Erasmus+: a turning point in the lives of 5 million European students is the title of the press release of the EU Commission on the last independent impact study that measures and analyses the effects of the Erasmus+ programme on higher education.

In line with what already emerged in the preceding studies data confirms that Erasmus+ makes students more successful in their personal and professional lives and helps universities to become more innovative.

«It is impressive to see how Erasmus+ enables young people to thrive in the modern labour market and in a more diverse society. I am happy to see that Erasmus+ graduates feel more ready to take on new challenges, have better career prospects and are more aware of the benefits the EU brings to their daily lives. At the same time, universities that take part in Erasmus+ are not only more international but also better placed to respond to the needs of the world of work», Tibor Navracsics, commissioner for education Culture youths and sports declared.

In the impact study almost 77thousand people were interviewed including students staff members and more than 500 organisations involved in all the countries participating in the programme.

Some of the most significant data relating to student population were:

• approximately 80% of students with an international mobility experience find work within 3 months from graduation.
• 72% said they were facilitated in finding a first post-graduate job.
• 40% of Erasmus mobile students per internship were offered a work contract by the host company, while 75% developed a strong spirit of self-entrepreneurship and therefore decided to open (or have opened) a business.
• 3/4 of students said they understood what they wanted to do in life after their studies.
• 9 out of 10 recognise that they have developed strong transversal skills such as flexibility, ability to work in groups, communicative and intercultural skills.

Furthermore, among Erasmus students, young people from the Eastern countries region have a stronger sense of European identity, followed by the block of countries in the southern area.

In general, 32% of participants declare themselves as (or primarily) European citizens, while the percentage drops to 25% before the Erasmus mobility.

Erasmus is also … love:

• 23% of ex Erasmus graduates have a relationship with a partner of a nationality other than their own.
• in 1/5 of the cases the partner was met during the Erasmus international mobility.
• 16% of Erasmus couples over the age of 27 have children.

Download “Erasmus+ Higher Education Impact Study” >>