University provides you with a wealth of opportunities. Although the workload is normally heavy, and you’ll be kept very busy with lectures and seminars during term-time, the flexibility that comes with studying full time gives you something that becomes increasingly scarce as you enter the workplace and proceed through your career: freedom. As you are able to choose how you schedule your own workload to a significant extent, it’s possible to free up more time than you might otherwise have to devote towards other things. A lot of students decide to spend this time travelling. But there are opportunities to combine studying and travel – allowing you to spend even longer periods away from your home country, experiencing a different way of life.
Set up in the 1980s, Erasmus is an exchange student programme that provides foreign exchange opportunities at seats of learning across the European Union. The vision underpinning the programme is to foster greater harmony and cooperation between the member states of the EU, specifically with regard to international study. Students can study abroad for between 3 and 12 months.
The programme includes roughly 4,000 students at any one time. Students of any nationality may apply (even if they are non-EU nationals), but they must be enrolled in an Erasmus study programme at a higher education institution, and must be engaged in study leading towards a degree or other certified tertiary qualification to participate – this includes undergraduate, as well as graduate degrees. Both the sending and receiving institutions must be holders of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education, if located in a Programme Country.
Erasmus students can apply for a scholarship to cover the cost of their participation. Erasmus+ EU grants cover the cost of travel and subsistence incurred while participating in the exchange. Regardless of if they receive a grant, all Erasmus students are exempted from fees that their host institution would otherwise charge them to study there. Some Erasmus scholarships go unclaimed due to a lack of eligible applicants, so it’s definitely worth investigating thoroughly to see if you are eligible for further support. All your existing national loans will continue to be paid throughout the scholarship.
There are over a thousand participating institutions in the Erasmus programme, so there is a lot of choice. The best way to approach this important decision is to work out which university or institute would best suit your needs, and then investigate to see if they participate in the scheme, and if there are any scholarships available.
If you’re tempted by the prospect of an Erasmus scholarship, visit your international office or Erasmus+ office at your university. The staff there will be able to provide you with all the information you need, advise you on all the necessary arrangements, and will help you apply for funding.
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