The Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is a Europe-wide student organisation. It is the largest student organisation in Europe, focusing on student mobility and internationalisation of higher education.
The organisation supports and develops student exchanges, both inside the Erasmus+ programme and outside of it. The local ESN sections offer help, guidance and information to both exchange students and students doing a full degree abroad – by informing them, but also providing them with different trips or events. National and international level support the local level by providing necessary tools, as well as communicating with national Erasmus+ organisations or the European Commission in general.
The goal of the organisation is to support and develop student exchange on the local, national and international levels. It is composed of around 15,000 members distributed across 515 local sections in 44 countries in higher education institutions, including universities, polytechnics, and university colleges.
History
In 1987, the European Community approved a plan to create a mobility scheme for higher education. Part of it was the Erasmus programme – an exchange programme for students to provide students with the opportunity to spend part of their studies abroad.
In 1989, the Erasmus Bureau invited 32 former Erasmus students for an evaluation meeting in Ghent, Belgium. This meeting was the starting point for the Erasmus Student Network. The lack of peer-to-peer support was singled out as a major issue and the driving force behind the creation of the Erasmus Student Network, named for the Dutch Renaissance humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam.
By 1994, ESN had 60 sections in 14 countries. In 2004, it consisted of 170 sections in and outside Europe, reaching as far as Scandinavia, the Caucasus and Morocco. In 2005, ESN established its headquarters in Brussels and legally registered as a Belgian non-profit organisation.
As of March 2026, ESN consists of 515 local associations ("sections") in 44 countries.
The organisation supports students from the Erasmus programme and other bilateral agreements. It cooperates with national agencies in order to help international students – it does not, however, send people on exchanges itself.
Structure
ESN works on three levels – local, national and international. Although it is composed near-exclusively of European student associations, no rule currently prevents associations outside of Europe from applying for membership.
Originally, no conditions existed regarding the geographic limits of ESN. In 2007, membership was restricted to the borders defined by the Council of Europe with the addition of Mediterranean countries. In 2015, this rule was modified to follow the borders of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) instead, before being relaxed in 2020 to UN member states and UN observer states, which is the current rule in place.
Local level
ESN on the local level consists of "sections" that work with international students. They organise activities like introduction programmes, get-togethers and cultural events and represent the exchange students and their needs towards academic institutions and local authorities. Every year, representatives of the local sections meet at the Erasmus Generation Meeting (EGM).
National level
The national level represents the needs of international students towards governments and national authorities. Local sections in the same countries form a National Assembly (NA) and, each year, they elect a National Board which represents the local sections on the international level.
List of National Organisations (NOs)
<!-- NOTE: Countries that were admitted before mid-2015 need not have individual references, as they are covered by the ESN History Book reference just above this comment. -->
Below is a list of all ESN National Organisations, past and present.
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Key
|-
| bgcolor="#FFFF99" style="text-align:center;"| *
| Country with a single local section, which is spelled out if its name differs. Lacks the authority to admit new local sections.
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
| bgcolor="#99FFFF" style="text-align:center;"| **
| Candidate section
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
| bgcolor="#FF99FF" style="text-align:center;"| †
| Section does not exist anymore
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Country
! Name
! Admission
! Local sections
! Regional Platform
! Notes
|-
|
| bgcolor="#FFFF99" | ESN Albania <small>(ESN Tirana)</small> *
| 2019
| align=center | 1
| align=center | SEEP
|
|-
|
| bgcolor="#FFFF99" | ESN Armenia <small>(ESN Yerevan)</small> *
| 2022
| align=center | 1
| align=center | SEEP
|
|-
|
| ESN Austria
| 1992
| align=center | 14
| align=center | CEP
|
|-
|
| bgcolor="#FFFF99" | ESN Azerbaijan <small>(ESN ADA Baku)</small> *
| 2007-2012, 2016
| align=center | 1
| align=center | SEEP
| Expelled in 2012 due to not being able to fulfill their duties. Rejoined in 2016.
|-
|
| bgcolor="#FF99FF" | ESN Belarus †
| 2016-2022
| align=center | -
| align=center | CEP (formerly)
| Expelled in 2022.
|-
|
| ESN Belgium
| 1989
| align=center | 18
| align=center | WEP
| Founding section of ESN.
