A new season of European (and beyond) departures is coming for university students.
In fact, in recent weeks, universities across Italy are selecting applications for the next 2024 round of Erasmus+ trips.
Giving thousands of girls and boys the opportunity to join the over 700 thousand "colleagues" who preceded them from 1987 onwards, the year of the first experimentation of the very famous student exchange programme.
In the period between September 2021 and October 2023 alone there were more than 37 thousand, placing us in fourth place overall for departing students, with 4 Italian universities in the top 5 of the structures with the highest number of outgoing students.
Even for Erasmus, however, university autonomy reigns supreme: each university goes its own way, from the selection criteria to the timing.
But there are also steps that apply to everyone, such as the amount of the contribution or some basic requirements.
The portal Skuola.net took care of bringing things into order by scanning the university tenders, creating a sort of operational guide.
Destinations
The range of destinations is very wide, including the other 26 countries of the European Union plus some "non-EU" destinations.
In the latest round of departures, for example, the most popular destinations were, in order, Spain, France, Germany and Portugal.
Not all, however, will be optional for all students.
It depends on the exchange agreements that the individual university has signed.
In any case, the possibility of choice is very wide everywhere.
Available places
The amount of Erasmus places is also linked to the agreements stipulated by the various universities.
With some additional variables, such as the number of total students and that of individual faculties or disciplinary areas.
In practice, larger universities will have more places available, which will distribute the flags of the various countries to a greater extent to the larger student communities.
Duration
Standard Erasmus+ can have a minimum duration of two months and a maximum of twelve continuous months, which can be carried out over a period of time that roughly goes from the beginning of summer 2024 to the end of summer 2025. For doctoral students, it is also provided a “short” exchange mode, from 5 to 30 days.
Basic contribution
To allow broad participation in the Erasmus+ programme, a cash contribution is foreseen for those who leave.
The amount varies between 250 euros and 350 per month.
The precise amount is linked to the country of destination, based on the cost of living (low, medium, high).
Nations such as, for example, those of Scandinavia will certainly be in the highest range, those of Eastern Europe in the low one.
But, here too, the universities independently place the states in the boxes.
For non-EU destinations, however, the contribution is fixed and amounts to 700 euros per month.
Supplementary contribution
Obviously the basic contribution, almost wherever you go, will be insufficient to cover all expenses (rent, food, means of transport, etc.).
For this reason, all universities add an additional contribution - which can even be around 450-500 euros per month - linked above all to the ISEE (in proportional measure) but also to the academic career: those who are "in progress" or at most one year “off course” will have a certain advantage if not even exclusivity.
Furthermore, to raise awareness on the issue of environmental sustainability, the notices provide for an additional contribution for those who reach the destination using "green" means of transport (coach or train) and, in these cases, it is not excluded that the universities will also grant additional days for travel, not making them fall within the Erasmus period.
The application and requirements
In the application for Erasmus+, in addition to all the relevant personal information, the student can indicate up to three destinations.
From which to draw in case you are entitled to leave but the first choices are exhausted.
Furthermore, candidates will have to attach any language certifications, otherwise they will subsequently have to undergo an aptitude test: according to the current Erasmus rules, in order to leave, one must possess a competence corresponding to at least an A2 level, in the reference language for the selected destination (unless you fall into one of the categories, such as disabled people, exempt from the test).
The so-called "study project" must then be included in the application, i.e. a summary of the educational objectives that the student aims to achieve during their stay abroad.
Finally, each document can be presented - preference qualifications, certificates, etc.
- which can give an advantage in the selection phase.
The formation of the rankings
is another of the steps in which the weight of the university's choices is greater.
Each one, in fact, establishes specific criteria, which are associated with a minimum and maximum score, for lining up the applications.
Among the most used ones: regularity in studies, the average grade, the number of credits obtained in the academic year, the fact of being enrolled in the first year of university, the quality of the "study project".
In the end, students may find themselves in three situations: on the list of departures for the chosen destination, included in the ranking but in a "reserve" position (therefore having to wait for changes or additional places), excluded from the ranking due to lack of the minimum requirements.
The dates
Anyone who wants to try, however, must hurry;
assuming there is still time.
According to various university websites, applications closed in several universities as early as January and February.
However, most of the universities in our country are in the middle of the window for submitting the Erasmus application.
For example, for the Sapienza University of Rome there is time until 5 March 2024. The deadlines for another Roman university, Tor Vergata, and for the Sardinian Sassari are still in March, where the useful time will run out on the first of the month.
March 4, however, is the deadline for Roma Tre, as for the University of Udine and Ferrara.
Very last days available, however, for those studying at the University of Teramo, because the request must be made by February 19th.
Bergamo provides an additional day, which has set the last deadline available to aspiring international students as February 20th.
Also within February, the 22nd, the deadline falls for the University of Macerata, and the 23rd for the “Ca' Foscari” of Venice.
Leap day, February 29th, was chosen by the University of Milan and the University of Insubria for the end of enrolments.
Chance in extremis, finally, in the universities of Padua and Salerno where, although the call for applications has expired, a second call will be made in the spring, in April, to assign any places left unfilled.
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