For students pursuing their studies in an educational institution at home but who wish to undergo training or study in the EU for a short period of time there is the Erasmus Programme, financed from the EU budget.
The Erasmus Programme has several components, one of which is the Socrates II programme, which seeks to enhance the quality and reinforce the European dimension of higher education by encouraging transnational co-operation between universities, boosting European mobility and improving the transparency and full academic recognition of studies and qualifications throughout the Union.
So what does this mean in practice? Faculties and departments at the universities enter into formal contractual obligations to exchange students. Normally a typical department or faculty will have a number of such bilateral agreements depending on its size and the dexterity of its academic staff to seek and enter into such contracts.
Students apply to go to an overseas university to study for a whole semester, in exceptional circumstances for two. They study courses, which are not necessarily taught in their home university, but which have been approved by their respective home departments as being relevant to the degree they are reading.
If they are successful, this course work is counted as part of the degree programme they are following at the home university. The advantage of this programme for Maltese students is that many of them are given the opportunity to 'internationalise' their studies by going overseas.
On the other hand, many EU students come to Malta to study, bringing their experiences with them and thus helping to internationalise the environment of our University.
Apart from student exchanges, Erasmus also consists of many other different activities, including teacher exchanges, joint development of study programmes, international intensive programmes, thematic networks between departments and faculties across Europe, language courses (EILC) and the European credit transfer system (ECTS).
Erasmus action is targeted at higher education institutions and their students and staff in all 25 member states of the European Union, the three EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), the four candidate countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and Turkey).
Currently, 2,199 higher education institutions in 31 countries are participating in Erasmus. Since the creation of Erasmus in 1987, 1.2 million students have benefited from an Erasmus study period abroad. The Erasmus budget for 2004 was more than €187.5 million.