Since 1987, millions of students have benefited from an experience studying and living abroad thanks to the European Union’s Erasmus exchange programme. This programme aims at supporting education, training, youth and sport in Europe, focusing on social inclusion, the green and digital transitions and promoting young people’s participation in democratic life. In 2021, this programme reached close to 649 000 participants in around 71 000 organisations, with a budget of 2.9 million euros.
This programme allows young people to experience student life in one of the 33 programme countries over a period of 3 to 12 months. Thanks to Erasmus+, students follow part of their courses in another university without paying any additional fees. Consequently, since 1987, millions of students have had the opportunity to acquire a foreign language and broaden their minds by discovering a new country and meeting people from all over Europe.
However, students spending time studying abroad is a phenomenon that dates from way before the beginning of the Erasmus programme. In fact, this programme is named after one of the most famous international students in Europe, the renowned Renaissance philosopher Erasmus of Rotterdam, who was well-known for his travels. Just like many Erasmus students, he visited many European cities during his studies, such as Paris, London, Rome, Brussels and Strasbourg.
If you want to learn more about the Erasmus programme, we encourage you to watch these videos:
- FR: Erasmus
- ES: Papá, mamá: me voy de Erasmus
- IT: Il programma Erasmus
In addition, if you want to improve your skills in the language of Erasmus, you should check the Dutch section of the Speech Repository.