traineeship, or mobility opportunity? This guide gives you an original evidence-based structure, a complete fictional example, and creative CV ideas that remain clear, professional, and easy for a selection committee to evaluate.

Erasmus+ does not use one central application form for every student mobility opportunity. Your university or higher education institution manages the application process and publishes its own criteria. Read the current call first, then adapt the order, length, language, and supporting documents of your CV to those instructions.

The Erasmus Selection Lens

A general student CV records what you have done. A strong Erasmus CV explains why those experiences prepare you for a specific mobility period. Reviewers may need to compare many applicants with similar grades, so relevant evidence and a clear structure matter more than decorative language.

Think like a selector: Can this student succeed academically or professionally, communicate in the required language, adapt to a new environment, and make purposeful use of the opportunity?

Your CV does not need to answer every possible question. It should make the most important answers easy to find and support each claim with a course, project, responsibility, result, or example.

Create an Erasmus Evidence Map Before You Write

Begin with a simple planning table. Copy the selection criteria from the call into the first column, identify your best evidence in the second, and decide where that evidence belongs in the CV. This prevents a common mistake: describing everything you have done while hiding the information the committee actually needs.

Possible criterion	Evidence you could use	Best CV location
Academic fit	Relevant modules, research topic, project, laboratory work, or portfolio	Education or Selected Projects
Language readiness	CEFR level, certificate, English-medium course, presentation, or customer contact	Languages
Motivation for destination	Course match, research interest, professional field, or regional focus	Profile or Academic Fit
Adaptability	Moving city, working with an international team, volunteering, or solving a practical problem	Experience or Activities
Initiative	Starting a club project, organising an event, tutoring, or leading a small improvement	Projects or Leadership
Community contribution	Peer mentoring, student association work, volunteering, or cultural activity	Activities

Choose one or two pieces of evidence for each major criterion. If the same example supports several criteria, describe it once in the strongest section instead of repeating it throughout the document.

A Flexible Erasmus CV Structure

The exact order depends on the call and your strengths. For most student applications, the following structure is a useful starting point.

Contact information

Include your full name, professional email address, phone number with country code, and current city and country. Add a professional profile or portfolio link only when it supports the application. Include a photo, nationality, date of birth, or other personal data only when the application instructions request it and you are comfortable providing it.

Mobility profile

Use two or three sentences to connect your current studies, the target opportunity, and the value you can contribute. Avoid generic statements about loving travel or meeting new people. A mobility profile should sound purposeful.

Useful formula: Current academic identity + relevant strength or experience + specific mobility objective.

Example: Second-year environmental engineering student with experience in water-quality analysis and student-led sustainability projects. Seeking an Erasmus study period that will strengthen my knowledge of urban water systems and allow me to contribute to collaborative laboratory work.

Education and academic fit

List your current programme first. Include the institution, city and country, dates, expected graduation, and relevant academic information. Add selected modules, a thesis topic, laboratory methods, major projects, or an academic achievement when it helps explain your fit.

Grades should be presented honestly and in a format the reader can interpret. If grading systems differ, state the original scale rather than inventing a conversion. Follow the call if it requests a transcript or a specific grade format.

Language skills with evidence

Use CEFR levels such as B1, B2, or C1 when possible. If your skills are uneven, list them separately. Add the certificate name, score, and date only when relevant. Practical evidence can make the level more meaningful.

• English: B2 CEFR; completed two English-medium modules and delivered a group presentation.
• German: A2 CEFR; currently attending an intensive language course.
• Spanish: Native language.

Projects, experience, and activities

Paid employment is not the only valuable evidence. Include academic projects, internships, volunteering, student associations, peer mentoring, competitions, part-time work, and community responsibilities when they demonstrate relevant skills. Describe what you did, how you did it, and what changed.

Digital and practical skills

Name specific tools, methods, or systems instead of writing only “computer skills.” Examples might include data analysis software, laboratory methods, design tools, learning platforms, spreadsheet functions, research databases, programming languages, or content production tools. Include a skill only if you can explain how you used it.

Creative CV Ideas That Remain Professional

Creativity in an Erasmus CV should improve understanding. It should not make the committee decode an unusual layout. The ideas below add personality and relevance without turning the document into a poster.

1. Add an Academic Fit box

Create a short section called “Academic Fit” with three lines: what you study now, what you want to study abroad, and how the two connect. This is especially useful when your current programme title does not immediately explain your interest in the host institution.

• Current focus: Sustainable transport and urban data.
• Mobility objective: Study geographic information systems and European mobility policy.
• Future application: Use the knowledge in a final-year urban planning project.

