On 24 June 2025, the General Assembly of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) called for a substantial increase in the EU budget allocated to the Erasmus+ programme. At the General Assembly in Bonn, the 252 DAAD member universities and 104 student bodies emphasised the exceptional social importance of the Erasmus programme. The EU's ambitious goal that, by 2030, nearly a quarter of all EU university graduates should have spent time abroad during their studies can only be achieved through a substantial increase in the Erasmus+ budget. Considering these ambitious EU mobility goals and other challenges, Erasmus+ must be comprehensively strengthened. According to the DAAD General Assembly, this would require a total EU budget of at least EUR 60 billion by 2034, with EUR 20 billion earmarked for universities.

In the current programme generation (2021–2027), the annual budget will increase significantly until 2027. In order to maintain or increase funding for mobility and programmes in the next programme generation, starting in 2028, a significantly higher budget will be needed. Otherwise, mobility and project numbers would have to be significantly reduced. For German universities, this would mean that, from 2028, only 50,000 student and university staff mobilities could be funded, rather than the planned 70,000. This would result in one in four Erasmus scholarships being cancelled.

Read the full statement here.