Since its launch in 1987, more than fifteen million people have taken part in exchanges, training programmes, or educational projects through the scheme. In 2024 alone, almost 1.5 million participants engaged in Erasmus mobility activities across Europe. It is widely celebrated as a symbol of openness, cooperation, and shared European identity.
For many students, it truly lives up to that reputation.
“Erasmus was a once in a lifetime experience,” says Charlie O’Dwyer, a Law student at the University of Galway. “I formed friendships with people from all over the world that will last forever. I got to explore Spain, try new foods, and step outside my comfort zone. It gave me memories I will always value and a level of confidence I did not have before.”
It is a story that feels both familiar and aspirational. It is also a story I want to be part of.
But I am also a HEAR student.
From the beginning of my degree, it was clear that spending time in Germany or Austria would transform my language skills. Studying German is not just about grammar or exams. It is about understanding how people joke, argue, celebrate, and connect in their own words. Erasmus promises that kind of immersion. It promises independence, personal growth, and confidence.
On paper, the programme appears accessible. Students do not pay tuition fees at their host university and receive a monthly grant intended to support living costs abroad. The European Commission presents Erasmus as central to its commitment to inclusion and equal opportunity in education.
Yet the reality can feel more complicated.
For students from lower socio economic backgrounds, financial decisions are rarely theoretical. The Higher Education Access Route exists to widen participation for those historically underrepresented in Irish higher education. I am proud to be here. I worked hard to earn my place.
Still, every opportunity can come with uncertainty.
Accommodation is often the greatest barrier. In cities such as Berlin, Munich, or Vienna, rents have risen sharply in recent years. Deposits can amount to several months of rent. Flights home, public transport, health insurance, and everyday expenses quickly accumulate.
Erasmus grants help, but they rarely cover everything.
“I have always wanted to go on Erasmus,” says Iffah Rahmat, a second year European Politics and Law student at the University of Galway. “But when I started adding up rent, travel, and daily costs, it stopped feeling like an opportunity and started feeling like a financial risk.”
For some students, the shortfall is manageable. For others, it quietly closes the door before an application is even submitted.
“Some of my friends talk about Erasmus like it is a given,” says Aoife Powell, a Politics student in UCD. “For me, it is a major financial decision. I have to think about whether I can actually afford to live there, not just study there.”
The hesitation is rarely about ambition. It is about feasibility.
Erasmus was designed to foster a shared European identity. It encourages young people to see themselves not only as citizens of one nation, but as members of a wider democratic community built on cooperation and mutual understanding.
Living abroad builds more than language skills. It creates networks across borders, challenges assumptions, and shapes how young people understand Europe and their place within it. Students who participate in Erasmus are more likely to identify strongly as European citizens and to remain engaged in international professional and civic networks later in life.
The programme is not simply about study. It is about shaping how a generation relates to Europe.
This is where accessibility becomes a democratic issue.
If participation in Erasmus depends heavily on personal financial security, then access to one of the European Union’s most powerful tools for building European citizenship becomes uneven. A programme intended to deepen democracy risks reinforcing inequality.
European mobility should not depend on privilege.
The European Union has repeatedly committed itself to widening participation in education. Inclusion is embedded in policy frameworks and funding priorities. But inclusion must also be reflected in lived experience.
For students already balancing tight budgets, the prospect of paying large deposits, covering higher living costs abroad, and absorbing unexpected expenses creates genuine hesitation. The emotional weight of this calculation is often invisible in policy discussions.
As a HEAR student, I represent exactly the kind of widening participation European education policy claims to champion. My uncertainty is not a rejection of Erasmus. It is a reflection of its financial reality.
Europe promises mobility. It promises connection. It promises belonging.
But if the chance to go abroad depends on how secure you are financially, then the experience risks becoming unevenly distributed.
If Erasmus is meant to shape a generation of connected European citizens, then access to it must be genuinely open.
Otherwise, one of Europe’s proudest programmes may continue to change lives, but not always the lives of those who could benefit from it most.
