They were promised more money, but in the first year of the revamped EU student mobility scheme universities got less - leaving students facing uncertainties over their grants. Some say such hiccups are to be expected when new rules are kicking in

Among its proposals is an EU system for awarding joint degrees. But stakeholders doubt member states will give up national competences in higher education in order to deliver this

Schemes that enable knowledge exchange and temporary stays abroad are viewed as making a contribution to slowing the brain drain and preventing another R&D fault line developing if/when these countries become EU members

With British universities one of the most popular destinations, cutting the UK out of Erasmus would be a big loss for the student exchange scheme, say people involved in its organisation