Sofia Corradi, the visionary Italian educator who created the Erasmus Program, passed away on October 17, 2025, in Rome at the age of 91. Her family announced her death on Saturday, with a funeral held in Rome on October 20.
Born in 1934, Corradi’s inspiration for Erasmus stemmed from a personal ordeal in the 1960s. After earning a Fulbright scholarship to study at Columbia University in New York, she returned to Italy only to find that La Sapienza University refused to recognize her credits, forcing her to extend her studies with financial support from her parents. This experience ignited her lifelong mission to ensure that students could study abroad without academic or financial barriers.
In the 1970s, as a consultant to the Conference of Italian University Rectors, Corradi tirelessly advocated for bilateral agreements and pilot mobility schemes, overcoming skepticism from academic institutions. Her efforts culminated in the launch of the Erasmus Program in 1987 under the European Economic Community, initially connecting seven countries and enabling students to transfer credits seamlessly. Since then, over 16 million students have participated, fostering cultural exchange and what Corradi described as a “pacifist mission” for European unity.
Corradi, affectionately dubbed “Mamma Erasmus,” saw the program as “a way to give everyone the chance to do what only wealthy families could afford.” Her vision democratized international education, creating a “Generation Europe” celebrated by figures like Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and EU officials.
