LONDON — Britain and the European Union agreed Wednesday that the U.K. will rejoin the Erasmus+ student exchange program for the 2027-28 academic year, restoring access to study and training placements across Europe for learners and staff. The return, negotiated as part of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s broader push to reset post-Brexit ties, sets Britain’s first-year contribution at about £570 million — with a 30% discount — and officials said more than 100,000 people could benefit in year one, Dec. 17, 2025.
Ministers said the re-entry will cover opportunities across education, youth and sport — including school pupils, further education students, apprentices, adult learners and staff — according to a UK government announcement.
Erasmus began as a university exchange initiative in 1987 and has since expanded into Erasmus+, an umbrella program that spans education, training, youth and sport. The European Commission says more than 16 million people have participated, and the current funding cycle runs from 2021 to 2027, according to its official history, funding and future overview.
UK to rejoin Erasmus+: what the 2027 deal covers
Government officials said the U.K. will return for the 2027-28 academic year, reopening a route that supports exchange semesters, placements and structured projects with partner institutions across participating countries.
Higher education: Students can study abroad or take part in work placements with partner universities.
Further education and apprenticeships: Learners can take up training and workplace opportunities in European firms.
Schools and youth groups: Organised group exchanges and projects can resume with EU partners.
Staff mobility: Teachers, lecturers and other staff can join job-shadowing, training and teaching exchanges.
Sport: Grassroots sport coaches and staff can access professional development and partnership programs.
The Associated Press reported that U.K. students and apprentices will be able to study or train in EU countries without paying additional foreign-student fees, with EU students able to take part in exchanges in Britain.
Costs, discount and implementation timeline
Britain’s 2027 contribution is expected to cover the 2027-28 academic year, and the U.K. secured a 30% reduction compared with default terms under the post-Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement, Reuters reported.
Future years will require additional negotiation, and ministers have signaled that any extension beyond the first year will need to reflect a “fair and balanced” contribution as the EU moves into its next long-term budget cycle.
“JOINING ERASMUS+ IS A HUGE WIN FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE, BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS AND WIDENING HORIZONS,” EU RELATIONS MINISTER NICK THOMAS-SYMONDS SAID.
MINISTER FOR SKILLS BARONESS JACQUI SMITH SAID ERASMUS+ WILL “OPEN DOORS FOR THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS AND STAFF RIGHT ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN UNIVERSITIES, SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND ADULT EDUCATION.”
The government plans to appoint a national agency to administer the scheme and publish guidance well ahead of the 2027 funding call. Times Higher Education reported that a dedicated UK Erasmus+ website is expected by summer 2026, while the future of the U.K.’s post-Brexit replacement, the Turing scheme, remains uncertain.
Deal reflects a wider push to rebuild UK-EU cooperation
Erasmus+ was unveiled alongside other elements of the U.K.-EU reset. Officials said the two sides will also begin talks on integrating electricity markets and aim to conclude agreements on food and drink trade and carbon market links in 2026.
How the UK got here
Britain stopped participating in Erasmus after leaving the EU. In December 2020, the government confirmed it would drop the exchange program as part of the Brexit trade agreement and develop the Turing scheme instead, a shift captured in a 2020 report on U.K. students losing Erasmus membership.
As policymakers and universities weighed the impact, critics argued that replacing Erasmus with a mainly outbound scheme risked weakening reciprocity and the program’s inclusion tools. A 2021 Chatham House analysis urged officials to preserve two-way exchange and expand support for disadvantaged participants.
By May 2025, Science|Business reported that the Starmer government was edging toward rejoining Erasmus+ but was insisting on improved financial terms — a position reflected in the first-year discount secured in Wednesday’s deal.
For universities, colleges and schools, the next test will be whether application rules, funding guidance and administrative structures can be put in place quickly enough to broaden participation before the 2027-28 academic year begins.
