UK to Rejoin Erasmus Student Programme in 2027

Under the new agreement, British students will be able to study at European universities for up to one year as part of their UK degree courses without paying additional tuition fees. The same arrangement will apply to European students studying in the UK.

According to the BBC, the UK will pay £570 million to rejoin the expanded Erasmus+ programme in 2027, a figure the government says represents a 30% discount on the standard cost.

The agreement will apply only to the 2027–28 academic year, with any continued participation dependent on future negotiations.

The Erasmus programme allows students to study at partner universities abroad and provides grants to help cover living costs. Participating students typically continue to pay tuition fees to their home institutions, while additional costs are covered by the European Union through public funding.

Although the cost of the new agreement is roughly four times higher than the UK’s previous contribution, the government says the comparison is not like-for-like due to the expansion of the Erasmus+ programme since Brexit.

Ministers estimate that more than 100,000 people in the UK could benefit from renewed participation in the scheme. Supporters argue that Erasmus delivers economic benefits to the UK even after membership costs are taken into account and helps strengthen the financial sustainability of universities.

The Erasmus scheme was scrapped in the UK in December 2020 following the government’s post-Brexit trade deal with the EU.