Institutional Barriers to Mobility and the University: Policy Issues

This paper addresses the gap between policy objectives for participation in mobility and their implementation in higher education institutions. It examines potential institutional impediments to mobility at the university level. To this end, it adopts a qualitative methodological approach based on semi-structured interviews with administrators involved in implementing the Erasmus programme from a diverse range of Greek universities (purposive sampling). Our findings align with the international literature, which identifies funding, complex bureaucratic procedures, difficulties in recognising study periods, and incomplete or inadequate information about the programme as crucial factors of institutional barriers to mobility. Furthermore, the interviewees' status and geographical origin provided insights into the non-supportive institutional context of participation in mobility. The university does not address student participation inequalities, and the existing institutional framework may discourage students from participating in mobility. Sometimes, this leads to cancelling students' participation in the Erasmus programme, which challenges higher education institutions. Research findings may have practical implications for institutional policies regarding institutional barriers to mobility.