During the Erasmus Generation Meeting in Bucharest last month, we took home the title of the Erasmus Destination of the Year!

Ghent, together with runner-ups Padua and Vienna, Valencia and Toulouse, made the finals after an internal evaluation and all 5 cities had a chance to present their bids for the title to the 1000 participants of EGM in Bucharest. The external jury made up of representatives from the European Commission, EAIE, Academic Cooperation Association, Youth Forum, and European Students’ Union made the final decision, taking into account important factors such as collaboration with key stakeholders such as the Higher Education Institution(s), the municipality and other local partners ensures a high-quality mobility experience for students.


Ghent and ESN have been inseparable since the early beginnings of ESN in 1989, as the foundations of the organisation were set during the first-ever assessment of the Erasmus programme in Ghent, with 33 students who participated in the first years of mobility.
The collaboration ESN Gent has had with the various higher education institutions over the past 34 years has gone hand in hand with the expansion of the Erasmus+ programme itself, focusing on making the city friendly for international students, and Ghent’s innate youthful spirit which comes from the large student population that each year welcomes over 1500 Erasmus students, make it a true capital of international student mobility and the perfect mobility destination for all those looking to step out of their comfort zones and try new things through the life-changing experience that is student mobility.

Full text can be found on esn.org