By Tommy Hill, University of SOAS
All opinions are those of their respective author, and are not indicative of the stance of EUPS.
The news that rippled through university campuses last week was met with a collective sigh of relief from vice-chancellors and a surge of excitement from students. After five years of self-imposed European isolation, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the UK and EU have agreed that the UK will rejoin Erasmus+ from 2027 (for the 2027/28 academic year), giving the UK access to Europe’s flagship study, training, and youth mobility programme after a post-Brexit gap.
This is a symbolic step that falls in line with Keir Starmer’s greater “reset of relations” plan with Europe after Brexit. Reuters reported that the UK will initially contribute around £570mn, supposedly at a 30% discount vs default terms under the EU-UK trade deal. The government argued that UK universities attract more European students than the number of Brits going abroad. It was this negotiated win that has allowed the Prime Minister to sell the deal to critics as fiscally responsible, meeting manifesto commitments. If this goes ahead as planned, more than 100,000 people in the UK could benefit in the first year alone.
The Details
The deal, struck on December 17, 2025, acts as a centrepiece of the Labour government’s plan to reset relations with the EU without rejoining the Single Market. The key takeaways are:
● Date: The scheme will officially resume for UK institutions in the 2027/28 academic year.
● Cost: The UK Treasury has committed £570 million in the first year to the programme, although future costs have not yet been set out.
● Scope: It covers higher education, vocational training, apprenticeships, youth work, and sport (subject to a university or college’s existing agreements).
What Erasmus+ Means for UK Students
For the “Brexit generation” of students who watched opportunities for easy study and travel to Europe vanish, this watershed moment will expand opportunities for those in Higher Education. Erasmus+ isn’t just a “nice-to-have” semester in Spain. However, it is important to note that the deal is not immediate: if you are a current UK student, your options for the next year or two are still mainly decided by the Turing Scheme.
Erasmus+ is the EU’s programme for supporting education, training, youth, and sport. In practice, for students, it typically means you are given a structured route to study abroad; this could be a term, a year, or a work placement, normally through your university.
Under the interim Turing Scheme, funding was a contribution instead of a full scholarship. Erasmus+ restores a standardised monthly stipend which is based on the living costs of the host country. Perhaps the single biggest financial relief is tuition fees: since leaving the EU, UK students wanting to study in Europe faced higher international fees. Under Erasmus rules, no tuition fees are paid to the host university; you simply continue paying standard UK fees whilst accessing world-class education for free.
Visa requirements are still dependent on the destination country, but Erasmus+ will provide a standardised framework termed ‘Erasmus mobility’, slashing paperwork and costs which can oftentimes deter students. As it is a reciprocal agreement, UK students go out, and EU students come in.
The Turing Comparison
When the UK left Erasmus in 2020, the Conservative government replaced it with the Turing Scheme. Although noble in its aims, targeting students from disadvantaged backgrounds, it, without a doubt, had critical structural flaws that the new Erasmus deal aims to fix. The flaw of Turing was that there was no funding for European students to come to the UK, smashing the EU student population and leading to a financial blow to university towns. Rejoining Erasmus will now restore the flow of European students. The budget for Turing was also significantly lower, at only £78 million.
A Brief History
Named after Dutch philosopher Desiderius Erasmus, and launched in 1987, the programme quickly became more than just an education scheme—it was seen as a cultural phenomenon. It was a rite of passage for decades, and the 2002 film L’Auberge Espagnole perfectly highlighted the chaotic, romantic, and transformative experience of living in a shared flat with students from across the continent. By the time the UK left, 10 million people had participated.
The exit in 2020 was justified by then Prime Minister Boris Johnson as a matter of cost. They argued that the UK was a “net contributor,” paying more into it than we got back due to the fact that many Europeans came to the UK whilst fewer Brits went abroad. In 2025, it is clear to see the hard truth: the savings made by leaving were outweighed by the soft power loss and damage to the UK’s reputation as a top-tier education destination.
The Critics and the Future
As with any deal, it is not without its critics. Opposition MPs claim that this £570 million annual cost is “paying Brussels for access we don’t need.” There is also anxiety amongst Brexiteers regarding the distinction between student exchange and freedom of movement, although the government claims that this is not the return of free movement, but rather strictly for education.
This deal is distinct from the more controversial, ongoing discussion around a “Youth Mobility Scheme” allowing under-30s to work in the EU visa-free. For now, the door is open for students, but the lock stays on for workers.
If this deal holds, the return of Erasmus+ will not only restore a nostalgic symbol of pre-Brexit student life, but also a structured, fee-protected, grant-supported route to European study and training. This is the kind of opportunity that matters to students whose parents cannot bankroll a year abroad. It also addresses the funding crisis and declining international enrollment in UK universities. While the Class of 2027 will be the first to fully benefit, it is clear that the Brexit drawbridge is being lowered—the UK is not rejoining the EU, but we are rejoining the conversation.
