Erasmus+ is back from January. Who can go, and is it worth £570m?
Why it hits youIf you're at school, college, uni or on an apprenticeship, this could mean a funded stint studying or working in Europe from late 2027. The UK's own replacement, the Turing Scheme, is closing to make way for it.
The Budget confirmed the UK rejoins the EU's Erasmus+ exchange scheme on 1 January, six years after leaving it. It's not just for uni students. Supporters call it a huge win for young people; critics say taxpayers are paying too much.
The Facts
What everyone agrees on
Before anyone spins it. Every one of these is checkable.
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The Budget confirmed the UK will take part in Erasmus+ from 1 January 2027, and set aside money for the cost. GOV.UK (Budget 2026) ↗
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The deal was agreed with the EU in December 2025. The UK pays about £570 million, with a 30% discount, covering the 2027/28 academic year only. Anything after that has to be agreed again. GOV.UK ↗
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It isn't only for university students. School pupils, college students, apprentices, adult learners, youth workers and sports staff can all take part. GOV.UK ↗
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You don't apply directly. Schools, colleges, unis and youth groups apply for funding, and you apply through them. Placements start in the second half of 2027 at the earliest. European Commission ↗
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Uni students on an exchange don't pay tuition fees to the university they visit, and get a grant towards travel and living costs. Stays last two to 12 months. European Commission ↗
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A Foreign Office minister told MPs today that applications open this November. Nation.Cymru (PA) ↗
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The Turing Scheme, the UK's own replacement since Brexit, gets a final year in 2026/27 and then closes as Erasmus+ starts. TheyWorkForYou (minister's statement) ↗
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Turing's final year has £76.6m for 34,798 planned placements, 67% of them for disadvantaged learners. GOV.UK ↗
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Before Brexit, more than 580,000 people from the UK took part in Erasmus+ between 2014 and 2020. GOV.UK ↗
Every Side · 1 of 3
Supporters
“A huge win for our young people”
The government says more than 100,000 people could benefit in the first year, and that it got a 30% discount on the standard price. The minister who agreed the deal called it “a huge win for our young people”. The National Union of Students called it “a huge win for the student movement”, and the Lib Dems, who campaigned for it for years, said “This is a moment of real opportunity”. Universities Scotland called it “very welcome news”.
- UK government
- National Union of Students
- Liberal Democrats
- Universities Scotland
Side labels are our editorial calls for now. How we'll rate lean
Every Side · 2 of 3
Critics
“Caved in to the EU without getting anything in return”
The Conservatives said the government had “caved in to the EU without getting anything in return”. Iain Mansfield of the Policy Exchange think tank argued “working people will now be funding these young people's excursions”, and estimates the UK is paying more in real terms than before Brexit, partly because more EU students came here than UK students went there. Lord Frost warned the UK would “end up paying whatever the EU wants” in later years.
- Conservatives
- Policy Exchange
- Lord Frost
Side labels are our editorial calls for now. How we'll rate lean
Every Side · 3 of 3
The analysts
Great deal or awful deal? It depends who turns up
The Institute for Government says it's either a great deal, because of the discount, or a pretty awful one: the price assumes around 100,000 people take part, far more than used to. Education site Wonkhe warns that help for poorer students, which the Turing Scheme targeted, could get lost in the switch. Some university experts argue the UK should have kept Turing running alongside Erasmus+ rather than closing it.
- Institute for Government
- Wonkhe
- Higher education experts
Side labels are our editorial calls for now. How we'll rate lean
The Blindspot · what the headlines skip
It's only paid for one year
The £570m covers 2027/28. Staying in after that depends on a new deal for the EU's next seven-year budget, and the Irish Times reports the UK could end up paying more than €850m a year. Neither side says much about that.
The Blindspot · what the headlines skip
Turing was better at reaching poorer students
Two-thirds of Turing's final-year places are for disadvantaged learners. Erasmus+ has no guarantee like that built in, and experts warn the support could be lost in the handover. Critics of Erasmus+ rarely mention that Turing is closing too.
The Blindspot · what the headlines skip
Wales already had its own scheme
Wales set up Taith after Brexit, which has funded more than 18,000 people. Its last projects must finish by August 2027, and the Welsh government is thinking about keeping parts of it.
Your Call
- Supporters: not yet
- Critics: not yet
- The analysts: not yet
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