Erasmus+ for students

A semester abroad in Estonia, a professional internship in France, an exchange with a school class in Poland, a voluntary service in Greece: the EU Programme Erasmus+ makes Europe tangible.

Nothing strengthens European identity more than encounters and living together across national borders. This is what Erasmus+, the EU Programme for education, training, youth and sport, stands for.

It promotes the mobility of learners and supports people of all ages in acquiring employment-related and intercultural skills. Erasmus+ also promotes European and international cooperation in education. The Programme helps participating countries modernise their education systems and youth work.

For millions of young people, Europe has a name: Erasmus. The funding project was founded in 1987. The name goes back to the scholar Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466 to 1536).

Currently, the 27 EU member states, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Republic of Northern Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Turkey participate in Erasmus+.

Programme generation 2021 - 2027

The Erasmus+ Programme supports the objectives of the European education agendas, promotes the modernisation, internationalisation and quality improvement of higher education in Europe, enhances the attractiveness of the EU as a place to study and research, and contributes to the sustainable development of higher education in third countries. It also strengthens, in particular, the international competences, personal development and employability of students.

A new 7-year Programme generation started in 2021.

In order to adapt the Programme to the constantly changing requirements, there are important innovations in the new Programme generation. The focus is on social inclusion, the green and digital transformation and the promotion of young people's participation in democratic life.

A central theme of the Erasmus+ Programme is equal opportunities. Erasmus+ Social Participation aims to make participation in the Programme attractive and possible for all those who were previously unable to participate for social reasons. This includes not only people with physical and mental characteristics, but also students with children, people with limited personal or systemic access, or people with other social or socio-economic barriers.

In the implementation of social participation, the possibilities of digital transformation are of great importance: in addition to participating in classic mobility Programmes, people with physical disabilities can also increasingly benefit digitally from the excellent opportunities offered by the Erasmus Programme. This in turn is also a contribution to Erasmus+ Green.
The Erasmus Programme stands for physical mobility. This involves travel, personal cultural exchange and change of location. This often leads to carbon dioxide emissions. The Erasmus+ priority on sustainability focuses on raising awareness among Erasmus+ participants on the issues of sustainability, climate change and environmental protection, and in particular on the environmental footprint that participants create through their mobility. The financial support for sustainable transport should increase the number of mobilities with more environmentally friendly means of transport and reduce the environmental footprint of the Erasmus+ Programme.
The digitalisation of the Erasmus+ Programme is one of the big issues for future European higher education cooperation. Especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear how important digital networking is and what opportunities it can offer when our physical movement is limited. An exemplary pilot project in this area is the European Student Card Initiative (ESCI). This should lead to a uniform digital handling of the preparation, implementation and follow-up of Erasmus+ stays. The aim of Erasmus+ Digital is to contribute to the development of a digital European society in all aspects. In this way, international mobility should be experienced by all through digital possibilities.