Nepal UK
London - The UK is to rejoin the Erasmus student exchange scheme from 2027, the British Prime Minister’s Office said.
The popular programme allowed Britons to spend a year studying at European universities as part of their degree, without paying extra fees, and vice versa for their European counterparts.
It ended for British students after Brexit on 1 January 2021.
But the government has announced that the UK will participate in the scheme in the 2027/28 academic year, during which over 100,000 Britons could study or train in Europe.
The UK will pay approximately £570m to join the scheme for that year, after which future participation will have to be negotiated as part of the EU’s long-term budget, which is set from 2028.
The government says any future UK participation in the scheme will need to be “based on a fair and balanced contribution”.
Nonetheless, EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds described the UK's participation in the scheme in 2027 as "a huge win for our young people, breaking down barriers and widening horizons to ensure everyone, from every background, has the opportunity to study and train abroad".
"Today's agreements prove that our new partnership with the EU is working. We have focused on the public's priorities and secured a deal that puts opportunity first," he added.
Negotiations have included work on "mutually agreed financial terms" for the UK and the EU.
The UK had pushed for a discount on membership fees, which are calculated on the basis of a country's gross domestic product (GDP), and the EU offered a 30% reduction for this first year of membership.
'Fantastic opportunities for students'
The UK's universities have welcomed the breakthrough.
Tim Bradshaw, chief executive of the Russell Group of leading universities, said: "We're delighted at the UK's association to Erasmus+.
"With an even greater scope than previous programmes, Erasmus+ opens up fantastic opportunities for students, adult learners and young people to all benefit from new experiences and learning.
"It will also renew the huge contributions that EU students and staff make to life on our university campuses."
The Erasmus scheme, named after the Dutch Renaissance theologian, was scrapped in the UK in December 2020, when the government announced its post-Brexit trade deal with the EU.
It enables students to study abroad at partner universities and higher education organisations by offering grants to help with living costs.
Participating students usually pay fees to their home institutions, with additional costs covered by the European Union, funded by taxpayers' money, BBC News reported.
