UK Will Rejoin Erasmus in 2027: What You Need to Know

The United Kingdom will rejoin the European Union's Erasmus+ student exchange program starting in 2027, marking a significant reversal from its departure during the Brexit era and a milestone in Prime Minister Keir Starmer's efforts to rebuild ties with the European Union.

The deal at a glance

Britain's contribution for the 2027/28 academic year will be £570 million ($760 million). The UK government says this represents a 30% discount compared to the EU-UK's standard trade agreement. The government negotiated the terms following talks between Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds and European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič in Brussels last week.

Government modelling predicts that over 100,000 people in the UK could benefit from Erasmus+ within the first year of rejoining the scheme.

The background: Why the UK left and why it's returning

The Erasmus program was canceled in 2020 by Boris Johnson, then the Conservative prime minister, who claimed it did not offer value for money. Under Johnson, the UK withdrew from Erasmus, launching the Turing scheme as a domestic alternative, arguing that remaining in the EU scheme would have meant a net cost of £2 billion over seven years.

However, critics disputed this assessment. Chatham House, a London-based think tank, estimated that Britain made a net profit of £243 million per year from its participation in Erasmus. The think tank found that the program attracted well-funded students to the UK for limited periods, providing valuable customers for the higher education, services, and hospitality sectors.

The groundwork for the announcement was laid during a summit between British and EU leaders in May, in which both sides agreed to deepen people-to-people ties, particularly for the younger generation.

What's next?

For now, we wait.

If you're a student hoping to take advantage of Erasmus+, the program will open to UK participants starting in January 2027 for the 2027/28 academic year. The government will appoint a UK national agency to administer the Erasmus+ program and will issue guidance ahead of the 2027 funding call.

Your university, college, or school will need to apply for funding through this agency, so keep an eye out for announcements from your institution about available opportunities.

University students can spend up to a year studying at European universities as part of their UK degree without paying extra tuition fees. What's more, you can apply for extra funding to help cover the cost of living abroad. If cost has previously been a barrier to studying abroad, this additional support may be available to you.

For now, you can contact your university's international office or your college's student services team to express your interest and inquire about their plans for participating in Erasmus+. Institutions will need time to establish partnerships with European counterparts and prepare their applications, so the sooner you make your interest known, the better positioned you'll be when opportunities open up.