The UK is set to rejoin the Erasmus programme, restoring access for British students to the EU-funded study, training and volunteering scheme five years after the country ended its participation following Brexit.
Ministers are expected to confirm the move this week, with UK students understood to be able to take part in Erasmus placements from January 2027. The government has declined to comment on the detail of ongoing talks with the European Union.
The decision marks a significant policy shift after the UK withdrew from Erasmus in December 2020 as part of its post-Brexit trade deal. At the time, the then prime minister Boris Johnson described leaving the scheme as a “tough decision”, arguing that participation had become “extremely expensive”. It was replaced in 2021 by the UK’s own Turing scheme, which funds international placements worldwide.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously signalled a desire to reset relations with the EU, suggesting in May that a youth mobility arrangement could form part of a broader agreement.
Student groups have long campaigned for the return of Erasmus. Alex Stanley, vice-president for higher education at the National Union of Students (NUS), said the move would be warmly welcomed.
“It’s fantastic that another generation of students will be able to be part of the Erasmus programme,” he said. “Students have been campaigning to rejoin Erasmus from the day we left. This is a huge win for the student movement.”
Erasmus, named after the Dutch Renaissance scholar Erasmus of Rotterdam, provides funding for participants to study, train or volunteer in another European country for up to a year. It is open not only to university students, but also to those in further education, apprenticeships and vocational training, as well as some school pupils.
In 2020, the final year of UK participation, Erasmus provided €144 million (£126 million) in EU funding to support 55,700 participants overall. That year, around 9,900 UK students and trainees went abroad, while 16,100 European participants came to the UK. Glasgow, Bristol and Edinburgh universities sent the most students, with Spain, France and Germany the most popular destinations.
By contrast, the Turing scheme allocated £105 million in the 2024–25 academic year, funding 43,200 placements worldwide. Of these, 24,000 were in higher education, 12,100 in further education and 7,000 in schools. The majority of participants were from England, with smaller numbers from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Ministers who introduced Turing said it was designed to reach more students from disadvantaged backgrounds and to provide greater support for travel costs than Erasmus. It remains unclear what will happen to the Turing scheme once Erasmus is reintroduced for UK students, or whether the two programmes will run alongside each other.
The return of Erasmus has also been welcomed by opposition politicians. Liberal Democrat universities spokesperson Ian Sollom described the move as “a moment of real opportunity and a clear step towards repairing the disastrous Conservative Brexit deal”.
If confirmed, the re-entry into Erasmus would represent one of the most tangible post-Brexit policy reversals to date, reopening pathways for cultural exchange, skills development and European collaboration for UK students.
