The EC released two independent studies that show that Erasmus+ is beneficial to higher education students, staff and higher education organisations.
The Erasmus+ Higher Education Impact Study measured and analysed the impact of the Erasmus+ programme on students and staff who undertake a learning or training period abroad through the programme as well as on higher education institutions. The study is based on feedback from almost 77’000 students and staff and over 500 organisations, and it complements quantitative with qualitative data. The quantitative part includes data from beneficiaries of the Erasmus+ programme as well as from comparison groups.
The study suggests e.g. that students benefit regarding skills development and career orientation. 72% of the students who completed an Erasmus+ mobility said that the mobility had been beneficial in finding their first job. Of the participants who went on a traineeship, 40% were offered jobs with the companies or organisations in which they did their traineeship. Around 10% started their own company. Financial concerns and personal reasons remain the most frequent barrier to student mobility.
Interestingly, a comparison of indices among former Erasmus+ participants and former participants in other mobility programmes suggests differences with an advantage for Erasmus+. For example, Erasmus+ participants fare better in a so-called “Study impact index” (progress with studies; development of competences relevant for effective learning; exposure to innovative teaching methods; motivation to complete studies) than participants from other programmes.
The study recognises the Erasmus+ programme’s contribution to the realisation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) by the free movement of students and staff and show that some students still face greater institutional obstacles, e.g. recognition of credits, compared to others.Thus, the study recommends exploring and adopting additional ways to support students.
The Erasmus+ Higher Education Strategic Partnerships and Knowledge Alliances study analysed two types of cooperation projects, the Higher Education Strategic Partnerships and the Knowledge Alliances, and assessed what impact these projects had at systemic/policy, organisational and individual levels and how this affected the modernisation of higher education systems in Europe. The mainly quantitative study draws on data from 258 projects of both types, from Erasmus+ National Agencies, National Authorities and from 26 selected case studies.
The study suggest that at a systemic level, organisations benefitted from inter-university cooperation funded through Erasmus+ in the sense that it increased the quality, relevance, innovativeness and accessibility of European higher education. In 90% of the Strategic Partnerships cases, the cooperation continued beyond the project. In addition, the two types of projects are considered to be strongly complementary.
Despite the overall positive evaluation, the study recommends to the European Commission and the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive (EACEA) to improve the situation in the future by e.g. taking active measures to facilitate policy learning and the exploitation of outcomes as well as to address the increasing demand for more active monitoring of the Erasmus+ transnational cooperation.