Santa Cruz de Tenerife 19 Mar. (Europa Press) –
The University of La Laguna has noted a significant rise in applications from its students wishing to participate in the ‘Erasmus+’ programme for the academic year 2025/26.
There have been 961 applications, which is an increase of 230 from the 731 submitted for the current academic year 2024/25, and 284 more than the previous year (2023/24).
A key factor contributing to this increase is the implementation of a digital application process by the Vice-Rectorate for Internationalisation and Cooperation, which has simplified the procedure for both applicants and those processing the requests, as detailed by ULL in a statement.
In terms of submitted applications, the most sought-after destinations for University of La Laguna students are Poland, with 219 requests, followed by Italy (122), Slovenia (85), Germany (70), Czech Republic (66), Portugal (63), France (35), Ireland (29), Netherlands (25), Denmark (18), Croatia (16), Greece (11), Lithuania (11), Romania (11), Albania (10), Belgium (14), Bulgaria (5), Sweden (5), Slovakia (4), Latvia (2) and Switzerland (1).
Another enhancement in this call is the modification of priority groups to promote mobility among partner universities within the Stars EU Alliance. Consequently, the first and third priority groups comprise students who opt for the foreign institutions linked to the Alliance as their destination.
Requests for STARS EU destinations have been recorded at 69 as a first choice, 62 as second, and 58 as a third option.
The average requests for alliance destinations across all priorities represent approximately 8.5% of the total applications.
Currently, the Bureau of European Programs is undertaking a project aimed at modernising procedure management in several phases, in collaboration with the Directorate of the Secretariat of Process Analysis and Modernisation, the ICT Service, and the Analysis and Planning Cabinet.
In the previous call for 2024/25, a unified calendar for all centres, automation of destination assignment, acceptance of placements by students, and language accreditation, among other processes, were implemented.
In the 2025/26 call, the procedure has been extensively revised, building on previous advancements and incorporating new enhancements.
Concerning the management of mobility by the centres, intervention by the secretariats is no longer required unless there is a discrepancy in the data for the ranking of students.
Enhanced Mobility
Furthermore, the scale for destination assignment across all studies at the institution has been standardised, and the language requirement set by the University of La Laguna has been updated to align with bilateral agreements, potentially leading to an increase in student mobility.
For students, the application interface has been improved to allow easy access to relevant information for the allocation procedure of places and scholarships, streamlining the application process by displaying only options pertinent to their studies.
Additionally, the deadline for language accreditation requests has been adjusted to coincide with the application period. Notably, the automatic generation of subsidy agreements has been activated with the mere entry of start and end dates of mobility, which will lessen the workload for those overseeing procedure management and enable the optimisation of financial resources, allowing for assistance to more individuals and reducing the need for specific scholarship returns.
This plan for modernising procedures will be fully realised in the 2026/27 call. In this next phase, apart from the changes and enhancements mentioned, the allocation of destinations based on applicants’ requests will be automated, minimising the need for mobility coordinators to intervene and facilitating the possibility of executing a waiting list in a manner similar to that of pre-registration for destination allocation.
