What is the ERASMUS+ exchange programme?

Loughborough University has been awarded the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education‌ for the Erasmus+ programme 2014-2021. The Erasmus+ Policy Statement (below) sets out our institutional strategy in relation to the Charter.

Loughborough University’s international strategy is embedded in all aspects of our plans for the future. Expanding our role as international players in education, research, enterprise, as well as the sporting arena, is an essential part of our next phase of development. Loughborough aims to provide a high quality international education experience for students from diverse backgrounds and to prepare our graduates for the global workplace.

 We seek to:

• Develop further overseas partnerships with leading universities, government bodies and industry which place us at the forefront of International activities, particularly in the field of emerging technologies, engineering, sport, social sciences and public policy.
• Provide a first class, campus-based education for people from across the world. Students graduating from Loughborough will be highly employable, have an international network of friends and colleagues, an understanding of different cultural values and respect for cultural difference which will enable them to thrive wherever they choose to live or work in the world.

 Furthermore, we aim to take maximum advantage of our campus environment to provide an international learning experience for all our students. This includes:

• Establishing partnerships with prestigious universities across the world to deliver ‘transnational education’ and to increase the international mobility of our students. 
• Working with the Loughborough Students’ Union to maximise the opportunities for cross cultural exchange which exist on our campus to facilitate understanding across different cultural boundaries. 
• Embedding an international dimension in all our curricula. 

The University’s vision is to establish and maintain high level partnerships at an international level. In each case, the nature of the partnership will reflect the pattern of our complementary strengths and its contribution to our strategic goals in research, teaching and enterprise. Most new activities are initiated at School level with the relevant School Exchange Co-ordinator acting as a facilitator, enabling the dynamic development of new links, and swift reaction to change. The Academic Registry maintains an overview of all new and existing links in close consultation with an appropriate member of the University’s Academic Leadership Team.

Loughborough seeks to develop and maintain high level partnerships through the EU and beyond. The continuing expansion of nations eligible to participate in the Erasmus programme, combined with our increased co-operation in curriculum development and the delivery of programmes in locations such as Singapore (Business and Economics, and Arts), Malaysia (Engineering) and developing countries throughout Africa and Asia (Water, Engineering and Development Centre), means that Loughborough is well placed for the expansion of Erasmus For All.

The University seeks to establish a network of links such that every undergraduate student has the opportunity to undertake a period of study or work abroad, and to receive full academic recognition for such a period. Loughborough is already one of the UK’s leading HEIs for placement learning. Annually over 1,000 students engage with 45-week work placements, or study abroad for one year or a semester. As a consequence, approximately one-third of the undergraduate cohort is engaged in placement activity.

We aim to maintain our current strengths in this area and develop to provide a wider range of opportunities based outside of the UK. There is particular strategic focus on Academic Schools whose students have not traditionally taken part in overseas mobility, for example Science and Engineering. Best practice from Schools that are very active with regard to overseas mobility is shared with target Schools via the International Mobility Team. 

In accordance with our aim to embed an international dimension in all our curricula, an increasing number of our bi-lateral agreements include the provision for postgraduate mobility. Furthermore, Loughborough University participates in a number of joint postgraduate research degree programmes within the EU and Asia.

The University encourages staff, who have not previously engaged in teaching or training mobility, to participate and is committed to providing staff teaching and training visits that support the University’s strategy and further develop our provision of high quality student mobility opportunities.

The University has an Equal Opportunities Policy, monitored by an Equal Opportunities Committee, and is fully committed to making provisions for students with additional needs in order that they can participate in student mobility. The University’s strategic plan includes specific provision to encourage the recruitment of students from socially and economically under-privileged backgrounds.

Loughborough aims to continually enhance the working environment for its staff. One way in which this is achieved is via the provision of enriching cultural activities and greater opportunities for developing intercultural respect and understanding. Furthermore, we seek to embed an international dimension in all our curricula. As such, teaching and training projects implemented under the programme are considered integral to the University’s strategic development.

All transnational co-operation projects are coordinated through the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching) in accordance with individual School learning and teaching strategies. Teaching co-operation projects that enhance and support the internationalisation of our current teaching provision and/or develop routes for increased student mobility are encouraged. In this context the University does not differentiate between European and other international activities. The outcomes of any such teaching and training mobilities are formally acknowledged in an annual report received by the International Mobility Team, which reports to Learning and Teaching Committee.

The University’s Erasmus+ programme is actively promoted at student outreach events and at University Open Days. Participation in the Erasmus+ programme helps us to inspire student to participate in Higher Education based on the wide range of personal development opportunities that are available to them at University, over and above a formal degree qualification alone. The University works to attract students from across a wide cross section of society in accordance with our Access Agreement. The financial support made available through the programme, specifically for students from low-income backgrounds, enables us to provide all students with a full range of mobility opportunities.

Participation in the programme allows us to improve the quality and relevance of teaching and researcher training and to equip graduates with the knowledge and core transferable competencies they need to success in high-skill occupations. Specifically, we are able to learn from other international institutions and companies and to share good practice in the areas that we excel in. Our strategy drives the development of cutting-edge degree programmes that continue to meet the changing needs of students and employers. Furthermore, we are committed to the development of innovative learning approaches and have a strong provision for part-time distance and module learning in geographical hubs such as Singapore (Business and Economics) and across developing countries in Asia and Africa (Water, Engineering and Development Centre).

Erasmus+ enables the University to further increase the options for professional work or study abroad based learning opportunities. Erasmus+ opportunities are a key component of the University’s continual drive to embed an international dimension into all our curricula and the use of Loughborough credits and equivalent ECTS credits ensures academic rigour, whilst enabling transparent cross border co-operation.

The University is well placed to maximise the commercial applications of its research, with a Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Enterprise), who is supported by a large enterprise team. Specifically, the University aims to become more adept at supporting spin out companies and to increase the international impact of our enterprise activities. The programme supports the University in meetings its aims in these respects by enabling staff and students to share best practice from across the international Higher Education sector, strengthening the “knowledge triangle”, linking education, research and business. Involvement in the Erasmus staff training scheme also provides an opportunity for the University to experience and learn from the difference in governance and funding mechanisms that are implemented by our partner institutions. The scheme supports our objective to develop programmes that enable staff to respond to the changing demands of the Higher Education environment and view this in the context of the wider EU, and international Higher Education sector. 

The European Commission hereby awards this Charter to: Loughborough University.

The image below shows the charter signed by the Vice-Chancellor. For a readable version, hit the PDF link below.

PDF of Erasmus Charter for Higher Education 2014-20