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According to reports from the BBC, the United Kingdom is preparing to rejoin the Erasmus programme after a five-year absence following Brexit. The original decision to leave Erasmus was part of the UK’s agreement to depart from the European Union. Erasmus is an EU-funded initiative that enables individuals to study, train, or volunteer in other European countries for periods of up to one year.
After withdrawing from Erasmus, the UK introduced its own Turing scheme in 2021, which offers similar opportunities for placements but on a global scale. Officials have so far refrained from commenting on discussions that are currently underway, with a formal government announcement expected on Wednesday.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer indicated that future agreements with the EU might include a youth mobility scheme. The latest information suggests that UK students will resume participation in Erasmus starting January 2027. Alex Stanley, a representative from the National Union of Students, expressed strong support for the news, describing it as “fantastic” for students and a significant victory for the student community who have campaigned tirelessly to rejoin since the UK’s departure.
Erasmus, which derives its name from the Dutch Renaissance theologian Erasmus of Rotterdam, was discontinued in the UK in December 2020 following the announcement of the post-Brexit trade arrangement. Then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledged the difficult choice, citing the increasing costs of the scheme. The Turing scheme, named after British mathematician Alan Turing, has operated since as a replacement. Both programmes cater not only to university students but also include apprentices, vocational learners, and school or college trainees.
In Erasmus’s final year in the UK, 2020, the programme allocated €144 million (£126 million) in EU funding, supporting over 55,000 participants across various projects. That year, nearly 10,000 UK students and trainees went abroad, while more than 16,000 from other countries came to the UK. Key institutions like Glasgow, Bristol, and Edinburgh sent the most students abroad, with Spain, France, and Germany being the preferred destinations.
For the 2024/25 academic year, the Turing scheme received £105 million in funding and administered approximately 43,200 placements. Higher education accounted for 24,000 of these, while further education and schools accounted for 12,100 and 7,000 placements respectively. The majority of participants—38,000—were from England, followed by Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
When introducing the Turing scheme, government ministers emphasized its aim to support a broader range of students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and to offer improved travel assistance compared to Erasmus. However, it remains unclear how the Turing scheme will be affected or integrated once the UK resumes involvement in Erasmus. Ian Sollom, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson on universities, welcomed the decision as an important opportunity and described it as a positive move toward reversing the negative effects of the Conservative Brexit deal
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