Turing Scheme vs Erasmus+: What Changed for UK-EU Student Exchange After Brexit

Why the UK left Erasmus+

The UK took part in Erasmus+ as an EU member state until the end of the Brexit transition period. The UK government then chose not to negotiate continued association with the program, citing cost, and launched its own outbound mobility scheme instead. The Turing Scheme started in the 2021-22 academic year, named after mathematician Alan Turing, and is funded by the Department for Education and delivered by the British Council and Ecorys UK.

Northern Ireland ended up with a separate arrangement. The Irish government agreed to fund continued Erasmus+ access for students at Northern Ireland universities, so students there can still take part in the full two way EU program even though the rest of the UK moved to Turing. This makes Northern Ireland the one part of the UK where both schemes effectively operate side by side.

Some UK universities and MPs have pushed for the UK to rejoin Erasmus+ since Brexit, arguing Turing's lack of reciprocity puts UK students at a disadvantage compared to EU peers who get both directions funded. As of now, the UK government has kept the Turing Scheme as its main mobility funding route rather than re-entering Erasmus+.

How the Turing Scheme works

UK universities, colleges and schools apply to the Turing Scheme on behalf of their students, then allocate the funded places they receive. Students do not apply to the scheme directly, they apply through their institution's international or exchange office. Placements cover study exchanges, work placements and internships, lasting from a few weeks up to a full academic year, similar in structure to Erasmus+ placements.

Funding can go toward destinations anywhere in the world, not only EU countries, which gives UK students wider geographic choice than Erasmus+ offered. Turing grants also weight funding toward students from lower income households, students with disabilities and other underrepresented groups, giving them larger grants to cover the added cost of studying or working abroad. Erasmus+ set grant amounts mainly by destination country cost of living instead.

What Erasmus+ still offers EU students

EU students, and students in EU-associated countries such as Norway, Iceland and Turkey, continue to use Erasmus+ as before Brexit. Erasmus+ funds both outgoing and incoming exchange students, so a Spanish student going to Germany and a German student coming to Spain can both receive funding under the same scheme in the same academic year. Erasmus+ also includes a tuition fee waiver at the host institution as standard, so exchange students do not pay tuition at the university they visit, on top of whatever they already pay at their home institution.

What each grant actually covers

Both schemes fund similar costs in practice: a travel grant to cover getting to your destination, plus a monthly living cost top-up for the length of your placement. Turing Scheme grants get paid through your UK institution rather than direct to you, and the amount depends on your destination and your personal circumstances, since disadvantaged students receive a higher top-up rate. Erasmus+ grants follow a similar structure, paid through your home institution, with amounts set by destination country grouped into cost bands rather than by individual student circumstances.

Neither scheme automatically covers your full cost of living abroad. Both work as a contribution toward extra costs, not a full living allowance, so budget for a gap between the grant and your actual costs at the destination, especially in higher cost cities. Check with your international office exactly how and when your institution pays the grant, since some pay in installments before and after the placement rather than as a single upfront sum.

The core differences

What this means if you are planning an exchange

If you study at a UK university, ask your international office whether your course has a Turing Scheme allocation and which destinations it covers this year, since availability differs by department and institution. If you study in the EU or an associated country and want to spend a term in the UK, arrange this through your home university's own partnership agreement with a UK institution rather than through Erasmus+, since the UK sits outside the funded two way exchange side of the program now. Check with your international office early, since UK partner places tend to fill through bilateral agreements rather than an open Erasmus+ allocation.

If you qualify for both schemes, for example as a Northern Ireland student with access to Erasmus+ funding and a Turing-funded UK placement, compare what each covers before you commit, including whether tuition gets waived at the host institution and how the grant amount matches your planned living costs.

Before you apply

• Check whether your course or department has an active Turing Scheme or Erasmus+ allocation this year.

• Ask whether tuition gets waived at the host institution, since this is automatic under Erasmus+ but not guaranteed under Turing.

• Compare grant amounts against your real living costs at the destination, not just the headline funding amount.

• If you are a Northern Ireland student, ask your international office which scheme fits your destination better.