This mobility activity is the internship of a student registered in a higher education institution in an enterprise¹ abroad. “Internship” is the process by which a beneficiary acquires vocational training and/or work experience within an enterprise or organization in another country participating in the programme. Internship activity cannot be used to carry out studies such as research assignments and analysis studies related to academic studies conducted within the scope of a certain curriculum. Internship activity is the student's obtaining practical work experience in the field of vocational education.

Internship activity is not expected to be compulsory for the student's diploma program. However, the economic sector where the internship will take place should be a sector related to the student's current vocational education program.

Studies, scientific researches and projects carried out by students to complete or support their own scientific studies are not considered as internship activities. In order for these activities to be internship activities, they must be carried out as professional activities with an economic value in the relevant sector, not within the scope of academic studies. For example, for product development purposes; Working in experimental studies and research carried out in a research and development (R&D) company or in the R&D unit of a company, or in a higher education institution or research center by a company that is engaged in economic activity, is considered within the scope of internship activity.

The duration of the activity is between 2 and 12 months, valid for each education level separately. Internship activity can be carried out in every class during the education period and within 12 months after the graduation of the students in the last year of the education programs. For the internship activity to be carried out after graduation, the student application must be made before the student graduates (while he is already an associate, undergraduate or graduate student). Graduated students are not eligible to apply.

Organizations that will host the internship; businesses, training centers, research centers and other organizations that fit the definition of business in the Erasmus+ Program Guide². In this framework, what is meant by an eligible enterprise is any private or public institution/organization and any enterprise engaged in any economic activity, including social economy, regardless of their size, legal status and the economic sector in which they operate.

In case the institution abroad where the internship will be carried out is a higher education institution, the study to be carried out is not an academic learning activity, but to gain practical work experience in the units for the general administration of the institution. Internship activities cannot be carried out for academic study purposes. Students who have received postgraduate education and are in the thesis period should apply to the activity within the scope of Learning Mobility-Learning for the studies to be carried out in the presence of an advisor, which are in return for credit but not within the scope of internship.

The following organizations are not eligible for higher education internship activity under Erasmus+:

- European Union institutions and EU agencies (see https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/institutions-bodies_en )

- National Agency carrying out EU programs etc. organizations.

¹ Business description; It includes companies, higher education institutions, research centres, self-employed, family businesses and any organization that regularly engages in economic activity. The determining factor for an organization to be considered a business is not its legal personality, but its economic activity.

² http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/documents/erasmus-plus-programme-guide_en.pdf