Freshmen students may not know it, but the second-year students and older will certainly have heard about Erasmus. Many students around Europe have the opportunity to feel the experience to spend some time at a university abroad. But what is Erasmus?
Erasmus is an educational program promoted by the State Scholarship Foundation. It aims to create a European Higher Education Area based on knowledge and renewal opportunities such knowledge throughout the life of citizens.
Erasmus is the acronym of the words «European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students». The name comes from the philosopher, theologian and humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam, who lived in the 15th century. Erasmus crossed the borders of his country and worked in many countries in Europe studying, writing and educating citizens of various nationalities. Rightfully so the title belongs to the spiritual father of the reform.
The Basic actions promoted by the program are:
• Student mobility for studies
• Student mobility for placements
• Mobility for teachers
• Institutions Higher Education Staff mobility for training
•Networks
The Erasmus program is open to higher education institutions, students of all forms of higher education, teachers, trainers and other staff as well as enterprises, social partners and other representatives.
Applicants who wish to apply for Erasmus should contact the international relations office / Erasmus of their institution. The higher education institutions and other organizations should be addressed to the National Agency of their country. For Greece this unit is the State Scholarships Foundation (SSF).
Eligible countries are the 27 EU member states (including overseas territories and possessions), Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the candidate countries Croatia and Turkey.
When a student is selected by the University, automatically becomes an Erasmus Student. In this state he can go abroad for studying or placement in an appropriate institution for internships.
The Erasmus program provides students the opportunity to attend classes and alternative ways of instruction at the host university of the country of their choice. They are given the opportunity to socialize with students from other countries and experience a different lifestyle. The knowledge is not limited to books and certainly not limited to the borders of a country.