The what’s, the who’s and the where’s of Erasmus 2012-13

The steady yearly increase in the overall number of Erasmus beneficiaries continues, according to the most recent figures published by the European Commission: in 2012-13 as many as 268 143 students and 52 624 higher education staff in participating European countries received Erasmus grants to go abroad for studies, job placements, teaching or training. This is an increase of 6% in the number of Erasmus students studying or training abroad compared to the year 2011-12. Malta, Cyprus, Croatia and Turkey had the highest increase in the number of outgoing students (respectively 40%, 36%, 27% and 22%). The reverse trend compared to the previous year was seen in six countries – Lithuania, Spain, Latvia, Iceland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein.
So who was an Erasmus student in 2012-13? The image below shows some of the prevailing features regarding gender, the average age, duration and level of studies, as well as the average monthly allowance of around 5% of European students who chose to spend some study period in another country through Erasmus. A large majority (67%) were bachelor students, 29% were at master level, 1% were PhDs and 3% took part in short-cycle programmes. More...