Program CEEPUS
CEEPUS IV
CENTRAL EUROPEAN EXCHANGE PROGRAMME FOR UNIVERSITY STUDIES
The CEEPUS programme primarily aims to develop mobility, connect scientific research areas and develop academic cooperation through the creation of university networks that will, among other things, work on joint programmes and acquire the right to joint degrees.
CEEPUS is aimed at building the European higher education area and using regional academic mobility as a strategic programme for the implementation of the Bologna goals.
Since 2007, BiH has been included in the Central European Exchange Programme for University Studies - CEEPUS III, within which more than 100,000 monthly scholarships have been provided to date in 15 European member countries of the Programme.
The first CEEPUS I Agreement was signed in 1993. The current CEEPUS IV Agreement was signed on 20 September 2023 and entered into force in May 2025.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH, as a signatory to the CEEPUS agreement, is responsible for the implementation of the Program and the coordination of program activities in BiH, while the Entity Ministries of Education are responsible for the implementation of financial obligations, i.e. the payment of scholarships to visiting students and professors.
EXCHANGE FUNCTIONING SYSTEM
CEEPUS NETWORKS
CEEPUS exchange takes place within networks except the so-called Freemover exchanges.
Higher education institutions that wish to participate in the CEEPUS program must do so within the networks.
Every year in September, a new round for submitting network applications for the following academic year opens, and interested higher education institutions can do so no later than November 30 of the same year.
Within the network, the university/faculty can have a coordinating role or a partner role. During the procedure for submitting network applications, all partners must appoint a contact person, a local coordinator who, like the network coordinator himself, will register at www.ceepus.info and open a 'Network' profile, and participate in filling out the application, while only the network coordinator has the right to electronically submit the application on behalf of the network.
Every year, higher education institutions can: create new networks, extend the activity of the existing network or renew the activity of the network, and the CEEPUS network should consist of at least five higher education institutions from different participating countries.
In order to acquire the right to participate in the network, higher education institutions are required to provide two documents: Letter of Endorsement (signed and certified by the rector or vice-rector of the university) and Letter of Intent (signed and certified by the dean or vice-dean of the faculty).
Drafts of the mentioned documents can be downloaded from the website www.ceepus.info.
The use of a compatible ECTS system is a formal condition for participation in CEEPUS networks. Universities can provide information on curricula and the use of a compatible ECTS system by sending the data to the coordinator or by entering the subject link of the faculty website. Information on ECTS must be available in English.
MONTHLY SCHOLARSHIPS – NETWORK AND FREEMOVER MOBILITY
Monthly scholarships are primarily awarded to applicants whose exchanges are planned and approved within networks, and are awarded on the basis of submitted ‘Mobility’ applications of individuals.
Scholarships can also be awarded to applicants whose faculties do not participate in an exchange within one of the networks, but are enrolled or work at a relevant university (a university on the CEEPUS university list).
In this case, the applicant applies for Freemover mobility.
The condition for applying for Freemover mobility is the possession of one or two documents that must be attached to the online application:
Letter of Acceptance and Letter of Acceptance Teacher - issued and certified by the host higher education institution.
Letter of Recommendation (recommendation letter, necessary only for students) – it is necessary to attach two letters signed by professors and certified by the home faculty, in which the reasons for the recommendation for study/stay abroad are briefly explained in order to ensure recognition.
Instructions for the necessary documents can be downloaded from the CEEPUS website, after registration.
Mobility categories:
Student - for this type of mobility, students who wish to achieve semester mobility apply, and the duration of this type of mobility is at least three months, and a maximum of 10 months.
Short-term student - this type of mobility is applied for by students who wish to achieve shorter mobility for the purpose of research or students working on their theses or dissertations (master's or doctoral students) and for intensive short programs (undergraduate students).
Teacher - teaching staff apply for this type of mobility for the purpose of holding classes/mentoring work in the host institution and developing inter-university cooperation. The condition for approval of this type of mobility is to maintain six hours of teaching/mentoring work per week. The minimum duration of this type of mobility is five days, or trand days in the case of short group mobility.
Short-term excursion - participants of short group mobility (summer schools, etc.) apply for this type of mobility, and the duration is at least 3 days. Teaching staff participating in the summer school apply under the Teacher category.
Short Term Intensive Courses (from 2025/26) - mobility for summer or winter schools, shorter than a month, undergraduate students can also participate (after completing one semester).
