SAVE THE ERASMUS SCHEME!

Posted by Rob and helen Banks | Updated 2016-07-25

Lib Dems launch campaign to save Erasmus programme for students at Sussex and Brighton Universities

The Liberal Democrats have launched a campaign to safeguard access to the Erasmus exchange scheme for over 1,500 students from Sussex and Brighton universities. A petition has been launched that urges both the government and EU leaders to preserve Erasmus opportunities for UK students in the coming Brexit negotiations.

The latest figures show almost 1,300 students from Sussex and Brighton universities have studied abroad using the Erasmus scheme since 2007. Around 1,500 more students from Brighton and Sussex universities were expected to benefit from Erasmus from now until 2020.

Young people going on the scheme benefit from free tuition and a monthly grant of around £240 to help with living costs. Separate schemes also give young people in vocational training the opportunity to do apprenticeships abroad.

Cllr Sarah Osborne, Lib Dem Group Leader on Lewes District Council commented:

“Thousands of students starting university in Brighton and Sussex in September will be hoping for the chance to take part in this scheme.

“Young people overwhelmingly voted remain in the EU, it would be wrong to deprive them of this once in a lifetime opportunity to study or train abroad.

“That is why the Liberal Democrats are calling on the government and EU leaders to confirm that they will be to access the Erasmus scheme whatever happens next."

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. The Liberal Democrats petition to Save Erasmus can be found here:

http://change.libdems.org.uk/save_erasmus_programme?recruiter_id=1103570

The campaign can be found on Twitter under #SaveErasmus

2. There are several schemes under the Erasmus+ for vocational education and training (VET)

https://www.erasmusplus.org.uk/vocational-education-and-training-funding

3. Erasmus students by South East University, 2007 - 2014 (Erasmus Plus, link)

	2014	2007 - 2014	2020 prediction*
Institution Name	Total	Total	Total
University of Chichester	2	58	77
University of Sussex	139	819	1089
University of Brighton	62	369	491
Buckinghamshire New University	18	103	137
University of Kent	333	1595	2121
Canterbury Christ Church University	5	104	138
University of Surrey	139	790	1051
University for the Creative Arts	18	125	166
University of Oxford	309	1594	2120
Oxford Brookes University	67	433	576
University of Portsmouth	228	1305	1736
University of Reading	130	732	974
Rose Bruford College	301	47	63
University of Southampton	252	1165	1549
Southampton Solent University	36	228	303
University of Winchester	10	25	33
Total	2049	9492	12624

*Prediction is based on national estimate of another 120,000 students from UK universities going on Erasmus by 2020 (Mirror, 5 July 2015, link)

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