Close to 6 000 Filipinos attended the European Higher Education Fair (EHEF) 2023 in person or online to discover the academic opportunities available in the EU. This year’s theme of ‘Pathways to Excellence’ highlighted the EU’s commitment to offering an immersive platform to explore diverse fields of study and unlock global opportunities.

Held at Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong from 30 September to 1 October, with extended virtual sessions until 2 October, EHEF 2023 featured 96 partners from 14 EU Member States and the Philippines. Since its inception in 2008, EHEF has become the biggest and longest-running education fair in the country.

‘The EU puts a lot of emphasis on quality higher education and student mobility both within EU and globally,’ said Dr Ana Isabel Sánchez Ruiz, Chargé d'affaires a.i. of the EU Delegation to the Philippines, at the opening ceremony. ‘The EU offers to the Filipinos and students of other countries the possibilities to experience a world class higher education and to benefit from an extensive choice of bachelor and master courses, doctoral studies programmes and more.’

‘It also allows them to gain international experience, skills and knowledge and to explore diverse languages and cultures in a welcoming social environment,’ she added. In all, 31 sessions (24 on-site and 9 online) were organised throughout EHEF 2023 to showcase Erasmus+ and other study and research opportunities in the EU.

The event was covered by about 60 news agencies and media outlets, including Business World, CNN Philippines, When in Manila and Philippine News Agency.

The annually run EHEF series contributes to cooperation in the field of education under the EU-Philippines Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which came into force in 2018, by promoting people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between higher education institutions in the EU and the Philippines.