Erasmus Programme Information
The Erasmus Programme (EuRopean Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students), a.k.a. Erasmus Project is a European Union (EU) student exchange programme established in 1987. It forms a major part of the EU Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013, and is the operational framework for the European Commission's initiatives in higher education.
The Erasmus Programme, together with a number of other independent Programmes, was incorporated into the Socrates programme established by the European Commission in 1994. The Socrates programme ended on 31 December 1999 and was replaced with the Socrates II Programme on 24 January 2000, which in turn was replaced by the Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 on 1 January 2007.
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History
Desiderius Erasmus of RotterdamOrigins of the name
The Programme is named after the Dutch philosopher Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam, known as an opponent of dogmatism, who lived and worked in many places in Europe to expand his knowledge and gain new insights, and who left his fortune to the University of Basel in Switzerland. At the same time, ERASMUS is a backronym meaning European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students.
1987 European Commission proposal
By the time the Erasmus Programme was adopted in June 1987, the European Commission had been supporting pilot student exchanges for 6 years. It proposed the original Erasmus Programme in early 1986, but reaction from the then Member States varied: those with substantial exchange Programmes of their own (essentially France, Germany and the United Kingdom) were broadly hostile; the remaining countries were broadly in favour. Exchanges between the Member States and Manuel Marin, the responsible member of the European Commission deteriorated, and the latter withdrew the proposal in early 1987 to protest against the inadequacy of the triennial budget proposed by some Member States. AEGEE, European Students' Forum, persuades French president François Mitterrand to support funding for the Erasmus programme, a student exchange program financed by the European Commission. In the next few months a compromise was worked out with a majority of Member States, and the Programme was adopted by simple majority in June 1987.
European Court of Justice decision
This method of voting was not accepted by some of the opposing Member States, who challenged the adoption of the decision before the European Court of Justice. Although the Court held that the adoption was procedurally flawed, it maintained the substance of the decision; a further decision, adapted in the light of the jurisprudence, was rapidly adopted by the Council of Ministers.
Adoption and growth
The Programme built on the 1981–1986 pilot student exchanges, and although it was formally adopted only shortly before the beginning of the academic year 1987/8, it was still possible for 3,244 students to participate in Erasmus in its first year. In 2006, over 150,000 students, or almost 1% of the European student population, took part. The proportion is higher among university teachers, where Erasmus teacher mobility is 1.9% of the teacher population in Europe, or 20,877 people.[citation needed]
In the past twenty years, over two million students[1] – 60% of Erasmus being female – have benefited from Erasmus grants, and the European Commission aims to reach a total of 3 million by 2012.[citation needed]
Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013
The Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013 replaced the Socrates programme as the overall umbrella under which the Erasmus (and other) Programmes operate from 2007.
Erasmus and Erasmus MUNDUS
EuMAS, an Erasmus Mundus ProgrammeThe Erasmus Mundus Programme is another, parallel Programme that is oriented towards globalising European education. Whereas the Erasmus Programme is open to Europeans, the Erasmus Mundus is open to non-Europeans with Europeans being exceptional cases. A typical example of an educational Programme under the Erasmus Mundus are EuMAS and WISHES.
Participation
There are currently more than 4,000 higher institutions participating in Erasmus across the 31 countries involved in the Erasmus programme and over 2.2 million students[2] have already taken part.
Requirements
To participate in the Erasmus Programme students must be studying for a degree or diploma at a tertiary-level institution and must have completed their first year.
Details
Students who join the Erasmus Programme study or do an internship for a period of at least 3 months to an academic year in another European country. The Erasmus Programme guarantees that the period spent abroad is recognised by their university when they come back as long as they abide by terms previously agreed.
A main part of the Programme is that students do not pay extra tuition fees to the university that they visit. Students can also apply for an Erasmus grant to help cover the additional expense of living abroad. Students with disabilities can also apply for additional grant to cover extraordinary expenses. The disability dimension is a part of EU work to promote opportunities for the disabled.
In order to reduce expenses and increase mobility, many students also use the European Commission-supported accommodation network, CasaSwap, or Erasmate which are free websites where students and young people can rent, sublet, offer and swap accommodation – on a national and international basis. A derived benefit is that students can share knowledge and exchange tips and hints with each other before and after going abroad.
The "Erasmus experience"
Cultural phenomenon
For many European students, the Erasmus Programme is their first time living and studying abroad. Hence, it has become a cultural phenomenon and is very popular among European students, going on to become the subject of movies such as French film L'Auberge espagnole.
The Programme fosters not only learning and understanding of the host country, but also a sense of community among students from different countries and it can be hard to know what one might expect.[citation needed] The Erasmus experience is considered both a time for learning as well as a chance to socialize.
Tutors are often keen for students of subjects such as Politics or International Relations to participate in Erasmus. It is seen as a great opportunity to study abroad while not having the expense of studying outside the European Union as the grant available to Erasmus students are not available to those opting to leave the continent to study. Simply having Erasmus on one's curriculum vitae is seen as being a very positive thing because that one word explains the whole experience of studying abroad.[citation needed]
Some academics have speculated that former Erasmus students will prove to be a powerful force in creating a pan-European identity. The political scientist Stefan Wolff, for example, has argued that "Give it 15, 20 or 25 years, and Europe will be run by leaders with a completely different socialization from those of today", referring to the so-called 'Erasmus generation'.[3]
See also
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| University portal |
- AEGEE
- Board of European Students of Technology (BEST)
- EducationUSA
- Erasmus Social Network for International Students
- Erasmus Student Network (ESN) – Non profit organization for exchange students
- Erasmusjam
- European credit transfer system (ECTS)
- Fulbright Program
- German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
- TEMPUS
- European Higher Education Area
References
- ^ Ec.europa.eu, Table: Erasmus student mobility (number of outgoing students): 1987/88-2006/07
- ^ "Table 8: Actual Number of Erasmus Students by Country of Home institution 1987/88-2006/07". http://ec.europa.eu/education/Programmes/llp/erasmus/statisti/table1.pdf.
- ^ Bennhold, Katrin (26 April 2005). "Quietly sprouting: A European identity". International Herald Tribune. http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/04/26/news/enlarge2.php. Retrieved 21 November 2006.
External links
- Erasmus website of the European Commission
- (German) DAAD – National Agency for EU Higher Education Cooperation of Germany
- The Official Bologna Process Website 2010–2020
- Erasmus Student Network website
Categories: Educational policies and initiatives of the European Union | Academic transfer | Desiderius Erasmus | Scholarships
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