Erasmus

ERASMUS programme

ERASMUS students gathering at a party in Netherlands.

The ERASMUS programme, also known as European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students, was established in 1987 and forms a major part of the Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 of the European Union.
It is the operational framework for the European Commission's initiatives in higher education.

Origins of the name
The programme is named after Erasmus of Rotterdam, a philosopher, 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.
The ERASMUS Programme, together with a number of other independent programmes, was incorporated into the Socrates programme when that programme was established in 1995. The Socrates programme ended on 31 December 1999 and was replaced with the Socrates II programme on 24 January 2000. That, in turn, was replaced by the Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 as from 1 January 2007

Students
There are currently 2,199 higher education institutions participating in ERASMUS across the 31 countries involved in the Socrates programme and over 1.6 million students 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. They also have to be a citizen of one of the countries in the wider Lifelong Learning Programme.