Since the launch of the Erasmus+ programme at the University of Warsaw, the university has facilitated around 50,000 outgoing and incoming exchanges. On 16th April, a national meeting of programme coordinators was held at the UW’s Centre for New Technologies, during which participants discussed factors influencing ways to enhance the benefits for Erasmus+ beneficiaries.
“Erasmus+ is one of the European Union’s most successful programmes. It is a key element of international mobility, particularly for students,” said Prof. Maciej Raś, the UW Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Quality of Teaching and Learning, as he opened the Conference of Erasmus+ Programme Coordinators.
“At the University of Warsaw, we believe that every student – particularly at the undergraduate level – should take part in the Erasmus+ programme at least once. International exchanges, which also involve doctoral candidates and employees, enable the creation of extensive research and educational networks. Thanks to Erasmus, Polish universities, with their research and teaching, are more visible in Europe and around the world,” added Prof. Raś.
The event took place on 16th April at the UW’s Centre for New Technologies under the slogan “Move and improve: motivation, mobility, quality”. It was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (MNiSW), the Foundation for the Development of the Education System (FRSE), the National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), the International Relations Offices Forum, and Erasmus+ programme coordinators from Polish universities and institutions.
During the conference, topics discussed included the directions and trends in international mobility, the implementation of the ECHE Charter at Polish universities, the specific nature of student choices, the recognition of employee mobility, and the pilot scheme for the European Student Card in Poland.
The panel on possible directions for the development of international mobility featured: Prof. Andrzej Szeptycki, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education; Prof. Maciej Raś, the UW Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Quality of Teaching and Learning; Dr Łukasz Gołota, Deputy Director of NAWA; Mirosław Marczewski, Director General of the Foundation for the Development of Higher Education (FRSE), Dr Izabela Zawiska, Director of the Centre for International Cooperation at the Jagiellonian University, and Katarzyna Aleksy, Director of the Office for Higher Education Programmes at FRSE.
During the discussion, attention was drawn to the changing nature of mobility, which currently often takes a hybrid form, the need to increase funding for the Erasmus+ programme, and the shift in emphasis from quantity to quality when it comes to the implementation of international exchanges.
Erasmus+ at the UW
Erasmus+ is a European Union programme that enables students, doctoral candidates, and graduates to undertake part of their studies or a work placement abroad. Academic employees can teach at partner universities abroad, whilst non-academic employees can undertake training during which they have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the practices employed at other institutions.
The programme was established by the European Commission in 1987. Its name is an acronym for the EuRopean Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students. It symbolically refers to the Renaissance thinker Erasmus of Rotterdam.
Poland joined the Erasmus programme on 1 March 1998, but as early as February 1997, the UW Senate decided to begin preparations for participation in the programme.
The first students (23 in total) arrived at the University in the 1998/1999 academic year. At that time, 176 students and 37 academic employees travelled abroad from the UW. The project budget allocated to the university for organising the exchange amounted to €442,000. Since then, the university has facilitated around 50,000 outgoing and incoming exchanges. Currently, the budget for each project is around €5 million.
The University of Warsaw is one of the European universities that sends the highest number of students abroad and runs the best-funded programmes. The University’s active participation in the Erasmus programme has been recognised with several awards from the European Commission. The university has received the Golden Erasmus Award for the highest number of mobility placements and the programme’s impact on institutional changes and the university’s image (2012), a commendation for the exemplary implementation of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) (2016), and a special award for the university’s overall activities within the framework of Mobility Projects and Strategic Partnerships in the years 2014–2020 (2020). In 2023, the Foundation for the Development of the Education System honoured the University of Warsaw with a special award for its overall achievements in the field of education.
Participation in the programme contributes to the university’s growing internationalisation and its international visibility. It also forms the basis for cooperation between the six European universities of the 4EU+ Alliance, of which the UW is a member. Further information on the 4EU+ Alliance can be found at: 4EU+ Alliance | University of Warsaw.
