Commission report highlights Erasmus student exchange benefits

A European Commission report on Erasmus has shown that the European student exchange program which began in the 1987-88 academic year has proven a particularly productive experiment.

A survey carried out by the Commission among some 80,000 people found that Erasmus students had broader cultural horizons and were capable of living and working in multifaceted European environments.

Thirty-three percent of Erasmus students had life partners from other countries, compared to 13 percent of those who studied in their native countries, while 27 percent of respondents said that they had found their life partners during their Erasmus studies.

It is estimated that 1 million children have been born to parents who struck up relationships during their studies abroad.

On a professional level, Erasmus students were 50 percent less likely to be among the long-term unemployed, while the unemployment rate of Erasmus students five years after graduation was 23 percent lower than people in the same age group.