Erasmus+ at LMA

Liverpool Media Academy Limited (LMA) received recognition as a registered higher education provider in August 2023. As a result LMA has not actively participated in Erasmus+ activity before and therefore we intend to initially participate in Erasmus+ through Key Action 1 only, specifically higher education student and staff mobility (learning mobility of individuals). Through this we aim to establish a credible, well-managed and student-focused mobility offer, implemented at a scale that is proportionate to LMA’s size and level of experience.

In practice, LMA expects its Erasmus+ activity to focus primarily on student mobility for studies, staff mobility for training, and, where appropriate, staff mobility for teaching and blended intensive programmes. Consistent with the purpose of KA1, the intention is that student mobility is likely to be weighted towards short-term and intensive opportunities in the first phase, reflecting the structure of LMA’s provision and the need to keep participation accessible for students who may otherwise face financial, personal or curricular barriers to international mobility. Postgraduate provision may additionally allow for semester-based mobility in some cases. Staff mobility will initially be used mainly to support professional development, curriculum enhancement and knowledge exchange, with a view to strengthening LMA’s internal capability and international outlook over time.

Reflecting our size, and limited international experience, LMA’s current expectation is that Erasmus+ activity will be implemented through existing and developing institutional structures rather than through a separate international office at the outset. The Registry department will lead operational oversight, with academic input from course teams and student support provided through existing advisory and wellbeing structures. As LMA’s international footprint expands the intention is to introduce an International Student Officer, within the Registry department, with oversight of both inbound international student matters and Erasmus+ mobility. Participant selection, learning agreements, support arrangements, risk management, recognition and post-mobility review will therefore be integrated into existing academic administration, student support and quality assurance processes.

Through shared ultimate ownership, LMA has some existing and informal links with organisations in programme countries. The intention is to further develop these relationships where there is already some familiarity or established contact and where this can support practical, manageable and high-quality implementation.

The overall approach is therefore intentionally phased: to begin with manageable mobility activity that is high quality, inclusive and properly supported, and then build on this experience in future years.

LMA’s proposed participation in Erasmus+ sits within an emerging internationalisation strategy and is primarily intended to widen student opportunity, enhance the student experience and strengthen progression (employment outcomes) into the creative industries.

Approximately 48% of LMA’s students come from socio-economically disadvantaged and otherwise underrepresented backgrounds (indices of multiple deprivation deciles 1-3 (where 1 is the most deprived and 10 is the least)). The institution therefore sees funded international mobility as an important way of reducing barriers to opportunity and extending access to experiences, networks and learning that many students would be unlikely to access independently. This is closely aligned to the inclusion and diversity priority of Erasmus+, which emphasises equal opportunities, access, fairness and participation for those with fewer opportunities.

This also aligns well with LMA’s approved Access and Participation Plan (APP). LMA’s APP emphasises our commitment to widening access to the creative industries and ensuring equitable student outcomes. It also identifies specific risks and interventions relating to disadvantaged students, global majority students and disabled students, including support for continuation, attainment and progression. Erasmus+ participation is therefore not a stand-alone international activity, but part of a wider institutional approach to equality of opportunity, belonging, student success and graduate outcomes.

The main strategic objectives aligned to the programme guide are to: increase access to international mobility for students who might otherwise be excluded from it (inclusion and diversity); improve student confidence, adaptability, intercultural awareness and professional readiness (personal development, intercultural competences and employability); support staff development in teaching, curriculum design and international practice (staff mobility for training and teaching); strengthen LMA’s capacity to operate internationally in a practical and sustainable way (internationalisation and organisational development); support the development of more flexible and internationally compatible curriculum structures over time, including through ECTS-aligned modularity and recognition arrangements (modernisation and compatibility with the European Education Area).

For students, KA1 higher education mobility is intended to expose participants to different views, knowledge, teaching methods and work practices; develop communication, language, critical thinking, problem-solving and intercultural skills; support digital and green skills; and facilitate personal development and self-confidence. For staff, the action is intended to support professional development, acquisition of innovative pedagogic and curriculum design skills, exchange of good practice and stronger cooperation between higher education institutions.

The anticipated impact on LMA is practical as well as strategic. In the short term, Erasmus+ should increase the range and accessibility of developmental opportunities available to students and staff. In the medium term, it should support a more international, outward-facing and modern institutional culture, including stronger processes for mobility, recognition, student support and international partnership working. In the longer term, it should contribute to a more confident and internationally connected institution, better able to support both outward mobility and inbound international activity.

LMA believes this is strongly in line with KA1 which would be expected to increase organisational capacity to operate at EU and international level, improve recognition practices, strengthen internationalisation strategies and create more modern, dynamic and professional environments within participating institutions.

Participation is also expected to contribute, in an appropriately scaled way, to the wider objective of the European Education Area. Although LMA is a small specialist provider and is at an early stage of Erasmus+ engagement, its proposed activity supports key EEA themes: mobility, recognition, inclusion, skills development, international openness and stronger links between education and professional practice. The institution’s emphasis on accessible mobility, fair selection, full recognition, and student-centred support is consistent with the ECHE principles and the broader objectives of European cooperation in higher education.

