Erasmus decoded: Where do Europe's students go when they study abroad?

Armando is just one of thousands of students each year who enjoy the opportunity to study abroad without having to freeze their studies at their home university.

Originally from Italy, he has recently started his new adventure in the Greek capital Athens, thanks to the Erasmus programme, which has been sending students across Europe to study abroad for more than three decades.

"Many university students talk a lot more about northern countries as favourite Erasmus destinations. I just wanted to go against the tide and choose one of the least mentioned" he tells Euronews.

After two failed attempts, he finally secured a place at the Panteion University to read political sciences. 

Greece was his first choice he says, "I am mainly interested to discover Greek contemporary history which is hardly taught at schools". He also wanted to find out about the social impact of the economic crisis in 2009 on Greek society.

Armando explains that there are lively discussions by students about favourite Erasmus destinations, and plenty of articles online explaining why a particular country is the “best”. Most of them highlight the arts, culture, cafés, and nightlife -- all the things a young student might look for -- as well as the purely educational opportunities. 

But, is it all down to the personal preference of the students? The number of higher education institutions and Erasmus projects in each country varies greatly.

Statistics from the European Commission show that Mediterranean countries Spain and Italy are at the top of the list for hosting the most Erasmus students and staff.

In 2021 (the latest data available), Spain accepted 77,406 university students from other countries, and at the same time sent 56,891 of its own students to