What is Erasmus?

Erasmus is one of the four sectoral programmes supported under the Lifelong Learning Program.
In 2007 the new Lifelong Learning Program 2007-2013 replaced the existing Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci, and eLearning programs which expired at the end of 2006.
The Decision establishing a new Lifelong Learning Program, was signed by the Presidents of the European Parliament and of the Council on 15 November and was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 24 November. It came into force on 14 December 2006. The Lifelong Learning Program comprises four sectoral programs on school education (Comenius), higher education (Erasmus), vocational training (Leonardo da Vinci) and adult education (Grundtvig), and is completed by a transversal program focusing on policy cooperation, languages, information and communication technology and dissemination and exploitation of results. Finally, a Jean Monnet program focuses on European integration and support for certain key institutions and associations active in the field. The programme budget will be 6,970 million for the total period 2007-2013.

Objectives of LLP Erasmus
Erasmus has two specific objectives:

• to support the realisation of a European Higher Education Area;
• to reinforce the contribution of higher education and advanced vocational education to process of innovation;

and six operational objectives:

• to improve the quality and to increase the volume of students and teaching staff mobility throughout Europe, so as to contribute to the achievement by 2012 of at least 3 million individual participants in student mobility under the Erasmus and its predecessor programmes;
• to improve the quality and to increase the volume of multilateral cooperation between higher education institutions in Europe;
• to increase the degree of transparency and compatibility between higher education and advanced vocational education qualifications gained in Europe;
• to improve the quality and to increase the volume of cooperation between higher education institutions and enterprises;
• to facilitate the development of innovative practices in education and training at tertiary level, and their transfer, including from one participating country to others;
• to support the development of innovative ICT-based content, services, pedagogies and practice for lifelong learning.

What countries are eligible?
The Erasmus programme is open to 31 countries, i.e. the 27 EU Member States plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and, last but not least, Turkey.

Who can participate?
The Erasmus programme is open to the following:

• Students and trainees learning in all forms of tertiary level education and training;
  Higher education institutions, as specified by Member States;
• Teachers, trainers and other staff within those institutions;
• Associations and representatives of those involved in higher education, including relevant student, university, and teacher/trainer associations;
• Enterprises, social partners and other representatives of working life;
• Public and private organisations, including not-for-profit organisations and NGOs, responsible for the organisation and delivery of education and training at local, regional and national levels;
• Research centres and bodies concerned with lifelong learning issues;
• Bodies providing guidance, counselling and information services.

Erasmus @ Bocconi
Students willing to study abroad within the framework of the Erasmus program will have access to universities that are part of Bocconi's network. 
Students willing to undergo a first job experience can apply for student placement scholarship. Hosting institutions can be enterprises, banks, chambers of commerce, consultancies, etc.

Foreign student incoming will have access to all Bocconi facilities and courses, benefit from a course of Italian language and culture, a buddy service and other customised services offered by the International Students Desk.