Would Canadian students be able to benefit from no tuition fees and visa-free exchanges?
Photo via the European Union.
Imagine being a student at UVic, and having the opportunity to go on exchange in Europe for one or two semesters. We can already do that via the International Centre for Students (ICS) — but what if we could go on exchange to any country in the European Union (EU) with reduced or no tuition and without needing a visa?
In light of the recent address to the European Parliament by Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sept. 17, in which he expressed his desire to be a part of the EU’s Erasmus+ program, the Martlet decided to ask whether it is a realistic possibility.
The Erasmus+ is an EU initiative, which was created in 1987. It seeks to promote closer partnerships amongst universities and other higher education institutions across Europe.
Erasmus+ is essentially a program through which students can go on exchange within the EU. It allows EU citizens to partake in visa-free travel, exempt from fees for tuition, registration, and examinations.
If Canada were to join the Erasmus+ program, we might also get access to some of these same benefits that EU residents have.
According to Dr. Oliver Schmidtke, a political science professor at UVic specializing in European studies, Canadian access to the Erasmus+ program would facilitate more exchanges. However, he suspects Canadian integration into the program would require some changes to post-secondary funding here in Canada.
“One of the issues is that European students normally don’t pay any fees,” he said. Right now, when students from the EU come on exchange to Canada, they are not spending any more money than they would at home in terms of tuition fees. But Canadian students who go on exchange in Europe pay Canadian university fees on top of other expenses.
Schmidtke mentions this because, if Canada were to become a part of the Erasmus+ program, the Canadian government would have to find a way to financially support Canadian universities more than they do right now.
“So there might have to be some arrangement with Canadian universities, but … I would assume that either at a much reduced or no fee level, Canadian students would be able to study in Europe,” Schmidtke said. However, he said he suspects many of these points are still in discussion between Canadian and EU leaders.
Nonetheless, “the exchange [is] what I see as a primary benefit to Canadian students,” said Schmidtke.
He said that “the real promise” of the Erasmus+ program is the ability to travel within Europe and create relationships with European partners and institutions. The Erasmus+ program also offers the opportunity to foster cultural ties, and provide funding for mobility, and for research.
“Canadian universities, researchers, [and] students will be able to tap into those opportunities that EU citizens have at the moment,” said Schmidtke.
According to Dr. Jamie Lawson, a specialist in Canadian politics and associate professor in the political science department at UVic, the Erasmus+ program seems like a good way to build special relations between the EU and Canada without navigating the complex regulatory environment associated with EU membership.
However, he said it seems Canada and the EU are “creating a new kind of relationship” that hasn’t existed so far.
“This would gradually encourage Canadians and … Europeans to see the relationship as much closer than it’s been,” he said.
In terms of Canada joining Erasmus+, Lawson said that there is already an appetite for exchange opportunities across universities — UVic particularly.
Lawson said that professors and journalists are not privy to the arrangement that the EU and Canada are planning on establishing, hence it becomes difficult to predict if Canada will become a part of the Erasmus+ program or not.
“Many universities see it as hugely advantageous to offer years abroad,” he said. “The universities almost certainly would be enthusiastic if there was also some backup from the government.”
