During spring semester of the 2025-2026 school year, the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) welcomed and hosted students, staff, and faculty from both Ukraine and Bangladesh as part of Action KA171 from the Erasmus+ program.

Arriving in a new country, learning better about another university, sharing classrooms with students from different cultures, and discovering new ways of learning and teaching. These were all parts of the experiences of Erasmus+ KA171 mobilities for the visitors from Dnipro Polytechnic (Ukraine) and Daffodil International University (Bangladesh) during spring semester at the UMH.

International mobilities present opportunities to broaden one’s horizons in addition to learning from others. During their time at the UMH, these students, staff, and faculty were able to share knowledge, experiences, and perspectives, turning the campus into a meeting place for different academic and cultural realities.

Much more than studying in another country

For students, the Erasmus+ experience affords an opportunity to continue their education in an international setting and put into practice the knowledge and skills they acquired at their universities of origin.

Classrooms have thus become spaces for exchange where students learn not only academic content but also from the people around them. Working and living alongside students from different backgrounds allows them to gain new perspectives, enhance their independence, and acquire skills that will be extremely useful both in their professional careers and in their personal lives.

The fact is that an Erasmus experience is also shaped beyond the classroom: getting to know a new culture, adapting to different settings, discovering new places, and forming bonds with people from other countries are all part of a learning experience that’s nearly impossible to find in a book.

Professors who share and learn

International experiences are also enriching for faculty and investigators. Mobility facilitates the exchange of knowledge and best practices among professionals.

During their stay, university faculty learn about and share different teaching approaches and methodologies in addition to acquiring new and innovative teaching tools and strategies.

A very international university

The arrival of students, staff, and faculty from Ukraine and Bangladesh helped consolidate the international dimension of the UMH and enrich the university environment with new voices, cultures, and perspectives.

Programs such as Action KA171 from the Erasmus+ program enable forging connections between institutions, and above all, between people. Each mobility experience leaves behind new knowhow, shared experiences, and bonds that can lead to future opportunities for collaboration.

Because Erasmus+ isn’t just about traveling to study and/or teach—it’s about opening yourself up to other forms of understanding the world and taking a little bit of each experience back with you to wherever you return.

The Miguel Hernández University of Elche thus remains committed to internationalization and to being a university open to exchange, shared learning, and cultural diversity.