LMA proposes to use a small number of quantitative and qualitative indicators focused on participation, implementation quality and institutional development, tracking against the following objectives:

Student mobility. LMA’s medium-term ambition is to support up to approximately 130 student mobilities per year. Most of this activity is expected to arise from the development of existing short study abroad activities for second cycle (masters) students into more structured short-term and intensive Erasmus+ mobility activity under Key Action 1 (in 2025/26 academic year LMA had 67 students participate in such trips). Initial volumes will be lower while systems, curriculum alignment and recognition processes are embedded.

Staff mobility. LMA will work towards approximately 15 staff mobilities per year, primarily through staff mobility for training, with some staff mobility for teaching where relevant.

Inclusion and access. LMA will monitor participation by students from underrepresented backgrounds, including groups reflected in its Access and Participation Plan, with the expectation that Erasmus+ participation should reflect the diversity of the student body and should not reproduce existing participation gaps.

Quality of implementation. LMA will further monitor: completion of learning agreements and mobility documentation before departure; participant feedback on pre-departure, academic and student (pastoral) support; named contacts and agreed check-in arrangements during mobility; successful completion of recognition processes after mobility; any significant implementation issues or support escalations arising during mobility.

Recognition. A key indicator will be the proportion of relevant mobilities in which agreed learning outcomes and associated credits are recognised as planned through approved academic processes.

Institutional development. Staff feedback on the value of mobility for teaching, curriculum and professional development; evidence of mobility informing course enhancement or curriculum development; growth in institutional confidence and capability in managing international mobility.

Timeline. Year 1: establish governance, procedures, documentation, partner arrangements and initial mobility activity. Years 2–3: expand short-term and intensive mobility, supported where necessary by curriculum adjustment and improved recognition processes.

Erasmus+ can help you spend part of your course studying at a partner university in Europe. Exchanges may include:

• short study visits of 5 to 30 days combined with online learning before or after the visit (called "blended mobility"), often built into a module;

• blended intensive programmes – short, intensive courses run with partner universities; and

• a study period of a term or semester for some postgraduate students.

Erasmus+ grants help with travel and living costs. Students with fewer opportunities (for example, because of their financial situation, a disability or caring responsibilities) may get extra funding and support. The amounts and eligibility rules are set by the European Commission and the UK National Agency, The British Council.

All opportunities depend on LMA receiving Erasmus+ funding. We will update this page when funding is confirmed.

How to apply (LMA students)

1. Read the opportunity details and selection criteria when they are published.

2. Talk to your course leader or Student Advisor. You can tell us in confidence about any support needs or circumstances.

3. Complete the application form by the published deadline.

4. We will tell you the outcome within 20 working days, and explain how to appeal if you disagree.

5. If you are selected, you will agree a learning agreement and complete our pre-departure preparation.

If your university has an Erasmus+ agreement with LMA, it can nominate you to study with us for one term or semester (up to a maximum of six months). LMA cannot sponsor students for a visa.

★ No tuition fees for Erasmus+ exchange students. If you come to LMA as an Erasmus+ exchange student under an agreement with your home university, you will not pay LMA any tuition, registration or examination fees, or any fee to use our library, studios, equipment or other learning facilities. You continue to pay any fees due to your home university.

You will need to pay your own travel, accommodation and living costs as well as any course uniform requirements.. Some optional activities that home students also pay for may have a charge, and we will tell you about these before you accept your place.

Most exchange students will come to the UK as a Standard Visitor. LMA cannot offer exchanges longer than six months or work placements for exchange students. You will need to be able to demonstrate that you can support yourself without working for the duration of the time you are in the UK.

• Course catalogue: We will publish our course cataloged by 31 January 2027. Courses are taught in English. Credit values are shown in UK credits and ECTS (2 UK credits = 1 ECTS credit).

• Grading system and grade distribution tables:

• LMA marks on a 0–100 scale. Every assessment brief uses the same descriptor bands: 86–100 Outstanding, 70–85 Excellent, 60–69 Very Good, 50–59 Good, 40–49 Satisfactory, 21–39 Limited, 0–20 Very Limited. The module mark is the weighted sum of the components. A module is worth 20 to 50 UK credits, and ECTS credits are half the UK figure. Late work is capped and academic misconduct can be capped, but extenuating circumstances never change a mark.

• LMA will publish our comparative grading table by 31 January 2027.

• Recognition for LMA students: credit you earn abroad under an approved learning agreement counts towards your LMA award, with no extra work or assessment.

• Learning agreement templates We will publish our course cataloged by 31 January 2027

LMA staff may apply for Erasmus+ funding to teach or train at a partner institution. Calls are published internally. Please contact the Director of Registry for further information.

Useful links

• Erasmus+ Student Charter – your rights and responsibilities: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/resources-and-tools/documents-and-guidelines/erasmus-student-charter

• Erasmus+ App: https://erasmusapp.eu/

• European Commission – Erasmus Charter for Higher Education: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/resources-and-tools/erasmus-charter-for-higher-education

• British Council – Erasmus+ in the UK: https://www.britishcouncil.org/erasmusplus