Almost 4,200 students and staff from Ireland supported according to Erasmus+ 2018 Annual Report
Gerry O'Sullivan
Posted: 10 February, 2020
Irish student participation in Erasmus+ rose to 3,682 in 2018 compared to 2,511 in 2011, a jump of 47%. The figures are contained in the recently published Erasmus+ Annual Report 2018. Of that number 3,666 went on study or traineeship visits to Programme countries (KA103) with a further 16 students travelling to Partner countries (KA107). Staff participation rose to 478 mobilities in 2018 compared to 278 in 2015, an increase of 72%. Of that number, 359 went on teaching or training mobilities to Programme countries and a further 119 staff went to Partner countries. In total, 4,160 students and staff in the sector were beneficiaries in 2018.
In terms of incoming numbers, a total of 8,181 students came to Ireland in 2018 plus 1,220 staff. Head of International Education at the Erasmus+ National Agency in Dublin, Gerry O’Sullivan commented “the Erasmus+ programme is the most important instrument of internationalisation in the Irish higher education sector. Over 13,500 individuals, outward and inward bound, are interacting annually, adding hugely to the global engagement of the institutions, greatly enhancing teaching and research, the student experience and providing visibility for the sector on all continents.”
France remains the Number 1 destination for Irish students with 739 (20%), Spain 649 (18%), Germany 536 (15%) and the UK 441 (12%). Ireland sends students to every Programme country with the exception of North Macedonia. The top 3 sending institutions are the University of Limerick followed by University College Cork and then University College Dublin.
In the UK, the outward bound number of student mobilities was 17,048 with inward numbers of 31,877.
France sends the most students 47,811 with Germany in second place on 42,398.
Overall, a total of 852,940 learner/staff mobilities took place in 2018 across all education/youth sectors, of which 423,648 (50%) were from the higher education sector.
| Participant Type | Activity Type (Higher Education) | Between Programme Countries (KA103) | Between Programme and Partner Countries | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | Study | 229,715 | 14,605 | 244,320 |
| Students | Traineeships | 95,780 | - | 95,780 |
| Total | 325,495 | 14,605 | 340,100 | |
| Staff | Teaching | 36,002 | 13,119 | 49,121 |
| Staff | Training | 33,657 | 13,119 | 46,070 |
| Total | 69,659 | 25,532 | 95,191 | |
| Grand Total | 395,154 | 40,137 | 425,291 |
Erasmus+ and its predecessors: a life-changing experience for 10 million young Europeans
