Abstract The Erasmus programme promotes student mobility within the EU largely on the assumption that mobile students will become more pro-European. This article presents the results of a panel study of Erasmus students which suggest that, while former Erasmus students may be more pro-European than their peers, this is because students who choose to take part are already more pro-European. The attitudes to Europe and voting preferences of Erasmus students do not seem to diverge from their non-mobile peers while they are abroad. Although the programme may have other benefits, expecting it to create Europhile Erasmus generations seems unrealistic.