The European Commission published this month two comprehensive studies on international student mobility, offering complementary perspectives on where Europe, and particularly Erasmus+ programme countries and European Union (EU) member states, stand as a study destination, touching also the question of how evenly and equitably mobility flows are distributed within this bloc. 

The first study, Analysis of trends in international student mobility (2026 edition), was produced under the EU-funded Study in Europe initiative, and written for the European Commission by experienced mobility researchers working for ACA members Nuffic and Campus France. Covering the decade 2013 to 2022, and to a large extent based on the international dataset by EUROSTAT, UNESCO and OECD, the study highlights that global student mobility reached 6.9 million degree-seeking students abroad in 2022, i.e. a 61% increase over ten years.  

The Study in Europe region (the 27 EU member states plus the six other countries associated to Erasmus+) overtook the United States as the world's leading host destination in 2019 and now hosts around 26% of all internationally mobile degree students (excluding the intra-regionally mobile students), receiving four times more incoming students (1.24 million) than it sends outside the region (300.000) in the same end reference year. China, Syria and India were the top three countries of origin, with the latter’s inflows increasing in importance in recent years, while the STEM subject fields attracted the largest share of mobile students in the EU (32%).  

The Study in Europe countries are increasingly attractive not only for students coming from outside this bloc, but also for domestic students. As many as 65% of students from EU member states and Erasmus+ associated countries that chose to study abroad towards a degree in 2022 opted to do so in another EU or Erasmus+ associated country. As such, this is the bloc with the highest intra-regional mobility rate. 

The second study, Balanced and inclusive learning mobility in the context of the European Education Area, produced for the European Commission by Technopolis, covers three distinct strands: the balance of intra-EU degree mobility, participation gaps in credit mobility (such as Erasmus+), and inclusive mobility for students facing structural barriers. 

On degree mobility, the study finds a structurally asymmetric pattern within the intra-EU mobility. Measured as a share of each country's own tertiary enrolment (not absolute numbers) in the intra-EU context, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, Czechia and Malta are the clearest net receivers, while France, Italy and Croatia are net senders, a pattern driven chiefly by the size of their student populations, France being still a top destination of international students (particularly coming from outside the EU). Slovakia, Cyprus and, most markedly, Luxembourg are outliers: more students from Luxembourg study for a degree abroad than there are tertiary students in the country itself. Bilateral flows closely track shared language and geographical proximity: 62% of Belgium's incoming EU students come from France, for instance, reinforced by free or subsidised tuition in the destination country. 

On credit mobility, the study finds a persistent participation gap against EU targets, despite Erasmus+ alone supporting nearly 400.000 student mobilities in 2023. Only around 6% of students have actually undertaken a study period abroad, even though 30% of the remainder say they intend to, an "intention-participation gap" the study attributes to structural and financial barriers rather than attitudes. Most member states remain well short of the EU's 23% target for 2030 (combining credit and degree mobility), clustering instead between 5% and 15%.  

On inclusive mobility, Erasmus+ data show that 20.5% of outgoing participants in 2024 were identified as having "fewer opportunities", nominally meeting the EU's 2027 benchmark of 20%, though national definitions vary widely, and regional gaps are significant (25.5% in Southern Europe vs. 8.3% in Eastern Europe). Students with disabilities, migratory backgrounds, or from lower socio-economic backgrounds remain systematically underrepresented, held back by five recurring barriers: financial burden, income and employment loss, administrative complexity, disability-related obstacles, and lack of targeted information. First-generation students face the widest participation gap in parts of Southern and Eastern Europe. Recommendations include a harmonised EU-wide definition of "fewer opportunities," wider use of blended and short-term mobility formats, and targeted pre-departure support and mentoring.