Students from KU Leuven who want to study abroad through the Erasmus programme for more than one semester next academic year will have to bear the costs of the second semester themselves.
An exception is made for students whose study programme obliges them to go on exchange as well as students from disadvantaged groups: they will both continue to receive grants for a second Erasmus semester.
"These are usually scholarship students, near scholarship students, students with work-study status and students with a recognised disability," KU Leuven told The Brussels Times. Students can submit an application, after which the grants are determined on an individual basis.
The policy change is due to the increasing number of students going on Erasmus since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic while the European Union's resources for this programme are stagnating. The universities are highly dependent on these resources, as the EU gives them a budget with which the Erasmus grants are financed.
Duration depends on EU resources
At the same time, the new Bachelor of European Studies (BAES) also plays an indirect role. All students following this bachelor's programme are required to go on Erasmus, which means that these students take a large bite out of KU Leuven's total Erasmus budget.
"This leaves fewer resources for exchanges in other programmes," Professor Peter Lievens, Vice Rector of International Policy and Interculturality told KU Leuven's student newspaper Veto. "As this means we would not be able to approve all applications, we decided to award everyone at least a grant for one semester."
Whether the decision on a maximum term for Erasmus grants will remain in force after the next academic year will depend on the budget that the university receives for it, KU Leuven said. "The measure will remain in force as long as the scholarships applied for exceed the available budget."
Lievens stressed that the European Commission has been promising the university more resources for the Erasmus+ programme for years. "So, that is what we hope for."
