How digitalisation is transforming Erasmus+ mobility across Europe

Behind every Erasmus+ mobility period lies a growing digital ecosystem that enables universities across Europe to exchange information securely and efficiently. One of the key drivers of this transformation is Erasmus Without Paper (EWP), a European initiative that is reshaping how higher education institutions (HEIs) manage student mobility.

As an International affairs specialist, I have witnessed this topic evolve into a key priority in our daily work. It is becoming a central theme in our team meetings and is steadily transforming our processes, organisational structures, responsibilities, and required competencies.

Simplifying and digitalising the administration

One of the European Commission policy priorities for 2024-2029 is building a Europe that is ready and competent for the digital age (European Commission 2024a). In higher education institutions, this includes simplifying and digitalising the administration and implementation of EU-funded programmes such as Erasmus+.

This transition is not without challenges. HEIs across Europe have long managed complex processes involving different institutional requirements, tight deadlines, compliance with EU guidelines and large volumes of document circulation requiring signatures. Digitalisation aims to streamline these complex procedures and reduce the administrative burden for both staff and students.

The Erasmus+ programme

The Erasmus+ programme, which supports education, training, youth and sport across Europe, has a budget of €26.2 billion for the 2021-2027 period. Looking ahead, the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034) proposes a budget of €40.8 billion, including the newly integrated European Solidarity Corps initiative and compensating the impact of inflation. Final approval is expected by the end of 2027, with the new programme scheduled to begin on 1 January 2028. (European Commission 2025.)

The impact of Erasmus+ is widely recognised. A 2018 Eurobarometer survey ranked Erasmus+ as the EU’s fourth greatest achievement, after freedom of movement, peace, and the single currency (European Commission 2018). Participation continues to grow: in 2024, the programme reached 16.5 million participants, double the number recorded in 2014 (European Commission 2024b).

Erasmus Without Paper digital initiative

The EU has taken an important step towards fully digital mobility management through Erasmus Without Paper. To achieve this, all HEIs holding an Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) committed to a high-quality framework in their international activities, are required to connect to the EWP network to align with common European digital procedures.

Since its launch in 2018, EWP has continuously evolved, replacing paper-based procedures with secure digital data exchange. The network, comprising more than 2.600 HEIs, enables institutions to share data, for example, student-related information and inter-institutional agreements quickly and securely. This includes personal and study-related data, as well as information on study fields, mobility numbers, and institutional cooperation agreements.

To connect to EWP, institutions use a third-party mobility management software. Haaga-Helia has used the QS Unisolutions’ MoveON platform for several years. Since spring 2026, the university has been preparing its transition to the SoleMove provider, an important step in enhancing its digital mobility management process.

Why is EWP so important?

EWP is the digital ecosystem in Europe where mobility-related data is shared between universities. It has become one of the main tools used daily in the international offices, to manage the mobility programmes, data and student flows efficiently.

One of the most widely used sections in EWP is the Online Learning Agreement, which can be created, updated, and approved by all involved parties entirely online (European Commission 2026a). This improves transparency, reduces paperwork, and ensures that information is available and up to date for the sending and receiving institutions, along with the student throughout the mobility period.

At Haaga-Helia, drafting and renewing inter-institutional agreements between the partner universities is another functionality that has seen increasing adoption and is now integral to our daily operations. At the same time, we are now preparing for the large-scale adoption of digital student nominations within EWP, a process that used to be done in a rather complex way combining external tools such as emails, surveys and forms.

Systems connect – student benefit

Collaboration through EWP requires close cooperation among higher education institutions in EU member states and third countries associated to the Erasmus+ programme. Successful interoperability depends on clear processes, shared practices, common terminology, and continuous collaboration.

This digital transformation has also required significant staff training and professional development. International services teams across Europe have invested considerable effort in learning new tools and skills in following the latest developments and guidelines from the European Commission. The impact extends beyond international offices. At Haaga-Helia, successful mobility management relies on collaboration between multiple staff members across the institution and more than 200 international partner institutions.

How are decisions made in such a complex environment? The EWP governance structure ensures that user feedback is incorporated into the development of the network. At the highest level, the European Commission Steering Committee brings together representatives from different sectors to steer and oversee the initiative (European Commission 2024c).

EWP drives major transformation in European higher education mobility. By connecting thousands of institutions, staff members, and students through secure digital services, it is helping create a more transparent, efficient, and user-friendly mobility experience.

Nevertheless, SoleMove is not the only digital tool supporting and shaping mobility. Other important initiatives include the Erasmus+ App, which centralises the student mobility experience: Online Language Support (OLS), which helps students assess and improve their language skills before mobility; and more recently, the European Student Card Initiative (ESCI) (European Commission 2026b).

As the Erasmus+ programme continues to evolve, ESCI, which facilitates student identification and mobility through a shared European framework, will play a larger role in the new programme that will function as one interconnected digital ecosystem. For higher education institutions, this means more efficient workflows, reduced duplication of data, and improved interoperability between systems.

The path toward fully digital mobility

Although significant progress has been made, the transition towards fully digital administration of mobility is still ongoing. Institutions continue adopting new processes at different speeds, and challenges remain.

The progress achieved so far is already making mobility administration more efficient and connected. According to EWP statistics, Haaga-Helia has significantly increased its data exchange activities in recent years, particularly regarding inter-institutional agreements and Online Learning Agreements.

Looking ahead, we would like to see European University Alliances, such as Ulysseus, more deeply integrated into EWP and having dedicated functionalities for mobility management, data analysis and reporting within the system. That would also mean the full integration of the staff mobility, and staff related mobility agreements for training and for teaching, as for now, only student related agreements are possible.

The inclusion of arrival and departure documents as well as digital transcript of records in EWP would also be a big upgrade, for now, small improvements are underway.

Beyond Erasmus+, there are other international cooperation activities that are still not part of the EWP network and that would need to be considered. These are the partnerships and mobility cooperation agreements with non-European partners Haaga-Helia has. The path needs to be walked, but the destination is clear.

As digitalisation continues to transform higher education, initiatives such as Erasmus Without Paper are laying the foundation for a more connected, transparent, and student-centred mobility ecosystem. By actively participating in this transformation, Haaga-Helia ensures that students and staff can benefit from efficient international opportunities both today and in the years to come.

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