2. Use a three-proof readiness strip

Near the top of the CV, present three concise facts that support your readiness. For example: “English B2,” “Two team research projects,” and “Peer mentor for international students.” Keep the wording factual and repeat the supporting detail in the relevant section.

3. Build a project snapshot

Turn one important academic project into a compact four-part entry: challenge, contribution, tool, and outcome. This gives students with limited work experience a strong way to demonstrate responsibility.

Urban Air Project: Analysed open air-quality data with a four-person team, created visual comparisons in Excel, and presented recommendations to 35 students and lecturers.

4. Replace soft-skill lists with proof pairs

Instead of listing “adaptable, communicative, organised,” connect each skill with evidence.

• Cross-cultural communication: Supported orientation activities for 18 incoming exchange students.
• Organisation: Coordinated speakers, room bookings, and promotion for a student event attended by 70 participants.
• Problem-solving: Replanned a group survey after low response rates and completed data collection on schedule.

5. Include a small cultural contribution section

A section titled “Community and Cultural Contribution” can show what you may bring to the mobility experience. Suitable evidence includes tutoring, language exchange, student representation, volunteering, arts, sport, event support, or welcoming international students. Focus on participation and contribution, not stereotypes about national culture.

6. Add one carefully chosen portfolio link

A portfolio can help applicants in design, architecture, media, engineering, research, and project-based subjects. Link to a short, curated collection rather than a crowded personal page. A QR code can be included only when the printed destination remains visible as text, the link works without special access, and the application instructions allow it.

7. Use restrained destination-inspired design

You can use one accent colour drawn from your field or destination, a simple section-divider system, or a small text-based location line. Avoid flags, tourist imagery, progress bars, large icons, and maps that consume space without adding evidence. Creative design should still print clearly in black and white.

8. Prepare a master CV and a selection CV

Keep a private master document containing every course, project, activity, skill, and achievement. For each application, create a shorter selection CV using only the most relevant evidence. This system makes tailoring faster and reduces the risk of forgetting a useful experience.

Turn Ordinary Statements Into Erasmus Evidence

Weak statement	Stronger version	Why it works
Interested in other cultures	Co-facilitated monthly language-exchange meetings for local and international students	Shows action and regular involvement
Good teamwork skills	Coordinated research tasks in a five-person group and combined findings into the final presentation	Explains the team, role, and output
Excellent English	English B2 CEFR; completed an English-medium marketing project and presented the findings	Combines a level with practical evidence
Responsible for social media	Planned a four-week event campaign that increased student registrations from 42 to 68	Uses scope and a measurable result
Want to improve myself abroad	Seeking to develop qualitative research skills through modules that support my planned final-year dissertation	Connects the mobility to an academic purpose

Do not copy these examples unless they are true for you. Use the pattern, then replace the subject, action, scale, and result with your own evidence.

Complete Fictional Erasmus CV Example

The following example is fictional and designed to show structure and wording. It represents a student applying for a study mobility opportunity. Replace all names, dates, institutions, levels, and achievements with accurate information.

Maria Garcia

Barcelona, Spain | +34 000 000 000 | maria.garcia@example.com | linkedin.com/in/mariagarcia

Mobility Profile

Second-year International Relations student with a strong interest in European education policy and experience supporting multicultural student activities. Seeking an Erasmus study period that will develop comparative policy research skills and contribute to an inclusive international campus community.

Academic Fit

• Current focus: European institutions, public policy, and international cooperation.
• Mobility objective: Develop comparative research skills through English-medium policy modules.
• Future application: Use the experience in a final-year dissertation on student mobility and inclusion.

Education

BA International Relations, University of Barcelona
September 20XX to Present | Expected graduation: June 20XX

• Selected modules: European Union Politics, Research Methods, International Economics, and Migration Studies.
• Completed a group research project comparing student participation in three European universities.
• Prepared the survey analysis and presented recommendations to the seminar group.

Relevant Experience

International Student Buddy, University Welcome Programme
September 20XX to Present

• Supported six incoming students with orientation, campus services, and practical questions.
• Co-organised two language-exchange events attended by more than 50 local and international students.
• Created a concise digital guide to affordable transport and student services in Barcelona.

Research Assistant Volunteer, Student Policy Lab
February 20XX to June 20XX

• Coded 120 survey responses for a project on access to international study opportunities.
• Checked source references and helped prepare two charts for the final student report.

Languages

• Spanish: Native language.
• English: C1 CEFR; regular use in academic reading, presentations, and student support.
• French: B1 CEFR; currently attending a weekly conversation course.

Digital and Research Skills

• Excel: data cleaning, formulas, tables, and basic charts.
• Research: literature searches, survey coding, source checking, and presentation design.
• Collaboration: shared documents, online meeting tools, and task boards.

