UK rejoining EU student exchange program ditched during Brexit

MANCHESTER, England (CN) — The U.K. will rejoin the European Union’s Erasmus student exchange program in 2027, the government announced Wednesday.

The move will restore a pathway for thousands of British and European students to study abroad without paying extra tuition fees.

The government said it will pay $762 million for the 2027–28 academic year to participate in Erasmus, a figure it says is about 30% lower than the standard rate for non-EU countries.

Students based in the U.K. will be able to spend part of their degree at European universities, while students from EU countries will once again come to the U.K. under the same terms.

The announcement marks one of the most concrete steps yet in the Labour government’s effort to rebuild ties with the EU after Brexit.

Erasmus is a long-running EU program that supports student exchanges, work placements and training across Europe. Before Brexit, around 200,000 people a year took part in exchanges involving the U.K., including roughly 15,000 British university students annually.

For many young people, Erasmus offered a first chance to live abroad, learn a language and study at a European university while remaining enrolled at home.

Its loss after Brexit became one of the clearest day-to-day changes caused by the 2016 referendum.

An unpopular exit

Britain left Erasmus in December 2020 as part of its exit from the EU, a decision taken by then–prime minister Boris Johnson.

His government replaced it with the Turing scheme, a U.K.-run exchange program designed to support study placements worldwide rather than mainly in Europe.

At the time, ministers said Erasmus did not offer value for money. They argued that far more EU students came to the U.K. than British students went abroad, leaving Britain paying more into the program than it received.

The decision drew sharp criticism from universities, academics and youth groups. A YouGov poll conducted before the U.K. exited the scheme found that 61% of respondents wanted Britain to remain part of Erasmus.

Starmer reverses course

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government has framed the return to Erasmus as part of a broader, pragmatic reset with Brussels, not a reversal of Brexit.

Shortly after taking office last summer, Starmer said the government had “no plans” to rejoin Erasmus.

But relations have warmed since then.

In May, the U.K. and EU held their first joint summit since Britain left the bloc in January 2020.

That meeting produced agreements on fishing rights, trade and defense cooperation.

The U.K. also secured reduced checks on food exports to the EU and access for British travelers to electronic passport gates at more European airports.

Erasmus was among the issues discussed during those talks as well as a broader youth mobility scheme to allow young people to work and travel for a short period of time.

Polling suggests broad public support for closer cooperation with the EU on youth opportunities.

A February 2025 survey found that 66% of respondents supported a reciprocal U.K.-EU youth mobility scheme allowing young people to work and travel for two years.

Even in constituencies won by the right-wing Reform UK party at the last election, the survey found strong backing for youth mobility, with 58% supporting a two-year scheme.

Liberals want more

The opposition Conservative Party criticized rejoining Erasmus, accusing Labour of undermining Brexit.

Priti Patel, who served under Johnson as home secretary and is now the shadow foreign secretary — a senior opposition role that mirrors a government post — said the decision showed Labour “continue to betray Brexit.”

She said Labour has “consistently undermined the result of the 2016 referendum” and accused the government of spending “billions of pounds of hard-pressed taxpayers’ money” instead of using post-Brexit freedoms to boost global trade and growth.

The Liberal Democrats, the second-largest opposition party that has long favored closer ties with Europe, welcomed the announcement.

Ian Sollom, the party’s spokesperson on universities and skills, said the decision followed “years of campaigning” by his party.

He described rejoining Erasmus as a step toward repairing what he called “the disastrous Conservative Brexit deal.”

Sollom said the move should go further, including a tailored U.K.-EU customs union and a youth mobility scheme.

Universities welcome closer ties

British universities have responded positively.

Tim Bradshaw, chief executive of the Russell Group, which represents 24 major research universities, said the confirmation of Erasmus participation “opens up fantastic opportunities for students, adult learners and young people to all benefit from new experiences and learning.

He added that, “It will also renew the huge contributions that EU students and staff make to life on our university campuses.”

Bradshaw said the program would help build future research partnerships alongside existing EU science projects, adding that universities would work with the government to prepare for the program’s return in 2027.

Courthouse News reporter James Francis Whitehead is based in England.

Follow @jayfranklinlive