UK students will continue to pay their standard domestic fees – which are capped at £9,535 a year – when they are abroad, under the new deal to rejoin the Erasmus programme
08:18, 17 Dec 2025Updated 08:18, 17 Dec 2025
British students will be able to study abroad at universities in Europe for the first time since Brexit(Image: Jacob Wackerhausen via Getty Images)
The UK will rejoin the EU’s student exchange programme – called Erasmus – in a major boost to young people.
It will mean British students will be able to study abroad at universities in Europe for the first time since Brexit.
Both British youngsters – and EU students – will not have to pay extra fees, it was reported last night.
It means UK students will continue to pay their standard domestic fees – which are capped at £9,535 a year – when they are abroad. Students will continue to pay tuition fees to their home university.
Ministers are reportedly looking at extending the programme beyond university courses so that more of the population can benefit from the exchange programme.
EU minister Nick Thomas-Symonds is expected to make an official announcement setting out the details today. The Cabinet Office minister is believed to have got the deal over the line last week, when he met with his EU counterpart Maroš Šefčovič in Brussels.
READ MORE: Keir Starmer slams Brexit ‘wild promises’ and takes swipe at Reform’s ‘corrosive’ attitude
Keir Starmer has been pressing ahead with improving relations with the EU since he was elected(Image: PRU/AFP via Getty Images)
The UK left the Erasmus scheme in 2020 after a Brexit deal was agreed with the EU. Under the new deal, the UK is expected to get a 30% discount on the programme for the first year.
Keir Starmer has been pressing ahead with improving relations with the EU since he was elected. In a major foreign policy speech at the start of the month, the PM was clear that Britain must make its relationship with the EU work for British people, saying that while Brexit was a “fair, democratic expression”, the way it was sold and delivered was “simply wrong”.
“The Brexit vote was a fair, democratic expression, and I will always respect that,” he said. “But how it was sold and delivered was simply wrong. Wild promises were made to the British people and not fulfilled. We are still dealing with the consequences today.”
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Liberal Democrat Universities and Skills spokesman Ian Sollom said: “After years of campaigning by the Liberal Democrats, we welcome the news that the UK is finally set to rejoin the vital Erasmus+ student exchange scheme from 2027.
“This is a moment of real opportunity and a clear step towards repairing the disastrous Conservative Brexit deal.
“However while this is a welcome breakthrough, it must be viewed as a crucial first step on a clear roadmap to a closer relationship with Europe. Starting with negotiating a bespoke UK-EU customs union, and committing to a youth mobility scheme for benefit of the next generation.”