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European Student Card Initiative

Part of the Erasmus+ programme

Part of Erasmus+

ESCI uptake rates and trends

Progress towards European Student Card Initiative targets, covering digital learning agreements through Erasmus Without Paper (EWP) and European Student Card (ESC) adoption.

2025 report

The chart below details findings from the 2025 report. It includes EWP learning agreements digitalisation rates for 2023, 2024 and 2025, and European Student Card adoption rates for 2024 and 2025.

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How can we close the remaining gaps?

All Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) holders should continue investing in ESCI implementation. It remains a key tool to support simplification, inclusion and quality in Erasmus+ mobility.

For Erasmus Without Paper

Further progress is needed to reach the 95% target for learning agreements completed digitally through Erasmus Without Paper.

Support should focus on countries and institutions where uptake remains lower, including smaller institutions with limited capacity and higher education institutions with significant outgoing mobility volumes that have not yet fully digitalised their learning agreement processes.

For the European Student Card

Further work is needed to support institutions and card issuers in activating European Student Cards and making effective use of the ESC Router.

National context matters, as implementation can depend on card issuance arrangements, the type of issuers, available student card systems, and institutional or national capacity.

Closing the remaining gaps therefore requires a combination of monitoring, targeted outreach, technical support, peer learning and practical guidance for higher education institutions, card issuers and national-level stakeholders.

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Where to get help

National Erasmus+ agencies play an active role in supporting progress towards ESCI targets and helping higher education institutions implement Erasmus Without Paper and the European Student Card.

Many support and outreach and support events including national ESCI days are run by the ESCI community. Institutions can also connect with peers via the EWP user groups, or benefit from the experience of the EWP Champions.

You can subscribe to our newsletter for events and updates, and reach out to your national agency.

What we are doing

To help close implementation gaps and prepare the next phase of ESCI, we are

  • developing ESCI+ for the next Erasmus+ programme (2028-34), supporting a more scalable and user-centric ESCI digital ecosystem further integrated across its main components: Erasmus Without Paper, the European Student Card and the Erasmus+ App
  • co-organising national ESCI Days with Erasmus+ National Agencies to support implementation, exchange good practices and discuss country-specific challenges. Since 2025, eight national ESCI Days have been organised in Germany, Belgium, Spain, Cyprus, Portugal, Finland, France, and Italy, and two more are planned in the Netherlands and France.
  • working hand in hand with ESCI Champions 2025-2027 to share good practice examples, user stories and testimonials with the wider ESCI community
  • developing user guidance and communication materials, including the EWP Acceptable Use Policy, to support more consistent, secure and high-quality data exchanges through Erasmus Without Paper
  • strengthening monitoring and targeted outreach to countries and institutions where EWP digitalisation or European Student Card adoption remains lower
  • exploring innovative ways to support the issuance and use of digital European Student Cards, including lessons from the European Student Card verifiable credentials pilot