The latest Erasmus statistics
released by the European Commission today reveal that nearly 270 000
students - a new record - benefitted from EU grants to study or train
abroad in 2012-2013. While studying at another university continues to
be the most popular choice, one in five students (55 000) opted for
Erasmus job placements in companies. The three most popular destinations
for Erasmus students in 2012-2013 were Spain, Germany and France.
Countries sending the highest number of students as a proportion of
their graduate population were Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Finland,
Latvia and Spain.
"For 27 years,
Erasmus has enabled students to spend time abroad to broaden their
horizons and improve their skills. The latest figures show that Erasmus
is more popular than ever. As well as contributing to a sense of
belonging to the European family, the skills which Erasmus promotes also
help students to boost their employability and career prospects. Our
new Erasmus+ programme will enable even more young people to study, train, work or volunteer abroad in the next seven years," said Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth.
The statistics show that the
average Erasmus grant, designed to cover part of the costs of living
abroad and travel, was €272 per month, a 9% increase on the previous
year (€250). The grant is topped up in some countries by national,
regional or institutional funds.
Erasmus is not just an exchange
scheme for students: in 2012-2013 more than 52 600 academic and
administrative staff received funding from Erasmus to teach or train
abroad. The experience they gain not only benefits the individual
concerned but also the quality of teaching and learning at their home
institution when they return. Some 500 staff from businesses - an
increase of more than 20% from the previous year – also received Erasmus
support to teach at higher education institutions abroad, highlighting
the growing interest in aligning education and training to the needs of
the labour market.
The new Erasmus+ programme will
provide grants for 4 million people, including 2 million higher
education students and 300 000 staff over the next seven years
(2014-2020). It will also fund 135 000 student and staff exchanges
between Europe and partner countries worldwide. The expanded programme,
which includes Erasmus and similar mobility schemes for other groups
including apprentices and volunteers, puts more emphasis on linguistic
support, more flexible rules for grants, as well as specific additional
support for people with special needs, from disadvantaged backgrounds
and remote areas.
Background...
The Commission's strategy on the modernisation of higher education (IP/11/1043)
highlighted the need to provide more opportunities for students to gain
skills through study or training abroad. The EU target for overall
student mobility is at least 20% by the end of the decade. Currently,
around 10% of EU students study or train abroad with the support of
Erasmus or other public and private means. Around 5% receive an Erasmus
grant.
Erasmus was previously part of the
Lifelong Learning Programme (2007-2013). 33 countries participated in
the scheme: EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway,
Switzerland and Turkey.
Erasmus+, the new programme for
education, training, youth and sport, was launched in January 2014. It
has a total budget of nearly €15 billion for 2014-2020, a 40% increase
compared with the previous period.
