ERASMUS-STIPENDIEN ZWISCHEN ANGEBOT UND INTERESSELOSIGKEIT. DER HINTERGRUND DER FEHLENDEN STUDENTENMOTIVATION

In a world of intensified cross-cultural relations it would be of great importance that young people ‒ especially those in academic environments ‒ gain some international experience, get to know during their college period other cultures and socio-economic systems than theirs. The Erasmus programmes of the European Committee could give them due to the financial support they suppose the opportunity to live the experience of studying or doing practice in a company abroad and thus extend their personal and professional horizon. Romania takes part in Erasmus programmes since 1998 and in the last two and a half decades sent more than 38,000 students on Erasmus study or placement mobility. It is a nice number but still too little related to the overall number of Erasmus scholarships academic institutions could dispose of yearly. Following study proposes to offer an insight into the Erasmus programme since 1987, the year of its establishment, in figures and essential data. After this general overview we focus upon the main channels of communication, ways of promoting exchange programmes at the University of Oradea, Romania (the author’s institution of affiliation). By conducting a comparative study upon the relation between offer and demand at the same faculties of two academic institutions, the above mentioned University of Oradea and the University of Debrecen, Hungary, one may realize that the situation is quite the same in both academic environments, Erasmus programmes don’t represent in general main attraction for students. The analyzed study domains are: technique, economics, medicine/pharmacy, history, political and communication sciences. The most interested in an international experience, at least according to data of some academic years, prove to be medicine students who applied 2013-2014 in Oradea for about 44% and 2011-2012 in Debrecen for 80% of the scholarships offered. Why for instance economic students at the University of Oradea show little interest for Erasmus programmes we have tried to find out by means of a questionnaire pointing to the main causes for applying/not applying for an Erasmus scholarship. The answers given by the over 120 students questioned correspond partially with the author’s initial suppositions and show main directions for counterbalancing and actions to be taken to increase visibility, feasibility and popularity of Erasmus programmes among students