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Tuesday, 29.04.2008
The Erasmus Programme

Students from the EU have a marvelous opportunity to live, study and work for up to a year in Ireland under the Erasmus scheme. Over 1.2 million students have made use of this excellent and easily accessible programme since its inception in 1987...

The Erasmus Programme has been in existence since 1987 offering students and teachers the opportunity to spend periods studying and teaching in higher education institutions in 30 other eligible member states.

In 2007, Erasmus became part of the EU’s integrated Lifelong Learning Programme along with other actions –
Comenius – pre-school to second level
Leonardo da Vinci – vocational training
Grundtvig – adult education

Golden Opportunity
The Erasmus programme presents a golden opportunity to spend between three and 12 months in a European higher education institution (HEI) or enterprise, broadening your cultural and educational experiences. In order to apply for and investigate Erasmus, students should contact the International Office of their college.

Students who are enrolled on programmes on level 6 and higher on the National Qualifications Framework are eligible to apply. In the case of study visits, applicants must be on at least the second year of their course of studies. For a work placements, students of all years are eligible to apply.

Eligible Countries
31 participating Erasmus countries:
27 EU countries
3 EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway)
Turkey

Supports
Three major benefits of the Erasmus scheme are:
*You may apply for an Erasmus grant, which are provided to many thousands of student participants every year.
*You are not required to pay any university fees to the institution you are visiting.
*Full academic recognition will be given by your ‘home’ university to the courses you pursue while abroad.

Work Placement
In addition to study visits, Erasmus now supports students who want to spend periods on work placement. The work placement must form an integral part of the student’s educational programme, and will be part of a Training Agreement that has been agreed between the home Higher Education Institute (HEI) and the host organisation.

Applicants need to check with their International Office regarding whether their HEI is a participant of this programme.

Erasmus Grant
The Erasmus grant is not intended to cover all expenses, but to help the student with the costs of studying/working abroad such as travel expenses, language preparation costs and the cost of living in the host country. Application procedures vary from country to country; students should contact the International Office of their college for further details.

The Erasmus grant does not affect the status of any grants a student is already receiving for his/her education at home.

European Credit Transfer System (ECTS)
The majority of European universities have adopted the ECTS; it facilitates the recognition of credits earned by an Erasmus student while studying abroad, e.g. one full year of studies generally amounts to 60 credits.

Students with disabilities
The Erasmus programme is strongly focused on the principle of the mobility of European students, including students with severe disabilities. Particular attention is therefore given to the guidance, reception, physical accessibility, pedagogical/technical support services and extra financial costs for disabled students. Further information is available from the International Office of your HEI.

Further Information

www.llp.ie – Ireland’s Lifelong Learning Programme website
http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/llp/erasmus/students_en.html - The European Commission’s website.
www.esn.org - The Erasmus Student Network provides plenty of helpful advice to students at all stages of the Erasmus programme: applying, studying abroad and after the trip.
www.ploteus.com - This EU website has plenty of information regarding everything to do with the Erasmus programme; from the various education systems of EU countries to alternative grants such as for work placement.

The Erasmus programme provides an incredible scope of opportunities for students to work and study abroad and Ireland is a leading economic, educational and cultural performer within the EU. The Guide to Education in Ireland recommends you use Erasmus to pay us a visit; we promise you won’t regret it!