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The Erasmus+ program is regarded as the flagship of the European Union and showcases the values behind the union of many individuals and a genuine, shared European identity. It has been one of the favorite talking points of the European Commission and was funded with a budget of €26.2 billion between 2021–2027. At face value, the EU’s youth mobility schemes provide everyone with equal opportunity through interchanging in universities and youth projects in Europe.

However, having been involved in various youth programs and international delegations with the EU, I can confirm that these schemes do deliver on the values they portray. They break down the stereotypes created by many countries, developing academic and diplomatic skills through practical experience. Although these programs do help, the irony that EU leaders are turning a blind eye to is that the programs they are promoting as offering equal opportunities to all are increasingly becoming a luxury item.

The mathematics around studying in Europe today is a joke. Students can receive between €250–€600 (depending on the cost of the country) per month in basic Erasmus+ funding from the European Commission for the 2024–2027 period. However, the average price for a single room for students in the major cities of Europe rose to €635 per month in the third quarter of 2026 (HousingAnywhere International Rent Index). With prices reaching €664 in Milan, €878 in Rotterdam, and €990 in Amsterdam.

This means students are receiving a stipend from Brussels that does not even cover the cost of rent for their 10m² bedroom. The EU’s rhetoric around equal opportunity and social inclusion is completely undermined by the predatory rental market in Europe.

This is a harsh reality that seems to make EU officials very nervous to mention. Maybe these programs are not for everyone anymore.
Even the Commission’s flagship report, the XV ESNsurvey, conducted by the Erasmus Student Network with the title ‘Making Quality Mobility a Reality for All’ shows that money is the biggest barrier stopping students from going abroad. 35.6% of Erasmus students state their grant is not enough to cover their basics. 62.7% of respondents did not receive their grant until after they had left for their host country.

Who can actually experience the “European Dream”? It is no longer the working-class student in Athens, where over 82% of low-income households pay more than 40% of their disposable income on housing (Eurostat latest overburden data). It is the student who has a family who can easily send them an extra €600–€800 per month to fill that gap. They will also have thousands of euros to put down as a deposit and pay for flights months in advance. Even if they receive the €250 per month top-up for those with fewer opportunities from the EU, they will not even cover the cost of moving to a foreign capital.

This causes a paradox. Schemes designed to break down cultural and socio-economic divides are actually creating new class divides. The EU’s mobility schemes do not actually provide students with enough money to survive in their host country. This creates an invisible filter, excluding those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Thousands of eligible students are not even applying because after looking at the cost of rent in their host city, they know it is not an academic exchange, but a definite way to get into debt.

We are creating a two-tier Europe. Being a “mobile European” is becoming a status symbol. If you are wealthy, you will gain from an exchange or traineeship abroad, giving you access to internships in Brussels and international careers. If you are working-class, you simply cannot afford it.
Across Europe, young Europeans are struggling with housing shortages, inflation, and economic uncertainty. When the EU promotes its youth programs as accessible to all but turns a blind eye to the cost of participating, it is letting its poorest citizens down. This creates justified skepticism towards the European project.

The EU is at a crossroads. As negotiations begin around the Multiannual Financial Framework post-2027, European leaders can either continue to pursue quantity and celebrate record numbers whilst knowing they are being funded by upper-middle-class parents. Or they can bring the funding of youth mobility into the modern era. Moving away from a flat rate per country and providing students with city-specific, inflation-linked stipends while enforcing pre-financing.

Until Brussels actually provides realistic funding to match its rhetoric of inclusivity, we should not pretend that the “European Dream” is for everyone. The doors are wide open to Europe’s flagship classroom, as long as your parents can afford to pay the extra cost.

Ioannis Zervos, is the Public Outreach Manager of the Association for International and European Affairs (ΟΔΕΘ – odeth.eu), and an undergraduate student of International and European Relations.