Mobility in higher education mainly takes place through the Erasmus European Programme. Erasmus promotes the cooperation between higher education institutions focusing on the improvement of educational quality and the enhancement of the European dimension in higher education. In the framework of Erasmus, the following Actions are promoted:
Student and staff mobility
Student mobility for study purposes;
Practical training of students in businesses, training centres, research centres and other organisations;
Teacher mobility for teaching purposes;
Teaching and other educational staff mobility for in-service education purposes.
Intensive programmes
Multi-part and multi-national study programmes of a short duration, on special issues that are not covered in the regular programmes of study.
Organisation of mobility
Special grants to higher education institutions that participate in the Erasmus Programme, in order to cover expences related to the organisation of mobilities.
Intensive Language Courses (EILC)
It concerns students wishing to attend intensive language courses prior to their course of studies in a host country, or institutions organising Greek language courses for new coming to Cyprus Erasmus students. Such institutions are the University of Cyprus, the Technological University of Cyprus and the Frederick University Cyprus.
Preparatory visits
It grants visits among institutions, either for the purpose of contracting cooperation or preparing proposals in the framework of the Erasmus Programme.
In the academic year 2011/12, the total amount assigned to Cyprus for the promotion of Erasmus objectives came to €1,352,000.00, which will be allocated to 15 higher education institutions.
Scholarships from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik in Lebanon for the Academic Year 2025-2026
The Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth (MESY) has announced in April 2025 that the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik in Lebanon (USEK), grants two full scholarships to students from Cyprus for the academic year 2025/2026.
Additional information on these scholarships can be found on the website: www.usek.edu.lb/international/study-at-usek
The deadline for submission of applications for the spring semester of the academic year 2025-2026 expires on September 28th, 2025.
Student mobility in Higher Education
Student mobility in higher education mainly consists of exchanges through the Erasmus Programme. All universities participate in the Erasmus Mobility Programme and most of them operate Mobility Offices encouraging students, faculty, and staff to participate in mobility programmes. The Erasmus programme offers the opportunity to study abroad for a period of three to twelve months. Participants are eligible to receive a study grant from the European Commission and the period of studies abroad are recognised by the home country of the participant. The participating student is not required to pay tuition fees at the host institution. The amount approved by the National Agency for student mobility totals €1,058,100.00, allocated to 14 higher education institutions in 2011. Provisionally, 293 students will be benefitted.
Some universities have joined the Erasmus Mundus European Masters Programme as well, which supports inter-university European Union Master Courses and promotes the European Union as a centre for excellence in learning world-wide.
Additionally to the Erasmus Programme, student mobility is enhanced through a number of measures taken at the governmental or institutional level. These include:
• Various procedures established by universities to create awareness on mobility, i.e. direct mail campaigns, promotional leaflets and posters, information sessions in various classes, promotion via websites, continuous promotion through the open-door policy of their Erasmus offices and the enhancement of close links with appropriate faculty members;
• An International Relations Committee of the Senate, operating at the University of Cyprus, which is responsible for the promotion and the facilitation of mobility;
• Foreign Language Centres operating at the University of Cyprus and the Cyprus Technological University facilitating mobility of incoming and outgoing students. The Cyprus National Agency subsidises these Centres in order to provide, free of charge, Greek as a foreign language classes to all incoming Erasmus students;
• Arrangements providing for visas, work permits and residence permits not to be required from students coming from EU countries;
• Accommodation provided at some universities for exchange students;
• Portability of student grants.
In 2017 under the Erasmus+ Programme Mobility between Programme Countries, the Foundation for the Management of European Lifelong Learning Programmes (Ίδρυμα Διαχείρισης Ευρωπαϊκών Προγραμμάτων Δια Βίου Μάθησης), approved the amount of €1.133,400.00 which was allocated to 18 institutions for (the studies of) 255 students. The amount of €1.226,240.00 was also allocated to 21 institutions for (work placement of) 334 students. Under the Programme Mobility between Programme and Partner Countries, the amount of €215.767.00 was allocated to 7 institutions for (the studies of) 52 students.
The new Europass platform
The new Europass platform which is in operation since July 1, 2020, provides a framework of online tools, where information to support the transparency and understanding of skills and qualifications helps to facilitate mobility, progression and learning for employees and employers, thus supporting increased mobility in Europe.
One of the useful tools provided in the platform is the quick tutorial for creating different CVs.
Academic staff mobility
The amount approved by the National Agency for the academic staff mobility in 2011/12, totals to €64,970.00 euro allocated to 14 institutions. Provisionally, 48 higher education teachers will be benefitted.
In 2017 under the Erasmus+ Programme Mobility between Programme Countries, a total of €226,299.00 was allocated to 23 institutions for 217 Academic staff for teaching and training. Under the Erasmus+ Programme Mobility between Programme and Partner Countries, a total of €221,950.00 was also allocated to 8 institutions for 132 Academic staff for teaching and training.