How the Turing Scheme replaced Erasmus+ for UK students after Brexit
By Muntasir • Published Feb 22, 2026 • Updated Aug 08, 2026 • Study Abroad, Study in Europe, Erasmus & Exchange, Visas & Student Mobility
The UK left Erasmus+ after Brexit and launched the Turing Scheme in 2021 to fund outbound placements only, with no funding for EU students coming to the UK. The UK rejoins Erasmus+ from January 2027, ending the Turing Scheme after the 2026-27 academic year.
💶 The Turing Scheme funded 38,374 participants in 2022-23, worth over 106 million pounds.
🌍 Unlike Erasmus+, Turing Scheme placements go worldwide, not only within Europe.
📩 It pays for UK students to go abroad only, it does not fund reciprocal partners sending students to the UK.
⏱️ From January 2027, the UK rejoins Erasmus+ under a deal confirmed in December 2025.
Why the UK left Erasmus+
UK participation in Erasmus+ ended after Brexit. Following the 2020 Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the UK government chose not to seek associate country status in the EU's Erasmus+ programme, and launched its own outbound-only mobility scheme instead, named after codebreaker Alan Turing, starting with the 2021-22 academic year.
Erasmus+ mobility for UK participants continued for placements already underway when the transition period ended, but no new UK Erasmus+ places opened after that point, creating a gap before the Turing Scheme's first cohort departed in 2021-22.
How the Turing Scheme works
The Turing Scheme funds UK students, apprentices, and school pupils to study or work abroad through their education provider, which applies for a grant on their behalf under gov.uk guidance . Funding depends on the destination, the length of placement, and the number of participants a provider proposes, rather than students applying for a fixed grant individually. Schools, colleges, and universities across the UK are all eligible to apply, not only higher education institutions.
In the 2022-23 academic year, the scheme received 520 applications, with 316 approved for grant funding. Those approved projects funded 38,374 placements worth over 106 million pounds, across more than 160 destinations worldwide, with nearly 52 percent of places going to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, according to official Turing Scheme outcomes data .
How it compares with Erasmus+
| Feature | Erasmus+ | Turing Scheme |
|---|---|---|
| Direction | Reciprocal, both directions | Outbound UK students only |
| Geographic scope | Mostly EU and partner countries | Worldwide |
| Activities covered | Study, work placements, youth work, adult education, sport | Mainly study and work placements |
| Tuition fee waivers between partners | Standard practice among partner universities | Not part of the scheme |
| Runs until | Ongoing EU programme | 2026-27 academic year for the UK |
Erasmus+ funds movement in both directions between participating countries, and it supports youth work, adult education, and sport exchanges, not only higher education placements. The Turing Scheme covers outbound UK students only. It does not fund EU students coming to study in the UK, and it does not carry the tuition fee waiver arrangements that Erasmus+ partner universities extend to each other.
Turing Scheme destinations are not limited to Europe, so UK students use it for placements outside the EU too, which Erasmus+ did not generally cover in the same way.
What the Turing Scheme does not fund
The scheme does not cover youth work exchanges, adult education mobility, or sport staff exchanges, all of which sit inside Erasmus+. It also does not fund UK staff mobility in the way Erasmus+ funded staff training and teaching exchanges for university employees. The scope stays narrower, focused on students, apprentices, and school pupils moving abroad to study or work.
Why reciprocity matters for university partnerships
Erasmus+ agreements between universities work because both sides send and receive students under matching funding. Without reciprocal funding, a UK university sending Turing-funded students to an EU partner does not automatically receive EU students back under the same scheme. Some partnerships fund incoming students through separate institutional budgets, others scale back the exchange relationship, and the pattern varies by university rather than following one national rule.
How UK institutions are preparing for 2027
Universities running international exchange offices now manage two overlapping systems: closing out Turing Scheme placements that start in 2026-27 while preparing applications for the new Erasmus+ funding call once the UK's national agency publishes guidance. If you are choosing a UK university partly for its exchange opportunities, ask its international office directly which scheme funds your specific mobility window, since the answer depends on your start date rather than a single UK-wide rule.
If you are an EU student
The Turing Scheme does not fund your mobility if you are an EU student hoping to study in the UK, since it only pays for outbound UK participants. If your home university runs an exchange partnership with a UK institution, check whether that partnership still operates and how it is funded, since arrangements now vary by university rather than following a single EU-wide programme the way Erasmus+ used to provide.
What happens in 2027
In December 2025, the UK and the EU confirmed a deal for the UK to associate with Erasmus+ from January 2027, according to the House of Commons Library . The UK's contribution for the 2027-28 academic year is set at 570 million pounds, with the scheme expected to support more than 100,000 participants in its first year back. The 2026-27 academic year is the Turing Scheme's final cycle, since gov.uk guidance confirms the scheme will not operate in 2027-28.
What this means if you are planning now
If your mobility falls in 2026-27, apply through your provider under the Turing Scheme as usual, since Erasmus+ funding is not available to UK institutions until the following year. If your placement or exchange falls in 2027-28 or later, expect your university to switch to Erasmus+ processes, including a new UK national agency handling applications, with guidance due before the funding call opens.