Erasmus + Program

Bilge Kağan Özdemir. I am the Director of Anadolu University International
Relations Unit. At the same time, I am working as the Erasmus institution coordinator of our
university. Erasmus Program is a grant program of the European Union covering the fields of
youth, sports and higher education. The most important aspect of it is the mobility it
provides in the field of higher education. Thanks to the Erasmus program, our students can
spend one or two semesters at another university in Europe for educational purposes. In
addition, our students have the opportunity to do internships in different parts of Europe.
Another benefit provided by the Erasmus program to our university is staff mobility. Our
own staff, which we call "outgoing staff", can go abroad for the purpose of giving lectures or
training. Also, many professors from abroad come here to provide lectures and training for
us within the scope of the Erasmus program. Students enrolled in the formal program of our
university can apply to benefit from the Erasmus program after completing their first
semester. There are certain requirements. For example, undergraduate students must have
a GPA of at least 2.20 out of 4. We expect a GPA of at least 2.50 out of 4 in graduate and
doctorate programs. Another criterion is the foreign language exam. We want our students
to get at least 55 points in the foreign language exam. Besides the foreign language exam
we hold at our university, there are also various equivalent exams such as the TOEFL exam
that is determined by our university's senate. Students who score at least 55 or equivalent
or higher in these exams can also apply to benefit from the Erasmus program. After these
minimum requirements are met, we combine 50% of the language exam with 50% percent
of the grade point to come up with a score, and we determine the students who are at the
top according to our quota that year from the list in order to benefit from the Erasmus
program in many different universities in Europe. The students who are selected are

entitled to go with a grant, but if our students wish, they can benefit from the Erasmus
program to study at a university abroad without a grant.
The biggest benefit of the Erasmus program for our students is credit transfer. Students who
are abroad with the Erasmus program do not postpone their graduation. The courses they
take abroad are recognized by our university and recorded in their transcripts. In this sense,
when the student goes abroad, they needn’t worry about such problems. Again, our
students who go abroad within the scope of the Erasmus program do not pay any tuition
fees to the university they go to. If there is a tuition fee related to the university they are
enrolled in, they are only required to pay it. Another great thing about the program is that
our students' other scholarships or grants are not cut off while they benefit from the
Erasmus program. Our university, which has benefited from the Erasmus program since
2004 when our country got included in the program, has more than 400 Agreements with
European countries. Since 2014, it is possible to go to non-European countries, which we
call “partner countries” with the Erasmus program. Our university has also made great
efforts in this regard and today we have more than 300 Erasmus students in countries
outside of Europe. In addition, our university, which has been actively involved in the
program since 2004, has also pioneered new student benefits. For example, one of them is
the roommate system. With the roommate system we help students meet with the students
here and share a household together. Apart from this, we have a "buddy system". We assign
a buddy, that is, a buddy student, and a mentor student to each incoming student. What is
the role of the mentor student? They pick up Erasmus exchange students from the airports
in Ankara and bring them to our university. Another example of the benefits we provide is
the many different activities we have developed with the Erasmus Club, or as it is known,
the ESN Anatolian Club. Incoming students go on trips to Cappadocia, Antalya and many
other places, and take part in many cultural activities. I’d like to say "Welcome to your
home!" to the students who will come to our university with Erasmus and other exchange
programs.