Community and Cultural Contribution

Member of the Model United Nations Club and volunteer conversation partner for students learning Spanish. Interested in joining peer-support and intercultural activities at the host institution.

Study Mobility CV or Traineeship CV?

The same evidence should not receive equal emphasis in every Erasmus application.

Study mobility CV	Traineeship CV
Prioritise relevant modules, academic interests, research, and the relationship between host courses and your degree	Prioritise practical skills, responsibilities, work samples, tools, and evidence that you can contribute in a workplace
Explain academic goals and how the mobility supports future study	Explain professional goals and how the placement supports career development
Projects can demonstrate intellectual curiosity and collaboration	Projects can demonstrate delivery, problem-solving, deadlines, and results
Language evidence should show readiness for study and campus participation	Language evidence should show readiness for workplace communication and role-specific tasks

If you are applying for several opportunities, keep a master record and create a separate tailored version for each one. Our detailed guide to tailoring an English CV can help you decide what to keep, move, or remove.

Should You Use Europass?

Use Europass when the call requests or recommends it, or when its familiar European format suits the application. The official Europass builder lets users maintain a profile and create tailored CV versions for education, training, employment, and volunteering opportunities.

Europass is a tool, not a substitute for selection. Do not export the same full profile for every opportunity. Select the information that supports the current application and remove details that distract from the main criteria. If the institution allows another format, a simple custom CV may also work well.

Check the current application notice and contact your university’s international or Erasmus+ office when instructions are unclear. The official Erasmus+ information page explains that students begin the process through their own higher education institution rather than a single central application form.

Common Erasmus CV Mistakes

• Using one generic CV: A general document may hide the evidence that matches the specific call.
• Repeating the motivation letter: The CV should provide facts and evidence, while the letter explains motivation and fit in more depth.
• Listing soft skills without examples: Replace adjectives with actions, responsibilities, and results.
• Hiding academic relevance: Include selected courses or projects when the connection is not obvious.
• Exaggerating language ability: Use an honest CEFR level and evidence you can discuss.
• Overdesigning the page: Too many colours, icons, columns, charts, and graphics reduce readability.
• Ignoring privacy: Do not publish private documents, addresses, identity numbers, or unrestricted personal data through portfolio links.
• Sending the wrong file: Use the requested format and a professional name such as Firstname_Lastname_Erasmus_CV.pdf.

The 60-Second Erasmus CV Audit

Before submitting, ask another person to look at the CV for one minute without reading every sentence. Then ask what they remember. If they cannot identify your subject, target, language readiness, and strongest evidence, improve the first half of the document.

• The CV follows the current institution’s instructions.
• The profile names a clear academic or professional objective.
• The strongest selection evidence appears early.
• Education details, dates, grades, and language levels are accurate.
• Skills are supported by courses, projects, work, or activities.
• Bullet points begin with clear action verbs and explain contribution.
• Spelling, punctuation, capitalisation, and date formats are consistent.
• Links work, open the intended material, and reveal no private information.
• The document remains readable on screen and when printed.
• The final PDF has the correct name and contains the latest version.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does every Erasmus application require a CV?

No single document list applies to every opportunity. Your institution manages the application and determines the required materials. Follow the current call and ask the international office when a requirement is unclear.

Does an Erasmus CV have to use Europass?

Use Europass if the institution requires it. If no format is specified, check whether the selection office has a preference and choose a clear professional format. Content and relevance remain important in either case.

How long should an Erasmus CV be?

Follow any stated limit. One or two pages is often enough for a student CV, but the correct length depends on the call, your experience, and the requested format. Remove repetition before reducing useful evidence.

Can I include experience that is not international?

Yes. A local project, part-time job, family responsibility, or volunteer role can demonstrate reliability, teamwork, initiative, communication, and adaptability. Explain the relevant skill instead of assuming the committee will make the connection.

Should I include references?

Include referee details only when requested and after obtaining permission. Otherwise, use the space for relevant evidence. A separate recommendation letter may be required by some calls.

How should I prove my English level?

Follow the language evidence rules in the application notice. State your CEFR level honestly and include the accepted certificate, score, and test date when required. If you are still identifying your level, you can begin with the Global English Test and then confirm whether the institution requires another form of proof.

Official Resources and Final Advice

Check the official Erasmus+ study abroad information and your institution’s current application call before preparing documents. If Europass is requested, use the official Europass CV builder.

The strongest Erasmus CV is not necessarily the most colourful or the longest. It is the document that turns your academic work, language ability, projects, and activities into clear evidence of readiness. Use creative elements only when they help the committee understand that evidence faster, and make every version specific to the opportunity in front of you.