The United Kingdom and the European Union said on 17 December 2025 that they have concluded negotiations for the UK’s association with Erasmus+ from 2027, restoring access to the EU’s University education, training, youth and sport programme after the UK’s post-Brexit exit.
Under the agreement, the UK will make a £570 million contribution for the 2027/28 academic year, which the UK government and Reuters reported as including a 30% discount compared with default terms under the existing UK–EU trade arrangements.
The UK government said the deal follows commitments set out in UK–EU summit documentation and estimated that more than 100,000 people in the UK of all social backgrounds could benefit in the first year, including apprentices, further-education students and adult learners.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said that the deal would pave the way for new shared experiences for young people, marking a further step in the renewed partnership with Britain."Together, we are committed to continue delivering on our common agenda in time for our next EU-UK Summit," von der Leyen said in a post on X.
In a joint statement, European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič and UK EU Relations Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said the financial terms struck a “fair balance” and that both sides would move forward in line with their respective procedures and legal frameworks.
Thomas-Symonds called the return to Erasmus+ “a huge win for our young people,” while Skills Minister Baroness Jacqui Smith said the programme would expand opportunities across universities, schools, colleges and adult education.
The announcement also sits within a broader UK–EU “reset”. The UK government said both sides agreed to start negotiations on integrating electricity markets and to aim to conclude talks ahead of the next summit on a youth experience scheme, a common sanitary and phytosanitary area, and linking emissions trading systems.
Higher-education organisations welcomed the move. Universities UK International and the European University Association said the move would strengthen collaboration and mobility between UK and EU institutions, while the National Union of Students said students had campaigned for a return to Erasmus+ and described the decision as a “huge win”.
Universities UK said the agreement would offer “life-changing opportunities” and marked a major step in the UK–EU university relationship, while the European University Association said the return would strengthen cooperation and expand mobility and partnerships. NUS UK
The UK previously replaced Erasmus+ with the Turing Scheme, a global mobility programme. Government guidance puts the Turing Scheme budget at £78 million for the 2025–26 academic year.
