'Erasmus will transform lives'

UNIVERSITIES WELCOME DECISION AS UK REJOINS EXCHANGE PROGRAMME

- By DANIEL HALL

UNIVERSITIES in the North East have welcomed the UK’s return to the EU's Erasmus exchange programme.

The Government confirmed that the UK will rejoin the scheme, with young people once again able to study or train in the EU from January 2027.

The UK left the scheme under Boris Johnson who argued it did not offer value for money, but work on rejoining the scheme as part of Sir Keir Starmer’s post-Brexit reset deal with Brussels in May. The Cabinet Office said the UK has negotiated financial terms that “strike a fair balance between our contribution and the benefits the programme offers”.

The UK will pay around £570m in 2027, with the cost for future years to be agreed with the bloc. The Government says that more than 100,000 Britons could benefit from the scheme in the first year alone.

In addition to university-based study exchanges, Erasmus+ will allow further education students and apprentices to take up work placements in European firms.