We demand Erasmus Equality!

The Erasmus programme is one of the success stories of the European Union, with more than 10 million participants so far. It allows students to study in another country, creating unforgettable experiences, not only in the classroom, but also outside.

That is, if you can afford it.

The problem is that the Erasmus programme is highly unequal. The grants the programme provides are far from sufficient to cover costs for a student. Leaving students with less financial means discouraged from studying abroad.

It is impossible for a student to study, sleep and eat with less than 500 euro a month. It would almost require to live like a monk to make ends meet. And we all know that is not how people enjoy their student life.

This means that for most students, they can only study abroad if their parents can financially support them.

The current Erasmus programme is stripping away opportunities from a big group of potential participants, risking going against the very ethos of creating opportunities and inclusion that the programme was founded upon.

If we want true Erasmus Equality, with equal access to studying abroad, we need to change the system.

And there is an opportunity coming up to do that.

This year the European Commission will propose a revision of their seven year budget planning (MFF). As the initial budget was prior to the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the current inflation rate, it is essential to seize this opportunity to address this inequality issue. We urge the Commission to increase funding for Erasmus+ and raise the individual grants.

We want the Erasmus programme to become equally accessible for all, regardless of your country or personal economic background.

✍️ Join us and sign our petition now.

1. What is the Erasmus programme?: The Erasmus+ programme for higher education allows students to study or do an internship abroad for a maximum of 12 months. It is funded by the European Union.

2. What financial support do students receive now?

Students that participate receive a grant which partly covers for living costs, and it is paid by their sending institutions. The grant rules are defined in the Erasmus+ programme guide, and they can change every year. These grants differ based on country of residence and host country, and each Erasmus+ National Agency can define an amount within the ranges established in the programme guide.

Besides the regular grants, students can also receive so-called top-ups if they have fewer opportunities. These top-ups give students 250 euros extra per month, and allocation criteria can be defined at the national or institutional level. Preliminary findings of the ESN survey show that around 10% of students receive these grants.

3. How is the Erasmus programme financed?: The European Union finances the Erasmus programme through the Multiannual Financial Framework, which runs from 2021 until 2027. At the moment there are negotiations ongoing to adapt parts of this MFF, which gives the opportunity to include Erasmus Equality.

This petition is supported by:

The Greens/EFA in the European Parliament
Nicu Ștefănuță, Rasmus Andersen, Alexandra Geese, Francisco Guerreiro, Ana Miranda, Monika Vana, Manuela Ripa, Tilly Metz, Thomas Waitz, Alice Bah Kuhnke, Diana Riba I Giner, Mounir Satouri, Tineke Stirk, Henrike Hahn, Jordi Sole, Jutta Paulus, Hannah Neumann, Anna Deparnay-Grunenberg, Bas Eickhout, Daniel Freund, Ska Keller, Yannick Jadot, Claude Gruffat, Anna Cavazzini, Ciaran Cuffe, David Cormand, Jakop Dalunde, Sergey Lagodinsky, Sarah Wiener, Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, Terry Reintke, Benoit Biteau, Philippe Lamberts, Rosa D’Amato, Kim van Sparrentak, Damian Boeselager, Malte Gallee, Sara Mattthieu, Kira Marie Peter-Hansen

Young European Greens (FYEG)

Erasmus Student Network (ESN)

Together with:

EU&U, ESN Romania, Romanian Students' Union (USR), Volunteers for Ideas and Projects (VIP), Young Professionals Romania, European Expertise Center EUROPULS, Group of the European Youth for Change (GEYC)

Photo by Naassom Azevedo on Unsplash

We demand Erasmus Equality!

If we want true Erasmus Equality, with equal access to studying abroad, we need to change the system.

✍️ Join us and sign our petition now.

The Greens/EFA in the European Parliament

Join our call for Erasmus Equality.

💚 Thank you for signing.

The Greens/EFA in the European Parliament