The most common form of student mobility is the exchange program. These programs are designed to improve relationships between countries and by that balance the quality of the education in the world and enhance the offer of jobs within a particular country and abroad. Exchange programs allow secondary school and university students to study or work abroad. During these programs, students live in host families or in student's hostel and attend partner secondary schools or universities for one or two semesters or work for an international company, educational or research centre or any other qualified organization for up to a year. It has become very popular among students, because they could learn or improve their foreign languages, get a chance to meet new people and communicate with them, acquire experience and knowledge about different country, their traditions and values and gain skills, which is crucial for their future career.
The most famous exchange programs in the Czech Republic are ERASMUS and CEEPUS. This essay will deal with comparison of these two international exchange programs. First, it will introduce these two programs, and then differences and similarities of these programs will be examined by looking at who can take part in these programs and what is their financial support.
The Erasmus Program, which was named after a Dutch humanist and theologian, Erasmus of Rotterdam, was introduced in 1987 as European Commission's program for higher education. It is a part of Lifelong Learning Program and one of the most famous programs established by European Union. The aim of this program is to increase student mobility within countries of European Union. The range of programs has been gradually extended by teacher mobility and international cooperation projects among universities. In this program, it is also possible to innovate or create new study program or support implementation of European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) and Diploma Supplement.