|-
|
| ESN Bosnia and Herzegovina
| 2006
| align=center | 2
| align=center | SEEP
|
|-
|
| ESN Bulgaria
| 2008
| align=center | 12
| align=center | SEEP
|
|-
|
| ESN Croatia
| 2011
| align=center | 8
| align=center | CEP
|
|-
|
| bgcolor="#FFFF99" | ESN Cyprus <small>(ESN Nicosia)</small> *
| 2004-2008, 2010
| align=center | 1
| align=center | SEEP
| Expelled in 2008 due to not being able to fulfill their duties. Rejoined in 2010.
|-
|
| ESN Czech Republic
| 2002
| align=center | 19
| align=center | CEP
|
|-
|
| ESN Denmark
| 1990
| align=center | 5
| align=center | NEP
|
|-
|
| ESN Estonia
| 2001
| align=center | 5
| align=center | NEP
|
|-
|
| ESN Finland
| 1993
| align=center | 16
| align=center | NEP
|
|-
|
| ESN France
| 1998
| align=center | 33
| align=center | SWEP
|
|-
|
| bgcolor="#FFFF99" | ESN Georgia <small>(ESN Tbilisi ISU)</small> *
| 2011
| align=center | 1
| align=center | SEEP
|
|-
|
| ESN Germany
| 1990
| align=center | 46
| align=center | WEP
|
|-
|
| ESN Greece
| 1991
| align=center | 20
| align=center | SEEP
|
|-
|
| ESN Hungary
| 1999
| align=center | 13
| align=center | CEP
|
|-
|
| bgcolor="#FFFF99" | ESN Iceland <small>(ESN Reykjavik)</small> *
| 2007-2022, 2025
| align=center | 1
| align=center | NEP
| Expelled in 2022 due to not being able to fulfill their duties. Rejoined in 2025.
| align=center | 1
| align=center | SEEP
|
|-
|
| bgcolor="#FFFF99" | ESN Kazakhstan <small>(ESN Almaty)</small> *
| 2023
| align=center | 1
| align=center | SEEP
|
|-
|
| ESN Latvia
| 2003
| align=center | 3
| align=center | NEP
|
|-
|
| bgcolor="#FFFF99" | ESN Liechtenstein <small>(ESN University of Liechtenstein)</small> *
| 2016
| align=center | 1
| align=center | SEEP
|
|-
|
| bgcolor="#FFFF99" | ESN Montenegro <small>(ESN Podgorica)</small> *
| 2023-2025
| align=center | -
| align=center | NEP (formerly)
| Expelled in 2004 due to not being able to fulfill their duties. Rejoined in 2014, then left in 2025.
|-
|
| ESN Serbia
| 2006
| align=center | 3
| align=center | SEEP
|
|-
|
| ESN Slovakia
| 2004
| align=center | 10
| align=center | CEP
|
|-
|
| ESN Slovenia
| 1999
| align=center | 3
| align=center | CEP
|
|-
|
| ESN Spain
| 1998
| align=center | 38
| align=center | SWEP
|
|-
|
| ESN Sweden
| 1994
| align=center | 13
| align=center | NEP
|
|-
|
| ESN Switzerland
| 1994
| align=center | 13
| align=center | WEP
|
|-
|
| ESN Türkiye
| 2005
| align=center | 39
| align=center | SEEP
| Known as "ESN Turkey" until 2023.
|-
|
| ESN Ukraine
| 2002-2011, 2019
| align=center | 5
| align=center | CEP
| Expelled in 2011 due to not being able to fulfill their duties. Rejoined in 2019.
|-
|
| ESN United Kingdom
| 1997
| align=center | 14
| align=center | WEP
|
|-
! Country
! Name
! Admission
! Local sections
! Regional Platform
! Notes
|}
International level
The International Board is the executive body of ESN International and consists of six Board Members (President, Vice President for Governance, Vice President for Development, Treasurer, Communication Manager and Web Project Administrator). Since 2005, the members of the International Board are full-time volunteers living and working in Brussels. The International Board is supported by the Secretariat composed of employed staff and trainees.
International events
Between its foundation in 1989 and 2020, ESN held Annual General Meetings (AGM), alternating in major cities throughout Europe. Since 2021, this has been replaced by Erasmus Generation Meetings (EGM) - largest student-led conference in Europe. Other activities include annual training events of the organisation's five Regional Platforms, General Assembly Meetings (GA), Community Meetings, National Boards' Training, Social Impact and Youth Engagement training, International Erasmus Games, and others. Initiated by a coordinated effort of ESN Poland and ESN Italy, the games bring together hundreds of participants from multiple countries worldwide.