The following directions and priorities aimed at promoting the internationalisation of Lithuania’s higher education are provided for in the order of the Minister of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Lithuania “On the approval of the directions, priorities and measures for the promotion of the internationalisation of higher education and the development of Lithuanian (Baltic) studies abroad in 2024–2026”:

1. Lithuania’s participation in the European Higher Education Area and the European Research Area;
2. Strengthening the quality of the internationalisation of Lithuania’s higher education;
3. Strengthening academic links and incoming academic mobility by attracting talented international students and teachers who can bring about innovative changes in the study process;
4. Strengthening outgoing academic mobility;
5. Encouraging the development of centres for Lithuanian (Baltic) studies abroad;
6. Support for Lithuanians abroad;
7. Attracting and integrating international students. 

Foreign nationals come to study in Lithuania under various EU programmes and other international exchange programmes, mostly on their own initiative.

The Education Exchanges Support Foundation administers a range of activities that allow students to go abroad and broaden their horizons, gain experience or improve their language skills. Depending on the activity, students can also choose the duration of their studies or internship – from a few weeks to a year – and opt for partial or complete studies. Students may take part in activities either individually or in partnership with a higher education institution.

The intensive programmes aim to encourage effective teaching of special courses that are not included in the standard study programme in the multicultural environment. They provide conditions for students and teachers to work together in international groups and to benefit from the special teaching and learning environment, which helps form a new approach to the course. Furthermore, this provides an opportunity to gain a new perspective on the course, to share experience on the study content and study programme methodology, and to test teaching methods in the multicultural environment.

Erasmus+ is the EU programme in the fields of education, training, youth and sport in Europe.

It has an estimated budget of €26.2 billion. This is almost double the funding of the programme that preceded it in the 2014–2020 period.

The 2021–2027 programme places a strong focus on social inclusion, the green and digital transitions, and promoting youth participation in democratic life.

It supports priorities and activities set out in the European Education Area, the Digital Education Action Plan and the European Skills Agenda. The programme also:

• supports the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights
• implements the EU Youth Strategy 2019–2027
• develops the European dimension of sport

The Erasmus+ student mobility programmes allow students at research and higher education institutions (higher education institutions and research institutes) to spend an integrated period of study in another country participating in the Erasmus+ Programme.

The said activities allow students to gain knowledge in the field of academic studies, language and culture, to promote institutional cooperation and enrich the educational environment of host institutions, to broaden the pool of future professionals with international experience, and to facilitate credit transfer and the recognition of studies abroad through the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) or an equivalent credit system. 

Under the Erasmus+ Programme students can do traineeship in a company or organisation in another country participating in Erasmus+. Traineeships allow them to acquire specific skills, expand their understanding of the economic and social culture of a particular country, gain hands-on experience in an EU organisation, and get to know the characteristics of the EU labour market.

The target groups of the Nordic Nordplus Higher Education Programme are students in the bachelor’s or master’s degree study programmes, academic and other staff of higher education institutions and other entities that work or have strong links with higher education institutions. The Nordplus Higher Education Programme supports student and staff mobility through project-based activities, such as intensive courses, joint study programmes, and higher education development projects, including the development of joint study programmes and modules.

The following programmes are implemented in Lithuania to promote academic staff mobility: the EU Erasmus+ Programme, the Nordplus Programme for the Nordic and Baltic countries, national programmes (state scholarships for research internships under international cooperation agreements in the fields of education, science and culture, as well as scholarship programmes offered by foreign countries, the programme of support for visiting lecturers from abroad, funding of research visits during the implementation of EU Structural Funds projects, etc.). The largest mobility flows are supported by EU higher education programmes, and a significant number of researchers’ visits have been funded through national programmes, especially in recent years. 

When higher education institutions send a lecturer on a teaching visit or internship, they are committed (according to the programme requirements) to pay a salary during the short-term visit, to retain the job on return, and to recognise the teaching or internship (e.g. as qualification training) in the way defined by the institution.

Additional expenses, such as travel and subsistence, are usually covered for the academic staff from Lithuanian higher education institutions participating in international mobility or exchange programmes or they receive a state scholarship (depending on the programme). The average amount of the monthly salary is paid to lecturers during their internships that do not exceed one year. Research staff, other researchers and lecturers may receive bonus in addition to their salary for the dissemination of their educational experience abroad. Research staff, other researchers and lecturers may receive extra pay on top of their salary for their participation in the international programmes for research and experimental (social, cultural) development.

Higher education mobility consortia can be set up for the implementation of Erasmus+ higher education mobility. The main objective of a mobility consortium is to pool and facilitate the implementation and administration of Erasmus+higher education mobility for the participants of a consortium. The added value of higher education mobility consortia is created for the participants by the possibility to share their responsibilities. Joint activities of a mobility consortium may include mobility administration, contracting, selection of outgoing mobility participants, preparation and supervision, etc.

Duration of activities

The duration of the higher education mobility consortium project is the entire period of the programme.

Eligible participants

• Lithuanian higher education and research institutions which hold Erasmus Charter for Higher Education.
• Public or private organisations active in the labour market or in the fields of education, training and youth.

This activity allows students at research and higher education institutions (higher education institutions and research institutes) to spend an integrated period of study in another country participating in the Erasmus+ Programme. The said activities allow students to gain knowledge in the field of academic studies, language and culture, promote institutional cooperation and enrich the educational environment of host institutions, broaden the pool of future professionals with international experience, and facilitate credit transfer and the recognition of studies abroad through the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) or an equivalent credit system.

Supported activities

• Partial studies in a foreign higher education institution
• Internships
• PhD student mobility
• Blended mobility

Duration of activities

Each student can benefit from the programme for a maximum period of 12 months during each cycle of studies (bachelor’s, master’s and PhD). This period is the same to all mobility types (studies, traineeships during and after studies). Traineeship mobility after studies must start and end within 12 months after the end of the studies. 

