WHITEPAPER

ERASMUS+ and Higher Education Mobility in

Europe





10 March 2014

Alexandros Stratis
QS Intelligence Unit




10 March 2014



Disclaimer: QS Intelligence Units retains the copyright of this document





Erasmus + i s the new l abel for one of
the most wel l -known and wi del y
recogni zed European i ni ti ati ves of the l ast
three decades. Al though pri mari l y
desi gned as an exchange program wi th
the purpose of strengtheni ng ti es between
European Uni on members and i ts
academi c ci rcl es, the real i ty of Erasmus i s
somewhat more exci ti ng than thi s.
For years, Erasmus has managed to foster
understanding and exchange of social and
cultural norms, allowing its participants to
complete a portion of their studies in a
European country of choice. Such an
initiative has increased cultural, educational
and social awareness and likewise fuelled
the wider spread of EU ideals, embedding
European Identity. There are currently
more than 4,000 higher education
institutions participating in Erasmus across
the 33 countries involved and by 2012 over
5.5 million students have participated. It is
believed that almost 1.25% of all
undergraduate EU students have taken part
in Erasmus since its inception.

Furthermore, the aim of the programme,
even under its new label is to:







The implicit acknowledgment made here is
that internationalization, language skills
and cultural sensitivity, remain valued by
employers and academia as instruments to
societal progress. The EUs insistence on
Erasmus and its structural overhaul of 2014
underline yet again these hardly teachable
but very valuable qualities in accordance
with the 2020 educational vision for Europe
and the international outlook of the global
economy.

The Erasmus programme is also gearing up
to focus on additional aspects of Education
by fostering transnational exchange
partnerships ranging from academic
collaborations to sport affiliations.
According to the latest announcements
from the EU commission, Erasmus+ will
have a period of seven years and its budget
tally an impressive 14.7 billion Euros.
1
All
in all, such a promising figure is almost 40%
higher than the Erasmus expenditure over
the 2006-2013 period, and while the new
programme includes initiatives in Training,
Youth and Sports in addition to Education,
it is evident that this mobility platform
remains a valuable and long term budget
commitment of the Union.

What does Erasmus+ mean for students?
The straightforward implications from the
revamped Erasmus+ launch are immediately
clear: the commission calculates that
approximately 4 million people will have
the opportunity to benefit from the scheme
and acquire academic and professional
experience within EU walls as a direct
result of the programme.

Out of these 4 million, the estimates of the
Commission point to at least 2 million
higher education students across Europe
making use of Erasmus+, with an additional
200 thousands postgraduates, planning to
complete degrees abroad.

From this year onwards, the EU will offer
25,000 two-year grants, 15,000 three-year
scholarships and thousands more short-term
grants to students and academics


1
http://ec.europa.eu/budget/mff/highlights/index_en
.cfm#footnote-2. Accessed 12/02/2014.
Boost skills and
employability, as well as
modernising Education,
Training, and Youth work.


QSIU Whitepaper Erasmus+ and Higher Education mobility in Europe
worldwide, with those in Latin America
now eligible for all the places on offer.
2


This creates a new pool of applicants and
future students that will have the ability to
increase the internationalisation, the
academic reputation and perhaps the
general outlook for these universities and
HEIs in general that will attract Erasmus+
students. Yet again, from an EU perspective,
the non-quantified positive effects that
pertain to social and cultural sensitivity, the
exchange of ideas and the sense of European
ideals, are expected to be equally high.

However, the important issue here lies with
cultivating, fostering and sustaining a
culture of academic exchange, not limited
to Erasmus but encompassing Europe as a
whole. Europe is home to many established
and traditional institutions, each with its
own mark on the academic map. EU
regulations have allowed a higher mobility
for undergraduate and postgraduate studies,
with many member states actually
positively exploiting this integration and
the loosening of travel restrictions to attract
the top of European talented students.

Nevertheless, the deep economic
differences between parts of the Union, the
differences in job markets and
unemployment indexes and the restricted
disposable income for education depending
on the country have made student mobility
either more complex or a privilege of the
elites. In addition, the said differences
decrease the incentive of successful students
abroad to return to their country of origin,
creating an inner brain drain within the


2
http://www.euractiv.com/education/eu-
expanding-educational-links-l-news-533370
Accessed 12/02/2014.

EU itself. Finally, structural differences in
education sometimes prevent the
interoperability of exchange programmes
and the cohesive application of the
initiatives.









All told, Erasmus+ comes as a short remedy.
It appears as a measure that will improve
mobility and cultural exchange, whilst
ensuring that students will return to their
institutions and share the experiences and
narratives with their fellow students. It
offers the opportunity to immerse oneself in
a foreign yet not distant academic
environment, learn a European language
and in the end return to the country of
origin to successfully complete ones
studies.

What does Erasmus+ mean for Hi gher
Educati on?
The new programme also means that novel
initiatives and cooperative schemes will be
included under its aegis. According to the
The revamped and fully funded new
version of Erasmus means that more and
more people will get this opportunity and
the vision of creating a European identity
cannot be but implemented via education
and culture as well.
Yet again, from an EU
perspective, the non-
quantified positive effects
that pertain to social and
cultural sensitivity, the
exchange of ideas and the
sense of European ideals, are
expected to be equally high.


