An Insurmountable Gap: Can We Balance Incoming and Outgoing Erasmus Exchanges Among Engineering Students?

Because of the global power of English and being situated in an English-speaking country, Irish higher education institutions do not have to try very hard to attract Erasmus students from across Europe. However, persuading Irish students, particularly students of engineering, to undertake an Erasmus exchange in another European country is a much more difficult process. This paper outlines the recent history of Erasmus exchanges of engineering students to and from the Technological University Dublin and examines the push and pulls factors that affect these exchanges. It presents the results of a small-scale research project into the factors that encourage or discourage engineering students and the benefits that students perceive they derive from undertaking Erasmus exchanges and the limitations they face.