Mobility for studies may last from 2 (or one academic term or trimester) to 12 months of physical mobility. This period may include an additional internship (traineeship) period, if planned, and may be organised in different ways depending on the context: either one activity (internship) after the other (studies) or both activities at the same time. The funding rules and minimum duration requirements for study mobility apply. Internship (traineeship) mobility may last from 2 to 12 months of physical mobility.

Mobility for studies and/or internship (traineeship) for doctoral students: 5-30 days or 2-12 months of physical mobility (including, if planned, an additional internship/traineeship period).

Any student, particularly those unable to participate in a long-term physical mobility for studies or internships/ traineeships may combine a shorter physical mobility with a virtual component (blended short-term mobility).

Eligible participants

Students registered at Lithuanian research and higher education institutions and recent graduates. 

Funding of activities

Students may be awarded an Erasmus+ scholarship to cover part of their travel and subsistence expenses during their Erasmus+ study/internship/traineeship abroad. 

Students awarded or not awarded the Erasmus+ scholarship are exempt from paying for studies at the host institution during their stay abroad within the framework of the Erasmus+ Programme, but they pay regular tuition fees at the sending institution. Payment of any national scholarships or loans to students during their stay abroad within the framework of the Erasmus+ Programme cannot be stopped.

This activity allows the staff of research and higher education institutions to train, to communicate information or technical knowledge in a partner institution or a host enterprise, and therefore to acquire practical skills relevant for their current work and professional development.

Supported activities

Staff mobility includes the following areas:

• A teaching period aboard at a partner research and higher education institution. A teaching period abroad enables any teaching staff at a research and higher education institution or staff from enterprises to teach at a partner research and higher education institution abroad. Staff mobility for teaching can be in any field;
• A training period abroad at a partner research and higher education institution, enterprise or any other relevant workplace. The training period abroad enables any member of staff of a research and higher education institution to take part in training activities abroad relevant to their day-to-day work at the research and higher education institution. These activities may take a form of training events (excluding conferences) or job-shadowing and observation periods;
• A staff mobility period abroad can combine teaching and training activities. Any teaching or training period abroad may be carried out as a blended mobility.

Duration of activities

From 2 days to 2 months (excluding travel days). 

Eligible participants

Administrative, academic and non-academic staff of Lithuanian research and higher education institutions, and visiting staff from foreign companies.

Funding of activities

Staff members may be awarded an Erasmus+ subsidy to cover part of their travel and subsistence expenses during their Erasmus+ visit abroad. 

Staff travel costs are calculated using the Distance Calculator.

This activity allows students to obtain a loan for their master’s degree studies in a European country other than that in which they are domiciled and where they earned their bachelor’s degree.      

Funding available

Loan amount: 
1 year – up to € 12,000 
2 years – up to € 18,000

Up to 200,000 students in the master’s degree programme are expected to benefit from the loans.

The financial intermediaries that will issue the loans: national banks or student loan agencies. 

Centralised activities – continuing the former Erasmus Mundus 1 activities.

Supported activities

The programme supports joint Master’ degree study programmes of very high academic quality, including a scholarship system for students. During the programme, students must study in at least two different countries leading to the award of a joint degree (joint or multiple diploma).

Duration of activities

1 preparatory year + 3 admissions (max 5 years).

The duration of the study programme is 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits.

Funding of activities

The funding is allocated for the organisation costs of the consortium.

Student scholarships are awarded on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the duration of the studies, the student’s country of residence and the cost of joint studies.

The amounts of subsidies are specified in the call for applications for the relevant year.

This centralised programme provides funding to international, structured and result-oriented projects that promote cooperation between higher education institutions and business.

Supported activities

- projects designed for cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral cooperation

- development and implementation of new study programmes that respond to business needs

- promotion of entrepreneurship among students, academic and corporate staff

- exchange of experience

The main focus of the projects – innovation, sustainability and impact.

Duration of activities

2 or 3 years.

The aim of support for teaching visits of foreign lecturers at Lithuanian higher education institutions is to encourage the international competiveness and attractiveness of Lithuanian higher education and to attract highly qualified foreign lecturers to teach at Lithuanian higher education institutions.

Supported activities

Support is granted to Lithuanian higher education institutions hosting visiting lecturers from aboard for study programmes, courses or modules that are an integral part of the study programme.

Duration of activities

Funded teaching visit duration – between 10 and 15 days of work with students. As a matter of exception, the duration of a teaching visit may be shorter than 10, but not less than 5 teaching days upon a reasoned request from the higher education institution. Teaching period days when no work with students takes place are not funded.

Eligible participants

Visiting lecturers from aboard who meet the requirements for the established and leading researcher career profile, excluding Russian and Belarusian nationals.

Funding of activities

Support for a foreign lecturer covers travel expenses, accommodation costs and salary. The funds are allocated from the State budget appropriations for the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.

A one-off payment is available for the visiting lecturer, depending on the lecturer’s qualifications (lecturer, associate professor or professor).

The following activities are supported by the Education Exchanges Support Foundation:

Support for Lithuanian language and culture courses for foreigners (including Lithuanians abroad)

Support for partial Lithuanian studies for foreigners (including Lithuanians abroad)

Support for partial studies for foreigners (including Lithuanians abroad) 

Support for foreign nationals to study in the second-cycle full-time study programmes at Lithuanian higher education institutions 

Support for intensive Lithuanian studies for teachers and lecturers of Lithuanian language schools aboard 

Support for international internships at Lithuanian schools, Lithuanian communities and Lithuanian study centres