Press Release: Erasmus celebrates 20 years breaking records of participation

The European Commission's flagship action in the field of education, the university exchange programme Erasmus, continued to expand in the academic year 2005/06. The overall number of students taking part on Erasmus exchanges rose by over 7% the previous year, while the number of university teachers exchanged grew by over 12%. The biggest impact of the scheme has been felt in the Central and Eastern European countries. Student exchanges rose on average by about 20% in the Member States which joined the EU 3 years ago, while growth in teacher remained high with 20%.