Erasmus stands for “EuRopean Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students” and is an EU funded student exchange programme, started in 1987 to provide learning mobility opportunities to university students. Since then, around 13 million people have taken part in the Erasmus+ programme.

The programme – named after the Dutch philosopher Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus – supports green and digital transitions and fosters active citizenship and greater participation in democratic life. A core priority of the programme is inclusion; to give the opportunity for more people to learn and participate in transnational projects and reach out to people with fewer opportunities.

Erasmus+ in figures

  • €3.8 million budget
  • Almost 640 000 people studied, trained or volunteered abroad
  • Around 126 900 organisations
  • 20 400 project

Erasmus+ 2021-2027 in 4 pages