Increase in the number of Erasmus scholarship students in Europe. Romania sends more students abroad than it receives

After the number of European students receiving Erasmus scholarships fell in 2020, in the context of the pandemic, to less than half of what it was in 2019, these figures subsequently recorded a significant increase. In 2019, the number of Romanian students going abroad with Erasmus scholarships was around 29,000, while in 2022 this number increased to over 44,000. Similarly, in 2019, approximately 22,000 foreign students arrived in Romania, and in 2022 the number of Erasmus students coming to Romania exceeded 33,000. This increase can also be seen in other European Union countries, both in Eastern and Western Europe.

The number of participants in the Erasmus program is, in absolute terms, much higher in Western Europe. France, Spain, and Italy each send approximately 100,000 students with Erasmus scholarships to European universities annually. In terms of receiving foreign students, Spain hosts over 140,000 Erasmus students annually, Italy approximately 100,000, and France 60,000. In Eastern Europe, Poland is the country where Erasmus scholarships are most popular, with approximately 60,000 local students leaving annually and over 44,000 foreign students arriving.

As a proportion of the total number of students, the Erasmus program is much more popular among students in Eastern Europe, who value the opportunity to study at another European university more highly. In 2022, almost 9% of students in Romania benefited from Erasmus mobility. Other Eastern European countries recorded similar percentages: 6.5% of students in Poland, approximately 10% of students in Bulgaria, and almost 18% of students in Estonia participated in the program. By comparison, although Western European countries record more Erasmus scholarship departures in absolute terms, less than 4.5% of all students enroll in the program annually, with most preferring to continue their studies in their own country.

The figures also show that, in general, most EU countries send more students abroad through the Erasmus program than they receive, with three exceptions: Spain, which in 2022 received 40,000 more Erasmus students than it sent to other countries, followed by Sweden, which received 3,000 more students, and Italy, with 285 more students. Eastern European countries have the largest differences between departures and arrivals, with an average of 25% more departures than arrivals.

The European Union's Erasmus program allows, among other things, mobility internships at other universities in member states and is aimed at students enrolled in higher education institutions in countries participating in the program, at short cycle, bachelor's, master's or doctoral level, as well as recent graduates.

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The data used in the infographic was collected by Erasmus+ and Eurostat.

Data processing and text design: Daniel Sandu

Infographic: Pascalone Media SRL