London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

As UK pulls out of Erasmus, what study abroad options remain?

As UK pulls out of Erasmus, what study abroad options remain?

As of 1 January 2021, the United Kingdom will no longer be a member of the Erasmus programme, which means British and international students in the UK will no longer be eligible to study in European universities with an Erasmus grant – and vice versa. So how will study abroad options change post-Brexit?

The Erasmus Programme is a European Union student exchange programme established in 1987. For the past three decades, it has offered students from across the world studying in European and British universities the chance to take part in exchanges and also work experience and apprenticeship opportunities across Europe.

Boris Johnson's “tough decision” to pull the UK out of the Erasmus scheme came despite his assurances in Parliament in January that there was “no threat to the Erasmus scheme”.


But he said the programme was “extremely expensive”. Instead, he intends to set up an alternative local initiative called the Turing Scheme, after mathematician Alan Turin.

He claims that the Turing Scheme will give British students “the opportunity...not just to go to European universities, but to go to the best universities in the world".

But he gave no details on how it will work, what it will cost or when it will start.

Criticism and sadness


The House of Lords published a report in February 2019 in which it warned that it will take “many years” for the UK to match the benefits of the Erasmus programme with one of its own.

Lawmakers said they were “concerned that losing access to the programme would disproportionately affect people from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with medical needs or disabilities”.

Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, said he regretted the UK’s decision.

“I have just two regrets in terms of our societal co-operation,” he said in a press conference after the deal was agreed. "Firstly, the British government decided not to participate in the Erasmus exchange programme.

“Secondly, the level of ambition in terms of mobility assistance is not in line with our historical ties. But that again is a choice of the British government.”

'Cultural vandalism'


Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon slammed Johnson's withdrawal.

"Ending UK participation in Erasmus - an initiative that has expanded opportunities and horizons for so many young people - is cultural vandalism by the UK Government," she said on Twitter.

In Ireland, the government vowed that students from Northern Ireland will continue to have access to the Erasmus scheme.


“Throughout this Brexit process, this Irish government has always been clear that Irish citizens in Northern Ireland will never be left behind including in key areas like Erasmus+,” declared Neale Richmond, Ireland’s spokesman on European Affairs, on Thursday.

What now for students?


From next year, students from the UK will be allowed to continue benefiting from grants until their end date. As long as funding is awarded before the end of 2020, students and staff will be able to go ahead with their exchanges.

They can continue to undertake mobility to other Erasmus+ programme countries, i.e. EU Member States, plus Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland, Turkey, North Macedonia and Serbia, until the projects finish or until the funds have been exhausted.

Likewise, beneficiaries from participating countries, other than the UK, can continue to send their students and staff on Erasmus+ mobility to the UK with funds from 2019 and 2020, until the projects finish or until the funds have been exhausted.

But UK and EU students will now have to face new immigrations regulations.

UK nationals will only be able to stay in an EU country for 90 out of every 180 days without a visa (except for Ireland, which will still have free movement with the UK).

The immigration regime will vary between EU members.

EU nationals coming to the UK under the Erasmus scheme would be admitted under the short-term study route for periods of less than six months.

However, for a longer period they would have to apply for a student visa in the same way as somebody wishing to study a whole degree course in the UK.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Macron and his wife to provide 'scientific photographic evidence' that she is a real woman
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
×