EU awards 65 Filipinos with Erasmus+ scholarships

Photo courtesy of the European Commission

MANILA, Philippines — Sixty-five Filipino students will be heading to Europe after winning scholarships under the European Union’s Erasmus+ Program.

Erasmus+ is EU’s mobility and scholarship program that allows students to pursue their MA and Ph.D. studies in more than one EU member state “giving them the opportunity to benefit from the academic expertise and culture of more than one university,” the EU Delegation to the Philippines said in a statement Thursday.

The 65 Erasmus+ students will be sent off in an online ceremony on August 5, it added.

According to EU Ambassador Luc Véron, the Philippines has consistently been among 10 countries with the most number of Erasmus+ scholars in the world from 2004 to 2021.

He added that in Southeast Asia, the Philippines has the highest number of Erasmus+ scholars from 2004 to 2020.

“I congratulate the new Erasmus scholars as they depart for the EU campuses starting this August. Make the most out of your Erasmus journey and take pride in your Filipino heritage,” Véron said.

“I encourage you to become agents of social change and transformation for the Philippines and to become goodwill ambassadors for the partnership and friendship between the EU and the Philippines,” he added.

The program “gives life-changing opportunities for Filipino students to experience living the European culture, learning European languages, and being integrated into the European society for one to two years,” the EU delegation further said.