Before you apply for an Erasmus+ youth project, read the call: for Youth Exchanges, Volunteering Teams, training courses, seminars and study visits, young people apply to the call itself; the call may ask you to apply directly, or it may name a sending organisation in your country through which you have to apply, so you must read the details of each call. Youth Exchanges are open to all young people, with a special focus on those with fewer opportunities. Erasmus+ is not hard to get into if you apply properly and show your motivation clearly. Youth Works Hub has a Match page that finds projects suited to you; using Match requires an account on the site, and signing up with Google is available but not required. Our guide on what Erasmus+ is explains the programme, and how to apply for Erasmus+ or ESC sets out the steps.
Last updated: October 2026.
Why do you want to join an Erasmus+ youth project?
Many applicants look only at the country of the project and apply because the location appeals to them, without looking at the topic and the other details. There is a lot of competition but few good applications; most applications are rejected at the first screening because the applicant did not read the details of the call. From the experience of youthworker_eu, about 80% of applicants answer application form questions with replies shorter than the question itself; for example, to "How will you use what you gain after the project?" they write only "in my education", starting with a small letter and without a full sentence. Answers like this lead to rejection: take the time to fill in the form properly, in full sentences. Our guide on why applications get rejected explains what goes wrong, and application tips for Erasmus+ covers what to do instead.
Which Erasmus+ youth activity fits you?
In Youth Exchanges, organisations and informal groups of young people can receive support to carry out projects bringing together young people from different countries to exchange and learn outside their formal educational system. Professional development activities are transnational or international learning mobility activities supporting the professional development of youth workers. Many training courses, seminars and study visits published on the SALTO European Training Calendar are Training and Cooperation Activities: activities organised by National Agencies to cooperate across Europe and share good practice. Participants must be at least 18; priority goes to young people active in organisations and to youth workers, and after the activity they are expected to share what they learned and prepare new projects. For Youth Exchanges, a high level of English is usually not needed, but if the topic is technical a better level helps, so read the topic of the project carefully. Our guide on what Erasmus+ is lists the activities, who can apply gives the conditions, what a Youth Exchange is covers the group activity and what a training course is covers the learning activity.
How long can you be away?
Duration of activity for a Youth Exchange is from 5 to 21 days, excluding travel days. Youth worker activities and study visits usually last from 4-5 days up to 10-12 days. Our guide on the Erasmus+ and ESC timeline shows how the months are spread out, and how long an ESC project lasts covers the longer volunteering option.
Where will you stay, and can you live in a group?
In Erasmus+ youth projects, participants usually stay in hotels. Because the projects aim at cultural mixing, rooms can be for 2 people, for 4 people, for 6 people or for 8 people. The aim is to provide basic living conditions, so do not expect luxury. A quality Youth Exchange involves diverse groups of participants and builds on this diversity. Our guide on how to make local friends covers the social side, culture shock and homesickness covers the hard days, and mental health and wellbeing abroad covers the support you can ask for.
What do you expect from the activity, and what will you bring?
The following activities are not eligible for grants under Youth Exchanges: academic study trips; exchange activities that aim to make financial profit; exchange activities that can be considered as tourism; festivals; holiday travel; performance tours, statutory meetings, training courses by adults for young people. Most motivation letters talk only about what the applicant will gain, such as seeing Europe, personal growth and new cultures, but the organisation wants to know what you will bring to its team. Give at least half of the letter to what you can do, concretely: work with children, social media, a musical instrument, video editing. Our guide on how to write a motivation letter covers the letter itself, and application tips for Erasmus+ covers the rest of the application.
Which documents will you need?
To apply by email, send a motivation letter and a Europass CV to the address in the call; the motivation letter has no standard format. An application form asks for the same information as the motivation letter and the CV. A motivation letter applies to both ESC and Erasmus+ youth projects, but in Erasmus+ youth projects it is rarely asked for; most Erasmus+ calls use an application form instead. From the experience of youthworker_eu, Europass is the format commonly used in Erasmus+ youth programmes, and applications that do not use the Europass CV format are generally not accepted. Save the CV as a PDF so it is ready to share. Our guide on how to prepare your Europass CV goes through the sections, and how to write a motivation letter goes through the paragraphs.
Are you ready for the selection?
When an organisation replies, it is usually talking to several candidates; a candidate who answers two days later is often eliminated. During your application period, check your email every day, including the spam folder; if a week passes without a reply, send a short, polite reminder. Our guide on selection and interview questions covers how organisations choose participants, and what to do if you applied and heard nothing covers the waiting.
Frequently asked questions
How many projects can you apply to?
There is no limit on the number of applications: you can apply to every project that suits you. Erasmus+ youth projects have no standard application format; each call explains how to apply. Our guide on how to find Erasmus+ and ESC projects shows where the calls are published.
When should you apply?
Apply at least four months before the project starts; for long-term projects, six months is better. Applying late rarely works: if a project starts in June, applying in May is almost useless, because the host organisation has to allow for your visa process, which can take weeks. Our guide on visas and residence permits explains the visa steps.
Will you be told if you are not selected?
Selected applicants are always contacted, but rejected applicants are often not contacted at all, because some projects receive so many applications that coordinators do not reply to each one. After you apply to an Erasmus+ youth project, you may or may not receive an email confirming that your application arrived. Hundreds of young people may apply to the same project, so a rejection or no reply should not discourage you; people who keep applying do get into a project. Our guide on what to do if you applied and heard nothing covers the next move.
Where to go next
Our guide on how to apply for Erasmus+ or ESC sets out the application steps, and why you should join an Erasmus+ youth project covers what you gain. The Youth Works Hub pages below answer each question in full.
Related pages: what Erasmus+ is · who can apply · how to apply for Erasmus+ or ESC · how to prepare your Europass CV · how to write a motivation letter · selection and interview questions
👉 Erasmus+ projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=erasmus-projects
