The goal of the organisation is to support and develop student exchange on the local, national and international levels.

In 1987, the European Community approved a plan to create a mobility scheme for higher education.

In 2005, ESN established its headquarters in Brussels and legally registered as a Belgian non-profit organisation.

In 2007, membership was restricted to the borders defined by the Council of Europe with the addition of Mediterranean countries.

They organise activities like introduction programmes, get-togethers and cultural events and represent the exchange students and their needs towards academic institutions and local authorities.

Between its foundation in 1989 and 2020, ESN held Annual General Meetings (AGM), alternating in major cities throughout Europe.

Since 2021, this has been replaced by Erasmus Generation Meetings (EGM) - largest student-led conference in Europe.

[25] In 1997, the ESN Nordic Network Meeting (NNM) was established and took place for the first time in Arhus, Denmark.