Only one tenth of students cancelled their Erasmus travels abroad

Students are still interested in studying abroad through Erasmus, in spite of coronavirus. Only one tenth of them cancelled their travels abroad for the upcoming term. Three quarters want to travel on the original date; the rest is considering delaying the journey to a later date.

“Most Czech students aren’t cancelling their foreign studies as 75% of them count on travelling abroad. Only 9% actually cancelled their trips,” explained Roman Klepetko, the leader of the department of university mobility.

Exchange students are motivated not to cancel their travel plans thanks to the possibility to finish their studies remotely should the situation worsen. According to Klepetko, universities are mostly prepared for on-line teaching.

The situation in the world

Out of 1133 foreign universities participating in Erasmus programme, 63 of them are ready to accept international students. In the Czech Republic, all universities are prepared to accept foreign students as well as provide on-line education if needed. Around 10% of European universities don’t plan to take in international students, mainly those in the Northern Europe and in Spain.

The spokesperson of the Czech National Agency for International Education Lucie Durcová stated that it doesn’t apply to all universities in mentioned regions. “We recommend following current information concerning the situation of particular schools,” she said. Some schools offer remote learning or wait for further progress of the situation.

However, if students study remotely, they will lose their scholarship because it’s paid only for the time actually spent abroad.