2.2 million active European Student Cards – What’s next?
The European Student Card surpassed its objectives for 2023 with over 2.2 million active European Student Cards now in circulation across 16 Erasmus+ Programme countries.
The latest figures reflect not only the continued support for the European Student Card but also the growing impact and accessibility of the services it offers.
Impact, outreach, and support in 2023
The success of the ESC relies on implementing a sound, secure and efficient system to support higher education institutions and students’ access to services. In 2023, this effort included
- fostering the card’s adoption in Erasmus+ Programme countries following the defined 2-year roadmap
- setting out the ESC Governance model
- running the second annual online survey with more than 4,000 responses
- working with ESC Champions to understand current implementation, obstacles and potential solutions
- keeping the ESC community informed online
- running the ESC Helpdesk for users and interested parties
- developing and deploying a communication toolkit along with guidelines and training materials
- developing the new ESC-Router compliant with European Commission standards
- running webinar sessions for card issuers and ESC-R users
- taking part in higher education events
Upcoming in 2024
In 2024, the European Student Card will enter a new phase of implementation with the deployment of the upgraded version of the ESC-Router. There will be new services and functionalities in the ESC Router, based on user needs.
Along with this critical milestone, the roadmap towards 2025 will focus on
- implementing the second phase of onboarding Erasmus+ programme countries
- providing greater benefits to a larger number of students across Europe
- maintaining and improving the European Student Card infrastructure
- promoting the implementation of digital ESCs
- continue organising detailed training sessions for card issuers and ESC-R users
- taking part in promotional events
Join the ESC in the new year!
The ESC is an ongoing process, so if you would like to know more about how your Institution can join the ESC, check out how to join the European Student Card.
And remember that only card issuers (e.g., Higher Education Institutions, student unions or other student groups) can register for the ESC-Router (ESC-R), which connects institutions to the ESC online.
Contact
If you have any questions about the European Student card, please check our help and support pages.