UK to Rejoin Erasmus Student Exchange Program in 2027 | Ukraine news

London said that the United Kingdom would rejoin the European Union’s Erasmus student exchange program in 2027, six years after the country left the program during tense Brexit negotiations.

The government called the return to Erasmus “great triumph” for Britain’s younger generation and pledged that everyone, regardless of background, would have the opportunity to study and gain experience abroad.

Erasmus allows students to spend a year at overseas universities, paying the same fees as their home colleagues. The agreement will also allow Prime Minister Keir Starmer to show the British public that his efforts to improve relations with the EU are beginning to bear fruit.

But these “fruits” do not come without a price. Britain’s contribution for the 2027/28 academic year will be £570 million (about $760 million). While this represents roughly a 30% discount compared with the baseline terms of the current trade deal with the EU, it is nearly twice as much as Britain paid to participate in Erasmus when it was still a member of the bloc.

Discussions of Brexit in British politics remain taboo, especially on the right, but recent polls show a softening of attitudes toward the EU among the public, and there are not many obvious benefits from Brexit.

Preparations for a mid-term announcement began at the summit between British and European leaders in May, where both sides agreed “to deepen our people-to-people ties, especially for the younger generation.”

The Erasmus program was scrapped in 2020 by Boris Johnson, then Conservative prime minister, who said the program did not justify the costs. However, a Chatham House study published in 2021 noted: “Erasmus does not serve an economic drain; it facilitates the movement of well-funded students to Britain for a limited period, during which they build a favorable client base for the higher education, services, and hospitality sectors.”

Britain was also estimated to gain a net benefit of £243 million per year from participating in Erasmus. In addition to the financial advantages, a 2019 European Commission report noted that more than a million “Erasmus children” – children whose parents met during participation in the program – have been born since the program began in the 1980s.

Irene Tracey, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, said the program has also strengthened Britain’s position on the world stage in more subtle ways.

“Even a short visit to the United Kingdom – people enjoy spending time here,” Tracey told the BBC. “Many of these people will later become leaders of the public and private sectors – or leaders of their countries – and that is good. We support this wave of global talent. This is soft power and soft diplomacy.”

Nick Thomas-Symonds, the UK’s Minister for Relations with the EU, said the agreement “is not just about travel: it’s about future skills, academic success and giving the next generation access to the best opportunities”.

“About future skills, academic success and giving the next generation access to the best opportunities”.

“The restoration of the Erasmus program in the United Kingdom will open doors ‘for new shared experiences and lasting friendships’ between British and European students.”

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, who herself studied in the United Kingdom, said that reviving the Erasmus program in the country will open doors to new shared experiences and strong friendships between students of the two regions.