The European Commission announced on Tuesday 21 September the launch of an Erasmus+ mobile application, accessible in all EU languages and with an integrated student card.
Via this application, available on Android and iOS systems, students will be able to manage all the administrative procedures related to their mobility period, before, during, and after their stay: looking for and selecting their destination university, as well as signing their educational contract once this selection has been made, will be able to be done via the application, explains the European institution.
For the Commissioner for Youth and Education, Mariya Gabriel, this innovation will mean “less stress, more flexibility and less time wasted on red tape” for students.
This was welcomed by Juan Rayón, president of the Erasmus student network, who was pleased to see the Commission take steps to simplify the programme’s procedure and thus remove certain “barriers” to student mobility.
For this initiative to be a success, however, it will be crucial that the various players involved—first and foremost the universities—get a handle on the application, he warned, also calling on students not to overlook this novelty.
In addition to its administrative functionality, the application should provide students with resources and recommendations related to their destination, as well as a service to connect them with other programme participants.
European student card
Finally, via the Erasmus+ application, students will have a digital European student card valid in all host countries.
This card will facilitate their access to services, museums, cultural activities, and other offers (libraries, transport, accommodation, etc.) reserved for students in their host university and country.
The card, which the Commission says will be fully compliant with EU data protection laws, should also allow for the secure exchange of student information and open doors to online courses and services at institutions other than their own.
“The aim is to fully implement this initiative during 2021”, says the institution, initially for Erasmus+ beneficiaries only, i.e. 600,000 students for the 2021-2022 academic year.
However, the Commission’s long-term objective is to make the project of a digital card accessible to all European students a reality.
“However, this comes with challenges, including technological ones, which are not insignificant”, Ms Gabriel reacted on Tuesday.
The implementation of this first Erasmus+-related initiative will already require “a lot of effort”, especially from universities, the Commissioner continued, but she described the new application and its first virtual card as a “decisive step” towards the implementation of a European student card for all. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)