The European Student Card
The European Student Card establishes a common European identity for higher education students. Students can get their student status verified easily across Europe with their European Student Card.
About
Simplifying student mobility
The European Student Card (ESC) simplifies student mobility in Europe. It enables higher education institutions to seamlessly and reliably verify a student’s status at European level.
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Student status verification means confirming that a student is currently enrolled at a university or other higher education institution.
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By joining the ESC system and building upon existing physical or digital student cards, higher education institutions can centralise specific student card data, cut paperwork and promote green and digital transition.
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Students travelling across Europe fging to the European higher education community.
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Targets
The target for 2025 is that as many European students as possible can benefit from an ESC in their pocket, or digitally on their phone, making their access to on- and off-campus services (e.g. access to building, libraries services, discounts on transports) easier and their Erasmus mobility experience simpler.
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During 2022-2025, the European Student Card should
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become more widely available in all Erasmus+ programme countries
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bring more possibilities for validation of student status by higher education institutions and student service providers
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become more widely used by higher education institutions and student service providers
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increase the offer of digital student cards by higher education institutions in all Erasmus+ programme countries
Benefits
Card issuers
Integrate your current card with the ESC to gain the benefits of a European dimension. By adding the ESC to your existing cards you can
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avoid the need to issue a new student card for mobility students if the home institution is also part of the ESC
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validate the student status from incoming mobility students securely
Students
The ESC is your gateway to on- and off- campus services by affirming your student status recognition at other universities around the EU. You’ll be able to
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use your student card while studying abroad without needing to get a new student card from your host institution
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more easily access student services during your mobility experience
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gain a “European student” status
On- and off-campus service providers
Streamline how you verify student status more quickly. You will get
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increased certainty about students’ status
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a wider network of users by adding mobility students in the services provided
How it works
The European Student Card runs through a centralised digital platform called the ESC Router. This is a database which
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allows participating institutions to generate a European Student Card
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enables card validation between the information systems of card issuers in Europe
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identifies the student and their status across Erasmus+ programme countries
The ESC-Router delivers the following features:
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European Student Card Number (ESCN): a unique card identifier that serves to identify student cards and validate them
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European Student Identifier: an identification number that enables students to uniquely identify themselves when they access student mobility services online
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ESC Hologram: a logo on the front of the card that certifies the card’s authenticity at European level.
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ESC QR Code: a digital format code on the front and back of the card which also certifies the card’s validity at European level.
On- and off-campus service providers
Only the necessary data on the ESC (i.e., the ESCN) will be stored in the ESC Router allowing the central management of the ESCs and facilitating the exchange of information between card issuers.
Get started
To join the European Student Card, your higher education institution should take the following steps.
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1 - Choose a technical administrator and/or a functional administrator
Designate a technical administrator and/or a functional administrator in your institution that will be responsible for the registration process.
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2 - Register on the ESC-Router
Ask for registration in the ESC-R interface to ESC Management by completing the required details (technical/functional administrator data, the name of the institution and its country).
3 - Create an eduGAIN account
Once your registration is validated, create an eduGAIN account or a username to have an account for the administrator to be able to fully connect to the ESC-R.
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4 - Upload student card data
Use the API tokens already provided automatically in the ESC-R to upload student cards data into the ESC-R.
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5 - Request holograms
Use the ESC-R form to request holograms from an ESC hologram provider. These are stamped on student cards.