The context and aims for the University of Bath’s participation in Erasmus is very clear. We have 22 programmes with a compulsory study / work abroad element (21 of which involve a European language) and so a basic requirement is to ensure we have the exchange partnerships in place to meet the demand from these cohorts of students. Further to this, Bath is committed to enhancing the student experience and ensuring that our students graduate with the best employment prospects. The benefits of a studying or working abroad in these areas has therefore led to a university target to increase mobility by 5-7% per annum. Despite this, 2014/15 was a challenging year for Erasmus and this is reflected in our final numbers. Although Bath saw a 6% increase in International mobility between 2013/14 and 2014/15, Erasmus numbers decreased in all areas except student traineeships. This can be attributed to the following causes: • The uncertainty of the changes between the LLP programme to the Erasmus+ programme. The lateness in communications about the new programme requirements meant it was not possible to issue such clear messages about the benefits of Erasmus (and what students needed to do to participate), as had been done in previous years. • The negative messages around availability of funding, meant some students chose overseas placements or decided to remain in the UK for their traineeship instead. • The increase in choices available to the students has had an impact. As our network of global partners expands at the same time as the Erasmus grant amounts reduce, many students think a non-EU country (where the cost of living is much lower) is a better option financially. Our final report showed: • Student mobility for studies – 124 students and a total of 669 months (compared to 129 students and 740 months in 2013/14) • Student mobility for traineeships – 226 students and a total of 1705 months (compared to 221 students and a total of 1812 months in 2013/14) • Staff mobility for teaching – 0 (compared to 4 people in 2013/14) • Staff mobility for training – 1 person (compared to 3 people in 2013/14) We did not promote staff mobility in 2014/15 due to the predicted shortfall in funding. Although staff mobility is always worthwhile, we felt the benefits of Erasmus are greater for students. We therefore wanted to have the option of transferring funds to student mobility if required. In 2014/15, Bath students went to 48 different Higher Education Institutions and 175 different companies across 18 programme countries. All students received full recognition for their Erasmus study / traineeship and many have gone on to promote the programme through activities such as joining the mobility team to give promotional presentations or participating in our student society (the Bath Exchange Network). This society acts as the voice for exchange students and plays an active role in supporting our incoming students to adjust to life in Bath. These contributions not only help the students in terms of building their portfolios for future job applications, but also benefit Bath in its longer-term goal to promote and increase Erasmus participation. The companies who accepted Bath students on an Erasmus traineeship included the New York Times (based in Paris), BMW, Credit Suisse and KPMG – all highly prestigious companies, which demonstrate how participation in Erasmus can really offer Bath students a unique opportunity to improve their CV and career prospects. The selection of students to participate in Erasmus is non-discriminatory and ensures equal access to all opportunities. This is shown by the fact that the list of participants includes 38 different nationalities with 14 students from disadvantaged backgrounds.