QSIU Whitepaper Erasmus+ and Higher Education mobility in Europe
programme guide in the field of Education
the following are expected to take place:
3

International credit mobility of
individuals and Joint Master Degrees
promoting the mobility of learners
and staff from and to Partner
Countries.

Capacity Building projects in higher
education promoting cooperation &
partnerships that have an impact on
the modernisation &
internationalisation of HEIs and
systems in Partner Countries, with a
special focus on Partner Countries
neighbouring the EU;

Support to policy dialogue through
the network of Higher Education
Reform Experts in Partner Countries
neighbouring the EU, the
international alumni association,
policy dialogue with partner
countries and international
attractiveness and promotion events;

Jean Monnet activities with the aim
of stimulating teaching, research and
reflection in the field of European
Union studies worldwide.
The focus here falls on institutional
cooperation, capacity building and the
exchange of best practices. The world of
European Higher Education is indeed one
laden with tradition and a strong sense of
accomplishment and identity, however
many improvements in delivering better
academic performances could be made.
More specifically, the exchange between


3
http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-
plus/documents/erasmus-plus-programme-
guide_en.pdf Accessed 12/02/2014.
scholars and students, while comparing
ideas about research management, teaching
methodology, branding and marketing
research, as well as attracting talented
students and professors, can be fostered
under the auspices of Erasmus+. The
additional incentive to imitate and apply
best practices, even with the given
differences in the Higher Education
environment, not only assists universities to
acquire a more international outlook but
also signals their progress towards a unified,
measured and coordinated tertiary system
of European education. In line with the
EUs 2020 vision, tertiary education is one
of the prime initiatives, with key goals
outlined in the 2020 Strategy.
4






Erasmus+ is therefore not a single
dimensional opportunity as a platform for
students alone, but an important
mechanism for EU HEIs to move towards
better integration and the sharing of viable
academic policies with the purpose of
increasing their performance. Despite the
multitude of issues that concern tertiary
education sectors across EU countries, the
matter of the fact remains that an initiative
such as this will yield positive results in the
near future.



4
http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/europe-2020-in-
a-nutshell/targets/index_en.htm
Accessed 12/02/2014.
65% of the budget is allocated to learning
opportunities abroad for individuals,
within the EU and beyond.


QSIU Whitepaper Erasmus+ and Higher Education mobility in Europe
65.6%
29.4%
5.00%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
Erasmus+ Funding
Budget Projection break
down
Learning mobility of individuals
Cooperation for Innovation and the
exchange of Good practices.
Support for policy reform
200000
25000 25000
0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
Post Graduate participants
Post Graduate Participants
Master's
Loan
Schemes
Latin
American
Scholarshi
ps
Joint
Degrees
200000
0
500000
650000
0
500000
1000000
1500000
2000000
2500000
Undergraduate Participants
Undergraduate Participants
Higher Education Students
Youth Exchange Program
Vocational Traineeships
Epi l ogue

The seven year programme signals the EUs
intention to invest heavily in higher
Education in order to achieve its policy
aims. It will foster more international
collaborations in student mobility and
tertiary education partnerships. The
successful implementation of the
programme will offer many European and,
to some extent, Latin American students, to
enjoy a more diverse and international
education in the years to come.

Key stats and fi gures
These three graphs provide us with an
approximation of as to how the Erasmus+
programme is to be implemented over the
2014 2020 period, according to EU
commission proposals and adopted planning
strategies.


































QSIU Whitepaper Erasmus+ and Higher Education mobility in Europe

About QS Intelligence Unit
QS Has been conducting research in a range of areas since 1990 beginning with a global survey of MBA
employers. The QS World University Rankings, the most well-known of the range of research projects that QS
operates, have been operated since 2004.
To meet the increasing public interest for comparative data on universities and organisations, and the growing
demand for institutions to develop deeper insight into their competitive environment, the QS Intelligence Unit
was formed in 2008 as a distinct and autonomous department. Committed to the key values of rigorous integrity,
undeniable value, unique insight and charismatic presentation, QSIU strives to be the most trusted independent
source of global intelligence on the higher education sector. In addition to the research personnel already part of
QS, QS Intelligence Unit (QSIU) has staff in both London and Singapore to deliver the detailed analysis in
increasing demand from many institutions in the market.

QSIU offers comprehensive consulting services, providing advice on development initiatives to global
universities. The exclusive focus on higher education and access to arguably one of the most powerful data
warehouses on global higher education sets us apart from the Big-4 firms.
Consequently, we are able to provide a full range of consulting services to higher education clients across the
globe with projects including strategic and academic planning, research management and development, quality
assurance, internationalisation, learning and teaching, market position and branding, leadership and change
management, institutional performance, and faculty and student recruitment.


Trusted. Independent. Global.








http://iu.qs.com/consulting consulting@qs.com +44 (0) 20 7428 1813