UK to rejoin Erasmus study scheme in 2027

The United Kingdom will rejoin the Erasmus+ student exchange scheme from 2027, six years after opting out as part of Brexit. The government said the return will occur under an expanded Erasmus+ framework and carry a price tag of about £570 million, representing a roughly 30% discount relative to a Brexit-era price. The arrangement covers the 2027-28 academic year, with any future access to Erasmus+ to be determined through subsequent negotiations.

Under Erasmus+, students study at partner universities in Europe with living-cost support funded by the European Union. In the last year the UK participated, in 2020, €144 million in EU funding supported about 55,700 participants. That year about 9,900 UK students and trainees studied abroad, while roughly 16,100 came to the UK. These figures illustrate the program’s scale before Brexit and the potential impact of re-entry on both outbound and inbound flows.

Britain left Erasmus in 2020 after Prime Minister Boris Johnson concluded that the scheme did not offer value for money within the Brexit framework. Since then the United Kingdom has run the Turing Scheme, which funds international placements and is focused on broadening access. The latest published figures show the Turing Scheme funded about 43,200 placements last academic year at roughly £105 million, with a notably larger share going to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Government officials emphasize that, even if the price tag to rejoin Erasmus+ is higher, the programme now covers a wider range of schools, adult education and sports and aims to deliver broader social and economic benefits.

Officials note that Erasmus+ has expanded since Brexit, with a doubled budget and greater uptake across the broader education spectrum. They add that the comparison between the pre-Brexit Erasmus and the post-Brexit Erasmus+ is not exact because the programme’s scope and funding parameters have evolved. The government also points out that under the Brexit deal the default price for rejoining Erasmus+ was set, in GDP terms, higher than the negotiated figure now on offer, and stressed that the final price reflects a negotiated settlement rather than a straight line of cost.

Reaction from Westminster was mixed. Labour’s foreign affairs and education cohorts framed the deal as a long-term investment in skills and international collaboration, while Conservative critics characterized it as a concession to Brussels. The government has signaled that the move could be part of a broader effort to rebuild a constructive relationship with the EU, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer had signaled openness to a youth-mobility element in a wider agreement when he reopened talks in May. Supporters say Erasmus+ could bolster academic success, widen opportunities for students and help universities access a broader talent pool.

Student and campus voices offered a range of perspectives. Representatives from student unions welcomed the return as a long-sought opportunity even as they noted ongoing challenges with funding and access under the current scheme, with some students saying Erasmus would have helped when future cohorts were planning study abroad. Others cautioned that the price tag and the broader politics surrounding Brexit would require careful management to ensure the benefits reach students across incomes and regions. For current students, the experience during the Turing era has been mixed, with some reporting that government funding has been limited and not always reliable, underscoring why many welcome a return to Erasmus+ for future cohorts.

Looking ahead, officials estimate that more than 100,000 people in the UK could benefit from Erasmus+ participation under the expanded scheme during its first year of full operation and beyond. The government stresses that the arrangement is limited to the 2027-28 academic year; future access beyond that window will depend on new deals and continued negotiations with the EU.