Financial Support for Universities and Students Studying Abroad
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has confirmed the continuation of Government financial support for universities and students participating in the Erasmus programme beyond 2013/14 which will ensure that students can continue to take part in the programme at a cost, to them, substantially lower than a year’s study in the UK, as is the case now. Read the press release for full details.

Erasmus - 25th Anniversary
Celebrations Launched
Under the slogan, 'Erasmus: changing lives, opening minds for 25 years', the silver anniversary celebrations were launched in Brussels on January 30 by Androulla Vassiliou, the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth. Read more

Celebrating the High Flyers
The Erasmus Student Network UK(ESN UK), supported by the British Council, celebrated the 25th Anniversary from Southampton to Edinburgh. Read the full story

Record Number of Students Take Part in Erasmus
The British Council has announced that in 2010/11 the number of UK students participating in the Erasmus programme was the highest it has been since the programme was launched in 1987. Read more(September 15, 2011)

UK Erasmus participation rates increased by 8%
The growth rate of UK students applying to study in the EU through the Erasmus programme in 2009/10 has overtaken the European average, according to analysis by the British Council. UK participation rates increased by 8% on the previous year, compared to the European average of 7.4%. Across Europe, more than 213,000 students received Erasmus grants to study or train abroad – a new record. Read the full news story.

Erasmus For All
The European Commission has today (November 23 2012) released its proposal for the successor programme to the Lifelong Learning, International and Youth in Action Programmes. The new programme, provisionally called ‘Erasmus for All’, will run from 2014 to 2020. You can read the European Commission’s proposal here

Study abroad can significantly boost the chances of success in later life
A review of international student mobility says that study abroad can significantly boost the chances of a student's success in later life, and bring benefits to the UK's knowledge economy. 'International student mobility literature review' was commissioned by HEFCE and the British Council, to provide a better understanding of trends in the mobility of UK students and to compare them with those in other countries. Read more on the Hefce website

UK Student and Staff Ambassadors selected for 2012 Celebrations
A student from Cardiff University, Kate Samways, and a staff member from Robert Gordon University, Julia Kennedy, have been selected to be the UK student and staff ambassadors for the EU's 25th anniversary celebrations of the Erasmus Programme in 2012.

Eurobarometer on graduate employability: Employers value teamwork, adaptability, communication and language skills
A Europe-wide survey among employers shows that, when it comes to graduate recruitment, 'soft' skills are just as valued as sector-specific and computer skills. Significant numbers of employers questioned said that the ability to work well in a team (98%), to adapt to new situations (97%), communication skills (96%), and knowledge of foreign languages (67%) were important when recruiting for their companies. Almost 50% of companies with considerable international business identified knowledge of foreign languages as the most important skill for the future.

UK students not prepared for global demands of British business
Three out of four business chiefs fear that the UK will be left behind by emerging countries unless young people learn to think more globally, according to an ICM business poll released today. (December 8 2011). Another new report showed that less than half of the students polled by YouGov (48 percent) thought that an international outlook benefits their work prospects. The research, commissioned by the British Council and Think Global, was launched at the British Council in London at an event addressed by the Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. Read more.

According to a recent study, the EU's Erasmus programme for mobility and cooperation in higher education has been a strong driving force in shaping the landscape of higher education in Europe. The study focused on the impact of Erasmus since its inception in 1987. To read the full press release and links to the report please visit the Europa Website

Erasmus reaches two million Erasmus students: the European Commission announce the EU-wide 2007/08 Erasmus figures and the British Council issue a press release.

The winners of the annual British Council Erasmus Prize Competition have been announced. Shaun Marrinan, from Glasgow Caledonian University and Marie Martyn, from Sheffield Hallam University won first prize, respectively. University staff were also able to take part in the competition this year, and Julia Kennedy, from Robert Gordon University and Gianna Knowles, from the University of Chichester won first prize for the staff essay and photography categories, respectively.

For further details on the competition, please visit our competition page or to see some of the great photos and read some of the entertaining stories from the last three competitions, download our brochure 'The Stories behind the Statistics'.

The British Council announces that the number of students from the UK participating in the Erasmus programme, has risen to 11,746. This is the highest it has been since 1994, when the participation numbers peaked at 11,988. Read why more students need to take part.