Student mobility and mutual recognition of diplomas Student mobility implies a coherent system of studies and diplomas: • The
ECTS credit system facilitates the recognition of study periods between EHEA institutions. An academic year normally corresponds to the validation of 60 credits; one credit needs approximately 25 to 30 hours of student work (courses, projects, personal work, etc.). • The
Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area defines 3 main cycles (first cycle, second cycle and third cycle). Each cycle is defined by the number of credits required and the description of the
learning outcomes and skills expected for each graduate: • The first cycle (180 to 240 ECTS credits), generally leading to a bachelor's degree. • The second cycle (60 to 120 ECTS credits), generally leading to a master's degree. • The 3rd cycle, leading to a doctoral degree. • In 2018, a short cycle was introduced (90 to 120 ECTS).
Quality assurance The European area does not aim to standardize national higher education systems, but to make them more readable and to build mutual trust between higher education institutions. The mutual recognition of diplomas is based, not on the comparison of the content of the programs, but on the definition and validation of the targeted learning outcomes. From its origin, the need for a common quality assurance system arose in the EHEA. The
European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) was responsible for defining the standards and guidelines, which are broken down into 3 chapters: • Internal quality assurance in institutions: each institution must have a policy and an internal organization of self-assessment and continuous improvement, implemented with all its stakeholders (students, staff, former graduates and representatives of society and employers). • External quality assurance: institutions must submit their organization and results to external and independent evaluations (including accreditation agencies). • Quality assurance of accreditation agencies: the agencies must act in full autonomy (in particular from public or private powers) to evaluate the institutions and their training, and to bring the results to the attention of the public.
European programs ====
Erasmus and
Erasmus Mundus programs ==== The Erasmus and Erasmus Mundus Programs are initiatives of the
European Union to promote the mobility of students and teachers. They therefore primarily concern the 27 countries of the Union, with which other countries such as Norway, Iceland and Turkey have joined forces. Strictly speaking, these are not programs of the European Area, but they largely contribute to its development.
European Universities initiative In 2017, the
European Union launched the European Universities initiative through the
Erasmus+ programme, with "the ambition to support at least 60 European Universities alliances involving more than 500 higher education institutions by mid-2024". The first 19 alliances were launched in 2019, followed by 24 in a second round in 2020, and further rounds in 2022, 2023 and 2024, leading to 64 European Universities alliances covering over 560 institutions across 35 European countries, including all 27 EU member states, . A further nine proposed alliances were awarded the 'seal of excellence' quality label but not funded through Erasmus+. European University alliances also include over 2,000 associate partners, which can include higher education institutions from other (non-Erasmus+) EHEA countries as well as non-educational partners such as private sector companies and public authorities. In 2023, the European Commission announced over €3 million in funding to support universities from Ukraine and the western Balkans joining European Universities alliances as associate members, leading to almost 30 Ukrainian universities joining alliances in that round. However, the UK and Switzerland, which do not participate in Erasmus+, have only limited involvement as universities from those countries have to pay a membership fee and are limited to being associated partners. The UK will rejoin Erasmus+, including the European Universities alliances, in 2027. Switzerland also plans to rejoin Erasmus+ from 2027. ==Members==