London, December 2025 — The United Kingdom will formally rejoin the European Union’s Erasmus+ student exchange programme from the 2027/28 academic year, restoring full access to Europe’s flagship mobility scheme for British students, apprentices and universities after nearly seven years outside the system. The agreement was confirmed this week by UK and EU officials following months of negotiations on funding, governance and legal alignment. This is reported byThe WP Times, citing Reuters.
The move marks one of the most tangible reversals of a Brexit-era policy in the education sector and forms part of a wider reset in relations between London and Brussels under the Labour government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Erasmus+ had been a core pillar of European academic exchange for more than three decades before the UK left the scheme in 2021.
Under the deal, Britain will regain access to a programme that supports study abroad, vocational training, youth exchanges, staff mobility and work placements across the EU and associated countries, backed by EU funding and institutional partnerships.
How the UK’s return to Erasmus+ will work from 2027
From 2027, UK universities, colleges, training providers and youth organisations will once again be able to participate in Erasmus+ on the same footing as institutions in EU member states. British students will be eligible to apply for funded study or training periods abroad, typically lasting from two months to a full academic year, with grants covering travel, accommodation and living costs.
The UK government has agreed to contribute around £570 million for the first year of participation, a figure that reflects a negotiated 30% reduction compared with standard association fees under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Officials in London described this as a cost-effective way to restore a high-impact international mobility programme without re-entering the EU’s broader legal framework.
A UK national Erasmus+ agency will be established during 2026 to manage applications, distribute funding and support institutions and students. The first funding calls are expected in the second half of 2026 so that exchanges can begin with the 2027/28 academic year.
For British participants, this means:
- University and college students can again spend part of their degree studying in Europe with financial support.
- Apprentices and vocational learners can access EU-wide training and work placements.
- Teachers, lecturers and youth workers can take part in professional exchanges and joint projects.
EU students and staff will also regain access to funded placements in the UK under Erasmus+ rules, although visa and fee arrangements will continue to be governed by UK immigration and education law.
Why Erasmus+ matters for British students and universities
Erasmus+ is not just a travel programme. It is a deeply integrated academic and vocational network that links more than 4,000 institutions across Europe, supporting curriculum development, joint degrees, research partnerships and long-term cooperation.
Before Brexit, around 15,000 UK students per year took part in Erasmus, and tens of thousands of EU students studied in the UK through the same scheme. Universities consistently argued that the programme delivered benefits far beyond mobility, including improved graduate employability, stronger international recruitment and deeper institutional ties.
After leaving Erasmus in 2021, the UK introduced the Turing Scheme, which allowed students to study worldwide but lacked the reciprocal European partnerships that made Erasmus particularly attractive to universities. Sector bodies and student unions repeatedly warned that UK institutions were losing ground in European networks and research-linked mobility projects.
Rejoining Erasmus+ is therefore seen as a strategic move to restore the UK’s position inside one of the world’s largest education cooperation systems. The programme also includes strong provisions for social inclusion, offering additional funding for students from low-income backgrounds, people with disabilities and those in vocational education.
The political reset behind the Erasmus agreement
The Erasmus deal forms part of a broader UK–EU re-engagement strategy launched by the Starmer government in 2025. Alongside education, negotiations have focused on energy markets, food and drink trade, carbon trading systems and regulatory cooperation.
EU Relations Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds described Erasmus+ as “a huge win for our young people”, saying it would help rebuild trust and practical cooperation with European partners. On the EU side, Commission officials framed the deal as a way to reopen one of the most successful channels of people-to-people contact between Britain and the continent. While the UK is not re-entering the EU, the Erasmus decision shows a clear shift towards selective reintegration into high-value European programmes where both sides see mutual benefit. For universities, students and training providers, the return to Erasmus+ is likely to be one of the most immediately felt changes of the post-Brexit period.
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