The number of Maltese university students choosing to take part in EU educational exchange programmes is still low when considering that thousands of students are currently studying at Tal-Qroqq.

Although on the increase, the number of students who during the last academic year took the opportunity to spend a few months studying in another European university only reached 130. This represented an increase of only 11 students over 2003/04.

On the contrary, the number of European students who chose to spend a period of study at the University of Malta last year registered an increase, reaching 310 from 250 the year before.

New figures released by the European Commission yesterday show that overall, the number of students taking part in Erasmus exchanges rose by six per cent on the previous year while the number of university teachers exchanged under this scheme grew by almost 13 per cent.

The biggest impact of the scheme has been felt in the central and eastern European countries where student exchanges rose on average by an impressive 36 per cent.

Spain remained the most popular destination for students followed by France, Germany and the UK.

Business studies were the most popular subject area for student exchanges, followed by languages and social sciences.

The Erasmus programme gives university students, except for those in their first year, the opportunity to study for a period of three to 12 months at a university or higher education establishment in another participating country. All the 25 member states of the EU participate.

Education Commissioner Jan Figel said these figures show that the new member states are partaking fully of the benefits of EU membership.

Their rapid integration into the Erasmus scheme directly contributes to its continued success, ensuring that additional generations of Europe's bright young people can enjoy the benefits of academic, cultural and linguistic exchange, he said.