Short Term University Staff (from 2025/26) - for university staff involved in the work of the CEEPUS network; the duration of mobility is from 2 to 5 working days.
Short Term Network Meetings (from 2025/26) - for contact persons/local coordinators at partner institutions. The duration of mobility is from 1 to 3 days.
CEEPUS scholarships can be used for a total duration of a maximum of 10 months (within one or more mobility) for undergraduate and master's studies.
There is no limit to the length or number of mobility for doctoral students.
The Teacher category can apply for a maximum of 10 scholarship stays per academic year. Additional restrictions may apply in some CEEPUS countries.
Additional information regarding mobility is available via the link: https://www.ceepus.info/content/how.
REGISTRATION ON THE CEEPUS WEBSITE
The application process of networks and individuals takes place through a unique 'on-line' system, after registration on the website www.ceepus.info and activation of the appropriate profile with the possibility of choosing several roles for work.
The roles under which an individual can register are:
Mobility – a role for all individuals (students and professors) who want to create a personal exchange/mobility application.
It is possible to create multiple applications for different destinations, but the periods of approved i.e. accepted applications must not coincide.
Individuals who have the role of 'Mobility' can apply for the winter and/or summer semester within the network or within the Freemover category.
Network – a role intended for individuals who participate in the coordination of network activities as network coordinators or as local coordinators in front of a partner institution. Lecturers who, as network coordinators or local coordinators, want to manage the exchange in front of their faculty/department register for this role. NCO approval is required for this role.
IRO (International Relations Officer) – a role for individuals who, as part of their work in international cooperation offices at universities, need insight into all CEEPUS exchange activities at their university. NCO approval is also required for this role.
Application deadlines:
November 30 – Deadline for applying nets;
June 1 – Deadline for receiving individual applications for the winter semester within networks;
November 1 – Deadline for individual applications for the summer semester within the networks;
June 1 to November 1 – Deadline for individual applications – Freemover category.
FUNDING
There is no transfer of funds within the CEEPUS program and between CEEPUS member states. The internal currency of the program is the ‘monthly scholarship’, and each host state provides funds for the payment of scholarships to incoming professors and students.
Each member state is required to provide at least 100 monthly scholarships for one academic year. The amounts of monthly scholarships provided by the states vary, but the amount of the scholarship must be sufficient to cover the basic living expenses in the host state (housing, food, public transportation and possible health insurance).
Information on scholarship amounts by country is available at: www.ceepus.info/content/contact
CEEPUS exchange participants are exempt from paying tuition fees.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
The structure of CEEPUS consists of the Joint Council of Ministers (JCM), the Central CEEPUS Office (CCO), the National CEEPUS Offices (NCO), the National Commissions (NC) and the International Commission (IC).
The Joint Council of Ministers (JCM) is the highest governing body of CEEPUS, and is composed of the Ministers of Education and Science of the member countries of this programme. The JCM makes all strategic decisions and is responsible for taking the necessary steps for the implementation and promotion of CEEPUS.
The Central CEEPUS Office (CCO), based in Vienna, coordinates, evaluates, develops and promotes the programme. The CCO serves exclusively as a coordinating and evaluating body.
The National CEEPUS Office (NCO) is responsible for the implementation of the program at the state level, and the NCO's responsibilities are: promoting the program in cooperation with other CEEPUS offices and partner institutions, receiving and selecting applications from networks and individuals, securing study or work places for incoming students and professors, allocating scholarship months to networks and applicants, preparing reports and evaluating the implementation of the program at the state level.
The National Commission (NC) for the Evaluation of Networks, consisting of independent experts appointed by the partner universities and state coordinators, is responsible for is for the evaluation of applications of networks applying for participation in CEEPUS exchange in the following academic year.
The National Commissions are also responsible for the evaluation and selection of the most successful network from the previous academic year, i.e. the winner of the ‘Minister Prize’ award.
Networks that have been successfully evaluated at the national level proceed to the final round of evaluation at the international level, which is conducted by the International Commission.
The International Commission (IC) is composed of the national offices of all member countries, and the commission is chaired by the CCO, with the note that the role of the CCO is neutral, and transparent voting and evaluation by the National Commissions and the International Commission guarantee the use of a single ‘on-line’ evaluation system. The International Commission meets once a year and on that occasion it allocates monthly exchange quotas to the successfully evaluated networks.