Some young people are selected with their first application; what matters is not the number of applications but their quality. Neither Erasmus+ nor the European Solidarity Corps is 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. The tips below are written for Erasmus+ youth projects, and our guide on how to apply for the European Solidarity Corps gives the tips for European Solidarity Corps (ESC) volunteering. Our guide on what Erasmus+ is explains the programme itself.
Last updated: October 2026.
What are the 20 tips for a strong Erasmus+ application?
Below are the twenty tips, one by one.
1. Have you read the details of the call?
Most applications are rejected at the first screening because the applicant did not read the details of the call. Our guide on how to find Erasmus+ and ESC projects shows where the calls are published.
2. Do you know how this call wants you to apply?
You can apply to a call in three usual ways: by email with a motivation letter and a Europass CV, with an application form, or, for the European Solidarity Corps, through your profile on the European Solidarity Corps Portal. 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. Our guide on how to apply for Erasmus+ or ESC takes the steps one by one.
3. Does the project topic match your own interests?
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. Our guide on how to choose the right project helps you compare the calls you find.
4. Have you checked the age range written in the call?
Organisations must follow the age rules of the Erasmus+ Programme Guide fully, but they can narrow the age range within a call (for example 18 to 25 for a Youth Exchange instead of 13 to 30), because project coordinators plan the activity around its aims and the target group. Our guide on Erasmus+ and ESC age limits lists the rules behind those ranges.
5. Is your English level right for the topic?
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 a Youth Exchange is explains how the activity itself works.
6. Do you have an English Europass CV?
A CV in your own language, longer than two pages, without a photo or badly organised weakens the application; prepare an English Europass CV, a format organisations know and read quickly. Our guide on how to prepare your Europass CV covers the tool and the sections step by step.
7. How long should your motivation letter be?
Keep the motivation letter to one page in 12-point type and a classic font. When we review motivation letters, we usually see that they are either too short or too long. Our guide on how to write a motivation letter covers the structure.
8. Do you write a new motivation letter for each project?
Write a new motivation letter for each project. Our guide on using AI to write your motivation letter explains the copy-paste trap.
9. Does your letter say what you will bring to the team?
Most motivation letters talk only about what the applicant will gain (seeing Europe, personal growth, new cultures); 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 what the ideal volunteer looks like describes the qualities organisations look for.
10. Which images should you use?
Choose images that fit the purpose, and do not overdo the images. A photo of 5 friends sitting in a cafe does not impress anyone. A photo of you riding a horse or playing the violin is suitable.
11. Is your email address professional?
An unprofessional email address (nicknames, jokes, random numbers) almost always costs you the place. Use your name and surname; if that is taken, try another email provider or a different format, but avoid adding a long string of numbers.
12. Are your social media usernames sensible?
Use an email address with your name and surname and sensible social media usernames, because organisations look at them. A social media username like "crazy_girl_55" will be an obstacle to you being selected. Do not forget that your social media accounts are like a CV.
13. Do your emails have a subject, a message and a signature?
Do not forget that you are writing to an institution and that a representative of that institution will review your email. Do not leave the subject, content and signature fields empty in your emails. Do not write the whole text in capital letters.
14. Does your email name the project?
The most common mistake is the same copy-paste email sent to many organisations: no project name, nothing about what the organisation does, starting with "Dear Sir/Madam". In every email, name the project and say why you chose it; two minutes on the organisation's website and one specific sentence change the reply rate noticeably.
15. Do you answer application form questions in full sentences?
From the experience of youthworker_eu (https://www.instagram.com/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.
16. Are you applying early enough?
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. Apply at least four months before the project starts; for long-term projects, six months is better. Our guide on the Erasmus+ and ESC timeline shows when each step happens.
17. Is the call still current?
Many calls circulating online are old: the deadline has passed, the place is filled or the project never started. Our guide on how we verify opportunities explains the checks behind the calls we publish.
18. Are you sending twenty good applications or a hundred copies?
Twenty good applications work better than a hundred copies: two hundred copy-paste emails bring worse results than twenty carefully written ones, because the reply rate is low and some organisations notice mass emails and delete them. Aim for five applications a week and spend half an hour on each; after a month you have twenty strong applications with a better chance of a reply. Our guide on why applications get rejected explains the reasons behind rejections.
19. Do you answer quickly when an organisation replies?
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.
20. Has anyone asked you for money?
No fee is ever asked for applying, in ESC or Erasmus+ youth projects; nobody should pay anything at the application stage. A request for money under any name (application fee, placement fee, commission, booking fee, visa processing fee) is a warning sign of a fake or problematic call. Our guide on how to spot fake Erasmus+ offers lists every warning sign.
For the mistakes to avoid, read our guide on common Erasmus+ application mistakes.
Which countries have less competition?
Everyone applying to Spain and Italy joins a long queue; demand is much lower in the Baltic countries, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary and North Macedonia, so the chance of being accepted is higher. The experience depends on the project and the team, not on the country. Our guide on which countries can take part lists the countries, and how to choose the right project helps you compare projects.
What happens after you apply?
After you apply to an Erasmus+ youth project, you may or may not receive an email confirming that your application arrived. 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. 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 goes through the waiting period, and what to do if you are rejected covers the next steps.
How do you check your application before you send it?
Checklist for your last application email:
✅ Does the project name appear?
✅ Is there a sentence about what the organisation does?
✅ Is there a concrete part about what you can do?
✅ Are your available dates written?
✅ Are your sending organisation's details included?
✅ Are the English Europass CV and the motivation letter really attached?
Our guide on common Erasmus+ application mistakes lists the mistakes that cost applicants the place.
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. Sending hundreds of applications is usually the problem itself: mass applying does not work and can even hurt. Our guide on how to apply for Erasmus+ or ESC takes the steps one by one.
Do you need a Europass CV?
Prepare an English Europass CV, a format organisations know and read quickly. From the experience of youthworker_eu (https://www.instagram.com/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. Our guide on how to prepare your Europass CV covers the tool.
Is a motivation letter asked for in every Erasmus+ call?
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. Our guide on how to write a motivation letter covers the structure for the calls that do ask for one.
Do you need to be active in a youth organisation?
Being active in a youth organisation is important but not required; young people who understand how these projects work and cooperate with local organisations have a clear advantage. Our guide on how to find Erasmus+ and ESC projects shows where to start.
Is it normal not to get a reply?
Selected applicants are always contacted, but rejected applicants are often not contacted at all. Our guide on what to do if you applied and heard nothing covers the waiting period.
Do you need to pay to apply?
In both ESC and Erasmus+ youth projects, nobody pays anything at the application stage, and nobody transfers money to an organisation. Our guide on how to spot fake Erasmus+ offers lists the warning signs.
Start with one good application
A good application is written for one project, one organisation and one reader. Our guide on how to find Erasmus+ and ESC projects shows where to look first, and the Youth Works Hub pages below cover the next steps.
Related pages: how to write a motivation letter · how to prepare your Europass CV · common Erasmus+ application mistakes · how to apply for Erasmus+ or ESC · how to find Erasmus+ and ESC projects · how to spot fake Erasmus+ offers
👉 Erasmus+ projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=erasmus-projects
