SPAIN. For many Spanish students who will be studying abroad next year, the duration of their stay will only be half of what they expect. As a large number of them will partake in the Erasmus program, which provides European university students with the opportunity to participate in foreign exchanges, those who cannot afford to invest additional money will be staying for five months instead of the usual eight or ten months.

Erasmus students have always received the grant through two sources, the European Union and the Spanish Ministry of Education. Due to a recent cut in the funding provided by the Ministry, the duration of the students’ study abroad period has been reduced.

The Ministry has received 18 million euros to fund the 2014-2015 exchanges, which is the same amount that was received for the current school year, but a lot less than the 65 million that they received for the 2012-2013 school year. In an effort to avoid reducing the number of grantees, the administration has decided to shorten the number of months that the scholarship would cover for the students.

“The government does not want to have fewer students because that would be a little embarrassing,” said Emilio Garcia Prieto, former director of the OAPEE, also known as the Organismo Autónomo Programas Educativo Europeos.

“So how can they continue to send 40,000 [students] with less money? Well, it’s very easy.” Garcia said. “First, cutting back to one semester so that instead of paying for 8 or 9 months, they would pay for 5. And second, setting requirements. The government right now, with the 18 million euros that they have, is going to give the money to the students who meet two conditions.”

The requirements that the Ministry has put in place include having an advanced level of the language spoken in their destination country, as well as impressive academic marks.
“One is that they have to have a B2 level in the language,” Garcia said. “And the other requirement is that they must have a high grade point average.”

Contrary to the Ministry’s financial situation, the EU budget for the Erasmus program has remained the same, as the administration is receiving approximately the same 56 million euros that they received for the current school year. Yet, the organization is also cutting their students’ funding down to five months. Members of the OAPEE cite the reason for this reduction as a new demand brought on by the European Commission to increase the monthly payments to students.

“The reduction is due to the raising of the grants that students are going to get per month,” said José Manuel Gonzalez, OAPEE administrator of Mobility for Higher Education. “The European Commission has set out a minimum grant for each country. And in Spain, the consequence is that this academic year, we granted our students with 120 euros per month. And next year, we have to grant them with 250 euros a month.”

Students studying abroad next year will have to focus on their academics, as well as figure out a way to finance the months that they will not receive funding for.

“I’ll be studying for 10 months. I hope I can earn some money from a job, but it will mainly come from my parents’ financial support and some money I have saved,” said Paula Gomez Sotres, a university student who will be studying in Manchester, United Kingdom next year.

As Gomez anticipates her year abroad, she thinks about the recent change in the grant funding and how it hinders the prospect of living abroad for many university students.

“With the reduction of the Erasmus grant, [the government and the EU] are making it difficult for us to look for a future abroad, and breaking the dreams of many of us who have always wanted to experience a year at university abroad.”

— Anika J. MichelSPAIN. For many Spanish students who will be studying abroad next year, the duration of their stay will only be half of what they expect. As a large number of them will partake in the Erasmus program, which provides European university students with the opportunity to participate in foreign exchanges, those who cannot afford to invest additional money will be staying for five months instead of the usual eight or ten months.

Erasmus students have always received the grant through two sources, the European Union and the Spanish Ministry of Education. Due to a recent cut in the funding provided by the Ministry, the duration of the students’ study abroad period has been reduced.

The Ministry has received 18 million euros to fund the 2014-2015 exchanges, which is the same amount that was received for the current school year, but a lot less than the 65 million that they received for the 2012-2013 school year. In an effort to avoid reducing the number of grantees, the administration has decided to shorten the number of months that the scholarship would cover for the students.

“The government does not want to have fewer students because that would be a little embarrassing,” said Emilio Garcia Prieto, former director of the OAPEE, also known as the Organismo Autónomo Programas Educativo Europeos.

“So how can they continue to send 40,000 [students] with less money? Well, it’s very easy.” Garcia said. “First, cutting back to one semester so that instead of paying for 8 or 9 months, they would pay for 5. And second, setting requirements. The government right now, with the 18 million euros that they have, is going to give the money to the students who meet two conditions.”

The requirements that the Ministry has put in place include having an advanced level of the language spoken in their destination country, as well as impressive academic marks.
“One is that they have to have a B2 level in the language,” Garcia said. “And the other requirement is that they must have a high grade point average.”

Contrary to the Ministry’s financial situation, the EU budget for the Erasmus program has remained the same, as the administration is receiving approximately the same 56 million euros that they received for the current school year. Yet, the organization is also cutting their students’ funding down to five months. Members of the OAPEE cite the reason for this reduction as a new demand brought on by the European Commission to increase the monthly payments to students.

“The reduction is due to the raising of the grants that students are going to get per month,” said José Manuel Gonzalez, OAPEE administrator of Mobility for Higher Education. “The European Commission has set out a minimum grant for each country. And in Spain, the consequence is that this academic year, we granted our students with 120 euros per month. And next year, we have to grant them with 250 euros a month.”

Students studying abroad next year will have to focus on their academics, as well as figure out a way to finance the months that they will not receive funding for.

“I’ll be studying for 10 months. I hope I can earn some money from a job, but it will mainly come from my parents’ financial support and some money I have saved,” said Paula Gomez Sotres, a university student who will be studying in Manchester, United Kingdom next year.

As Gomez anticipates her year abroad, she thinks about the recent change in the grant funding and how it hinders the prospect of living abroad for many university students.

“With the reduction of the Erasmus grant, [the government and the EU] are making it difficult for us to look for a future abroad, and breaking the dreams of many of us who have always wanted to experience a year at university abroad.”

-Anika J. Michel