The Erasmus+ program plays a crucial role in promoting international mobility and academic cooperation within the Visegrad Four (V4), comprising the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. This article presents a comparative analysis of mobility trends in these four countries, focusing on student and staff participation, funding allocation, and the impact on higher education institutions.

The analysis includes the number of mobility projects implemented in V4 countries, the structure of mobility grants, and the number of participants in Erasmus+ mobility programs. Attention is also given to the number of people who arrived in each country through Erasmus mobility and those who travelled abroad.

Erasmus+ increases support for projects that foster cooperation and the exchange of best practices, allowing key actors to make better use of new technologies, develop innovative teaching, training, and learning methods, promote non-formal education, and create common tools and activities. These aspects form an essential part of the Erasmus mobility program priorities, which include promoting inclusive mobility, digitalization, environmental sustainability, and students’ civic engagement.

The aim of this article is a comparative analysis of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia in terms of the implementation of the Erasmus+ program, its challenges, and benefits. The impact of the Erasmus+ program on higher education in this region is a key factor in fostering cross-border cooperation, enhancing graduate employability, and strengthening the competitiveness of universities within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).

The findings highlight both shared and country-specific challenges, including differences in national strategies for higher education internationalization, varying levels of institutional engagement, and the role of government initiatives in supporting student mobility. The article also identifies opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of Erasmus+ in the V4 region, such as strengthening inter-university networks, promoting mobility in underrepresented academic disciplines, and increasing financial accessibility for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Keywords: Erasmus+, Visegrad Four, student mobility, higher education, internationalization, academic challenges, mobility grants, program priorities, Central Europe.