KA-122 is the Erasmus+ short-term mobility route for schools without an accreditation, while KA-121 is the annual route for schools that hold one. Which route your school needs comes down to a single question: is mobility a project you are trying, or a programme you are committing to?
Both codes sit under Erasmus+ KA-1, the Key Action that funds learning mobility, and both can pay for the same activities: teacher courses, job shadowing, pupil group stays. The differences are in how you apply, how often, and how much paperwork stands between your school and the next trip. This post takes them in turn, then gives you the decision in plain terms.
What is Erasmus+ KA-122?
KA-122 is a short-term project: your school applies to its national agency with a described plan, and if approved, runs it within 6 to 18 months with up to 30 participants. No accreditation needed, and the programme guide explicitly calls short-term projects the best choice for first-time applicants.1
The route has built-in limits worth knowing before you fall in love with it. One application per selection round, and a maximum of three short-term grants within any five consecutive call years.1 The limits are deliberate: KA-122 is designed as a way in, not a way of life. Details for school groups sit on our Erasmus+ KA-122 page.
What is Erasmus+ KA-121?
KA-121 is the funding strand for schools that hold an Erasmus+ accreditation. An accredited school stops writing project applications. Instead it submits an annual budget request against the multi-year plan approved with its accreditation, with no detailed activity list and no cap on participant numbers.1
The accreditation itself is a separate, one-time application in which the school lays out a multi-year internationalisation plan. Two facts about it surprise people. Previous Erasmus+ experience is not required to apply, and accreditation is open to any eligible school that wants to run mobility regularly.1 The price is upfront planning effort; the payoff is that every following year gets simpler.
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What is the actual difference in practice?
| KA-122 (short-term) | KA-121 (accredited) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can apply | Any eligible school without accreditation | Schools holding an Erasmus+ accreditation |
| Application | Full project description each time | Annual budget request against the accredited plan |
| Project length | 6 to 18 months | 15 months, extendable to 24 |
| Participants | Up to 30 per project | No fixed cap |
| How often | Max 3 grants in 5 years | Every year |
| Deadline | 19 February (some agencies add 1 October) | 19 February |
| Best for | First projects, occasional mobility | A standing mobility programme |
All figures from the current Erasmus+ Programme Guide.1
Where do KA-1 and KA-2 fit into this?
A question that trips up nearly everyone at the start, because the codes look like siblings and are not. KA-1 and KA-2 are Key Actions, the programme’s top-level strands: KA-1 funds learning mobility, people going abroad to learn, while KA-2 funds cooperation partnerships, organisations building projects together.2
KA-122 and KA-121 are both routes inside KA-1 for the school sector. So “KA-1 or KA-2?” is a question about what you want to do, and “KA-122 or KA-121?” is a question about how often you want to do it. A school choosing between a teacher-training week and a multi-year partnership is choosing between Key Actions. A school choosing between its first mobility project and an accreditation is choosing between the two routes this post compares.
Which route should your school choose?
Three scenarios cover most schools we talk to.
Your school has never run a mobility and wants to try one: KA-122, without much agonising. The application effort is proportionate, the limits will not bite for years, and a completed project is useful evidence if you later apply for accreditation.
Your school has run a project or two and plans to travel every year: apply for the accreditation now rather than spending your third and final short-term grant first. The five-year limit on KA-122 exists precisely to point committed schools toward KA-121 before they hit the wall.
Your school is somewhere between, sure about next year but not about a five-year plan: take the KA-122, and use the project year to decide. The three-grant allowance is enough room to make an honest decision.
Whichever route fits, the money mechanics behind both are the same and we cover them in How does Erasmus+ funding work?
Frequently asked questions
What is Erasmus+ KA-1?
KA-1 is the Erasmus+ Key Action that funds learning mobility: teachers and pupils going abroad to learn. School projects run under it through two routes, KA-122 short-term projects and KA-121 accredited projects.
What is the difference between KA-1 and KA-2 in Erasmus+?
KA-1 funds people going abroad to learn; KA-2 funds cooperation projects that organisations build together. Most school mobility, from teacher courses to pupil group stays, sits under KA-1.
What is KA-2 in Erasmus+?
KA-2 is the cooperation strand: partnerships between schools and other organisations that develop something jointly over a longer period, rather than sending individuals or groups abroad to learn.
How do you qualify for an Erasmus+ grant?
Your school applies to its national agency: directly with a KA-122 short-term project, or annually under a KA-121 accreditation. Both close on 19 February; see our Erasmus+ KA-122 page for the school-group route.
Viktor Nyitray has spent more than 15 years managing international study programmes, from Erasmus+ mobility projects to national student subsidy schemes. He has helped thousands of students find the right course, and helped schools secure over €3 million in programme funding along the way.
- European Commission, Erasmus+ Programme Guide: Mobility for pupils and staff in school education ↩
- European Commission, Erasmus+ Programme Guide: What is the structure of the Erasmus+ Programme? ↩
