The Erasmus+ programme has provided hundreds of thousands of European students with the opportunity to study abroad since 1987. But is this opportunity going to soon cease to exist for UK students?
Founded during a period of neoliberalism and globalisation, Erasmus was one of the first to provide an opportunity for students across Europe to travel abroad.
The programme has links between over 90 per cent of European universities, creating hundreds of different inter-European links. The scheme promotes accessible travel for young people, providing grants of up to 540 euros a month for up to twelve months of study, which for many students is more than their budget back home. The fund even provides ‘top-ups’ for 39,000 disadvantaged students, ensuring that people from all different walks of life can experience this opportunity.
The Erasmus+ programme has been deemed the most successful student mobility scheme in the world and has facilitated more than 9 million year abroad experiences. In addition, as well as being a fantastic, unique, and enriching opportunity for individuals, it is extremely attractive for employers, as it gives people an international perspective, as well as often a language, which is ever useful in our global, interconnected world. According to the University Academy of Modern Languages, many employers believe that the year abroad experience sets job applicants apart from other competitors.
Before the Erasmus scheme was founded, the option of a year abroad was available only for language students and for those who could afford it, meaning that very few students actually got to experience it. Just 1.8 per cent of UK students in higher education went on a year abroad in 1978, in contrast to today’s figure of 7.4 per cent. Despite the growing accessibility of international travel in the 21st century, schemes such as Erasmus+ are vital towards keeping this opportunity available for UK students.
For Edinburgh University students, this year’s cohort is the final group in receipt of Erasmus+ funding, which starts from 370 euros a month, going up to 420 euros. There is also an additional 120 euros a month for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, meaning that students can theoretically receive up to 540 euros a month. This is a significant amount of money which can astronomically change someone’s experience of their year abroad. Without it, many students will not be able to afford the extravagant costs of Copenhagen, Paris or Geneva. The costs of post-Brexit international studying have been profound with some visas costing almost a thousand pounds, which for many students equates to either a significant proportion of their student financial instalments, or hundreds of hours working a minimum wage summer job.
For those studying abroad, Erasmus funding is vital to facilitate the full experience on a year abroad, and without it many would not be able to profit from all the potential avenues it opens up. A current Erasmus student from Edinburgh University told The Student that: “the Erasmus grant has been a lifesaver; I have been able to fully immerse myself and seize every opportunity as I have not had to worry about money as much as I do in Edinburgh.
“Due to the costs in some European cities I still need to watch my spending but with the extra money I don’t have to cut myself off from plans as I might do at home and therefore, I have met so many more people and made even more friends.”
This is not to mention the symbolic impact of leaving the Erasmus+ scheme. Not being a part of it further emphasises the feeling of not being a European anymore. The closeness of the Erasmus community in many different European cities is unparalleled, with many Erasmus networks providing activities, trips and opportunities for all Erasmus students to take part in. For many students abroad, not being part of this network will feel like yet another step towards Britain becoming an isolated nation. But unlike other issues surrounding Brexit, this one specifically impacts younger generations, who will not have the same opportunities that their elder siblings or parents did. We are no longer students of Europe; we are students in Europe.
Some students from other universities in the UK are already having to face the reality of the end of the Erasmus era. Although many universities have opted in for the Turing Funding, which was set up as an alternative after Boris Johnson decided that the Erasmus scheme was too expensive, it does not provide nearly as much funding for each institution and therefore far fewer students will receive this financial aid. In addition, the Turing scheme applies to all year abroad programmes, which is advantageous as it creates opportunities all over the world, but means that the fund has to stretch further to finance all students on a year abroad, not just the ones leaving Europe.
Other universities are struggling to deal with this financial deficit and are having to make very difficult decisions. Students are having to rinse their bank accounts dry and go deep into their overdrafts in order to afford the costs moving to and living in a new country.
One student from another UK University told The Student that: “Although I feel very lucky to still be on my year abroad, I have to make some serious financial cuts due to the expenses here, I even almost maxxed out my overdraft in the first term due to the costs of the visa and flights out here. My university have offered us (disadvantaged students) £1000 but not until April so the next few months are going to be very tight”.
Moving into a new country, language, culture and job or university is emotionally taxing enough, let alone with extra financial stresses. The Erasmus funding creates a safety blanket that many people have probably never had before and can help provide instances for people to say yes to new and exciting opportunities. But this might have to be a reality that UK students need to make peace with if they want to study abroad.
What about the future of the year abroad here at Edinburgh University? The University prides itself on its international links and study abroad opportunities and has over 300 exchange partners in 40 different countries. It has pledged to to do its best to provide as much funding as possible in the post-Brexit climate so that students do not have to miss out on the year abroad experience, and is fighting to keep the year abroad a potential opportunity for all different types of students. But is this the reality, given that we are already seeing the financial burden and stress in other UK universities?
Currently, a year abroad is mandatory for a language degree and a whole educational and structural shift of the degree scheme would have to occur to alter this. Additionally, the year abroad element of a language degree creates such an interesting and enriching opportunity to fully learn the language to a colloquial level and to be wholly immersed in the cultural. Both components are extremely attractive and augmenting aspects of a language degree. But there is a real danger that this will soon have to become an optional privilege, taking us back to the times before the Erasmus+ scheme.
“Sorbonne University @ Paris” by *_* is licensed under CC BY 2.0.