Benefits

Benefits of using Erasmus Without Paper

Erasmus Without Paper allows your higher education institution to digitalise Erasmus+ mobility management processes. The main principle behind Erasmus Without Paper is that you keep using your existing system for managing student mobility. This system needs to be connected to the Erasmus Without Paper network and information can be exchanged. Instead of printing a PDF or a paper copy of e.g. an Inter-Institutional agreement or a Learning Agreement, you will be able to approve the documents online and send them directly via your software system to your partner institution.

The Mobility Process step-by-step

The Erasmus+ mobility for studies involves a series of processes that facilitate student exchange. Often, in this process, communication is needed between the sending (or home) higher education institution and the receiving (or host) higher education institution. In general you can describe the mobility flow as follows (sometimes steps are repeated/ordered somewhat differently):

1. Higher education institutions need to approve a Erasmus+ institutional agreement:
   this process is currently supported via Erasmus Without Paper, see the comprehensive user guide on inter-institutional agreements published by the European Commission.
   
   

2. Sending higher education institution nominates the student to the receiving higher education institution:
   this process is ready to be rolled out see more information here.
   
   

3. Learning agreement needs to be worked out and signed by three parties (student, sending and receiving higher education institutions) before departure:
   this process is currently supported via Erasmus Without Paper, see the comprehensive user guide on learning agreements published by the European Commission.
   
   

4. Student arrives at the receiving higher education institution and receiving higher education institution needs to confirm the date of arrival:
   this process is currently not supported via Erasmus Without Paper.
   
   

5. Learning agreement might change. If so, it needs to be signed by three parties (student, sending higher education institution, receiving higher education institution):
   this process is currently supported via Erasmus Without Paper, see the comprehensive user guide on learning agreements published by the European Commission.
   
   

6. Student departs from the receiving higher education institution and receiving higher education institution needs to confirm the date of departure:
   this process is currently not supported via Erasmus Without Paper.
   
   

7. Receiving higher education institution sends transcript of records to sending higher education institution:
   this process is currently in an early release phase, learn more about this early trial.
   
   

For each of the steps that require communication (or data exchanges) between the sending higher education institution and the receiving higher education institution Erasmus Without Paper comes into play. The processes above are translated into technical so-called APIs (Application Programming Interface) that facilitate system-to-system communication, allowing users to manage their part of the process in their own system and use the Erasmus Without Paper network whenever confirmation/approval/signatures are needed from the partner. In doing so Erasmus Without Paper replaces paper-based workflows by digital ones.