European funds Related EU Grant Loans Programme(s):  Grants for the enhancement of quality in higher education and the promotion of intercultural understanding through co-operation with third countries

Intensive courses will be found for student who want to study at universities where these languages are talked.

Representatives of the EU's Member States have now decided to add Basque, Catalan and Galician to the list of languages in which preparatory language courses for Erasmus students are offered and funded by the EU. The decision will take effect from the academic year 2010-2011.

Until now, these grants were only available for language courses in the official languages of the EU – except for English, French, Spanish and German, the languages most widely used and taught – as well as Icelandic, Norwegian and Turkish.

Erasmus Intensive Language Courses give prospective Erasmus students the opportunity to study the language concerned for two to six weeks so they can prepare themselves for their Erasmus study period or placement abroad. During the 2006-2007 academic year more than 4,000 students participated in these courses, which take place in the host country.