Erasmus is the European Commission's leading educational exchange programme for higher education. It was introduced with the aim of increasing student mobility within Europe and now operates across 33 countries and involves over 4,000 Higher Education Institutions. 2012 marks the 25th Anniversary of the Erasmus programme and during this time it has enabled over two and a half million students to study or work abroad.
For more information on the programme, please visit the Erasmus website.
Students, teaching and non-teaching staff at Higher Education Institutions in the UK can participate in the Erasmus Programme, provided their institution holds an Erasmus University Charter.
Students from all subject-areas can participate, as can part time and postgraduate students. Students must be enrolled at a Higher Education Institution in the UK to follow higher education studies. Students enrolled in short term higher vocational education courses, which includes foundation degree courses can also participate.
Students and staff (academic and administrative) can work, study, teach and train
Students - go abroad for three months, or stay the whole year. Either study in another European University with whom your institution has a partnership or carry out a work placement - or combine the two. Both work placements and study periods are given credits and recognition by your home institution.
Staff - Academic staff can teach for a minimum of five days up to six weeks. Staff training is an option for non-teaching staff and encompasses things such as short secondments, job-shadowing and study visits.
Students and Staff - If you are still at school you should check out which institutions and courses offer an Erasmus option. Most UK universities and many other UK Institutions of Higher Education/Further Education have some involvement with the Erasmus student mobility programme. If you are already at a Higher Education Institution, contact your local Erasmus co-ordinator who will be able to answer all your questions and help you apply.
UK Institutions - For a UK higher education institution to participate in Erasmus it must first have an Erasmus University Charter (EUC). Institutions must apply to the EUC via the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency: EUC applications have to be approved by the Commission. The call for applications are made on an annual basis.
Katie Goodfellow
Katie Goodfellow, University of Wales Aberystwyth
I returned with a renewed belief in myself which is in large part thanks to the amazing experience which I have undertaken this past year. I know that a year’s study in another country will make me more attractive to prospective employers and am pleased to come away with a qualification in French law. Above all I leave with an insight into life in another country, fluency in another European language and friends who come from all over the world. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity presented to me and look forward to exploiting my newly acquired talents on the European stage in the future.
Erasmus – Make your Mark
