The EU’s Erasmus+ grant scheme is to be reopened to UK students for the first time since Brexit.
From the 2027–28 academic year, university and further education students, as well as apprentices, adult learners and youth workers, in the UK will be able to benefit from grants while travelling abroad to study, train, teach or volunteer.
Erasmus+ offers opportunities around education, training, youth, culture and sport for participants of all ages with the aim of reducing the financial barriers that may prevent students from studying abroad.
Under the scheme, grants are available to help cover travel and living costs, as well as course fees, visa and entry costs, and learning a language. It also provides additional financial support for people with disabilities, additional learning needs or from disadvantaged backgrounds, and the UK government said it would ‘work closely’ with institutions and young people to maximise take-up, particularly among disadvantaged groups.
‘Joining Erasmus+ is a huge win for our young people, breaking down barriers and widening horizons to ensure everyone, from every background, has the opportunity to study and train abroad,’ said EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds. ‘This is about more than just travel: it’s about future skills, academic success, and giving the next generation access to the best possible opportunities.’
The UK will contribute approximately £570 million for the first year. This, the UK government said, represents a 30% discount on the standard rate paid by non-EU countries that participate in the scheme. It is estimated that up to 100,000 people of all ages across the UK could benefit in the first year.
In the Brexit deal agreed in December 2020, the UK government opted to end its participation in the Erasmus+ scheme. Instead, it promised that its new Turing scheme would provide better and more cost-effective support for student exchanges across a wider range of destinations. However, critics argued that it offered more limited support for students than Erasmus+ and, since Brexit, UK students’ participation in European study programmes has dropped significantly with European student numbers in the UK also declining.
It has not been confirmed whether the Turing scheme will continue alongside Erasmus+ or be phased out.
A UK agency will administer the Erasmus+ programme, with a dedicated website and guidance released ahead of the 2027 funding call.
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