Erasmus Facts, Figures & Trends The European Union support for student and staff exchanges and university cooperation in 2013-2014 Education and Training Acronyms for country names ISO Code Country Name AT Austria LT Lithuania BE Belgium LU Luxembourg BG Bulgaria LV Latvia CH Switzerland MK Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia CY Cyprus MT Malta CZ Czech Republic NL Netherlands DE Germany NO Norway DK Denmark PL Poland EE Estonia PT Portugal GR Greece RO Romania ES Spain SE Sweden FI Finland SI Slovenia FR France SK Slovakia HR Croatia UK United Kingdom HU Hungary TR Turkey IE Ireland IS Iceland IT Italy LI Liechtenstein Disclaimer The data used in this report has been provided by the higher education institutions and validated by 10 October 2015 by the National Agencies of the 34 countries participating in the Erasmus programme (Erasmus decentralised actions) and by the Education Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (Erasmus centralised actions, Erasmus Mundus, Jean Monnet and Tempus) by 10 October 2015. The European Commission makes its best efforts to ensure the accuracy of the data, but cannot be held responsible for any errors the source data may nevertheless contain. © European Commission, 2015 Responsible editor: Unit B1 ‘Higher education’, Directorate-General for Education and Culture, European Commission, Brussels Table of In a nutshell: Erasmus and international higher education programmes (2007-2013) . 4 contents Erasmus Student Mobility . .6 Erasmus Staff Mobility . 10 Erasmus Intensive Programmes . .14 Erasmus Intensive Language Courses . 16 Erasmus Higher Education Cooperation Projects . 18 Erasmus Mundus . 22 Jean Monnet . 24 Tempus . 26 Annexes . 29 4 | ERASMUS - FACTS, FIGURES & TRENDS Erasmus+, now already in its second year, has started 28 EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, In a nutshell: delivering promising results, including a higher Switzerland, Turkey and for the first time, the former recognition rate for ECTS credits earned abroad by Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. With a budget of Erasmus and students, a higher quality of mobility with better over €580 million in 2013-2014, the highest annual linguistic preparation and better accessibility. By amount of the seven-year period, 272 000 students international removing barriers to mobility, Erasmus+ will open and over 57 000 staff spent time abroad. the minds of another two million students, who Erasmus mobility, with its focus on skills development will be better equipped to build a more cohesive higher education for employability and active citizenship, is a and competitive society. Built on foundations laid central element of the European Commission’s by Erasmus, Erasmus+ provides opportunities for programmes strategies. Mobility contributes to combatting stronger cooperation between higher education youth unemployment, an objective which features institutions and their stakeholders. This will increase prominently in the Europe 2020 strategy for growth (2007-2013) innovation and enhance social inclusion, which is and jobs. It also equips the new generation with social, an essential factor in preventing radicalisation and civic and intercultural skills, an essential element of terrorism. the 2015 Paris Declaration following the terrorist Although it is still too early to measure the impact attacks in Paris and Copenhagen. of Erasmus+, we can learn a lot from the previous Student mobility contributes to individuals’ personal programme. This brochure not only presents the and professional development and equips them results of the last academic year 2013-2014, but also with transferable skills that are valued by employers provides an overview of the main achievements of and society. Students certainly improve their foreign Erasmus under the EU’s Lifelong Learning Programme language skills and develop greater intercultural (LLP) during 2007-2013. awareness; but they also develop soft skills, such With a budget of €3.1 billion Erasmus provided grants as being able to quickly adapt to changes and to 1.6 million students to study and train abroad new situations, solve problems, work in teams, and to 300 000 academic and administrative staff think critically, be tolerant of different views and to teach and learn new practices abroad. Overall, by communicate effectively. A 20141 study showed that the end of the academic year 2013-14, the Erasmus the risk of long-term unemployment at least halved programme had supported 3.3 million Erasmus for mobile students compared to those who stay at students and 470 000 staff since its launch home. Mobility boosts job prospects, encourages 27 years ago. labour market mobility and opens minds to different cultures. A third of former Erasmus students now live In 1987, 3 244 students from 11 countries spent a with a partner of a different nationality. study period abroad on Erasmus. During 2013-14, some 34 countries took part in the programme: the IN A NUTSHELL: ERASMUS AND INTERNATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMMES (2007-2013) | 5 Since its launch in 1987, the Erasmus programme But Erasmus is more than just student and staff contributed to its modernisation, and paved the way has seen not only a constant increase in the number exchanges. Funding around 460 transnational for the Bologna Process. It contributes substantially of students taking part, but also in the quality and cooperation projects and networks since 2007, to the EU target that by 2020 at least 20 % of diversity of the mobility activities on offer. Traineeships it has also enabled higher education institutions to all graduates should have spent a period of time abroad were introduced in 2007. Since then, the improve the quality, relevance and accessibility of studying or training abroad. The annual number number of students receiving their first professional their programmes. Out of this total, some 80 projects of Erasmus students accounts for almost 5 % of experience through Erasmus has tripled and more than were funded in 2013-14 and supported higher all graduates, thus contributing to a quarter of the 60 000 students seized this opportunity in 2013-14 education institutions in working together to address benchmark, and cooperation projects can serve as a (22 % of all Erasmus students). Overall, 290 000 the EU higher education priorities. During 2007-2013, catalyst for institutions to include student mobility in students have undertaken an Erasmus traineeship the EU also supported approximately 550 Tempus their curricula. since 2007 in companies, almost 80 % of them cooperation projects, 700 Erasmus Mundus joint Every year, the European Commission compiles being SMEs. One in three were offered a job by their degrees and international mobility projects (since Erasmus statistics from the Erasmus National host and one in ten went on to create their own 2004) and 1 200 Jean Monnet teaching and research Agencies in the participating countries and publishes company, according to the same 2014 study. With projects. a statistical overview online, providing an overall Erasmus+, recent graduates can also receive support These different forms of cooperation have been picture of the different types of actions funded, with to undertake a traineeship abroad as a route into the instrumental in improving key areas, such as the a comparison of a given year’s results with those of labour market. quality and diversity of higher education in terms previous years. Basic data from the other EU higher Higher education teachers and other staff, such as of learning and teaching, the recognition of study education programmes now complement the picture. a university’s international relations officers, can periods abroad and the provision of student support We hope you will find this information useful. also benefit from EU support to teach or be trained services. Among such advances are developments in abroad, and higher education institutions have the institutional management, links with the labour market opportunity to invite staff from companies to come and access to learning environments, which promote and teach at their institutions, a number that grew innovation and creativity. In particular, Erasmus 11-fold over the LLP period. Teachers coming from cooperation projects have led to long-term structural institutions or from businesses in other countries changes and strategic initiatives. These include the allow a wider number of students, including those European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System who cannot go abroad, the chance to be exposed that promotes the transparency and transferability to other teaching practices, other cultures and to of study credits in European higher education, the the labour market in an international setting before ‘tuning’ of academic degree programmes based graduation. All in all, the Erasmus community on learning outcomes and the many joint curricula included over 4 900 higher education institutions developed over the years. ¹ (HEIs) holding the Erasmus University Charter in “The Erasmus Impact Study. Effects of mobility on the skills and employability At a more general level, mobility and cooperation of students and the internationalisation of higher education institutions” 2013-14, of which almost 3 600 were active in projects supported by Erasmus have promoted the http://ec.europa.eu/education/library/study/2014/erasmus-impact_en.pdf sending or receiving students and staff. The number internationalisation of European higher education, of sending HEIs increased by 65 % over the LLP period. 6 | ERASMUS - FACTS, FIGURES