Can UK students still access Erasmus+ funding in 2026?

Most UK students cannot access Erasmus+ funding in 2026 because the UK left the programme in 2021. However, there is an exception: students at Northern Ireland universities (including Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University) retain Erasmus+ eligibility under the Windsor Framework arrangements. A small number of other UK institutions have independent bilateral agreements with EU universities that carry Erasmus+ grant rates. Check with your specific institution.

What is the main replacement for Erasmus+ for UK students?

The Turing Scheme is the UK government's official replacement for Erasmus+. It launched in 2021 and pays UK students GBP 250 to GBP 335 per month for approved international placements worldwide. The key differences from Erasmus+ are: funding is outbound-only (no incoming grants for European students to the UK), coverage is global rather than Europe-only, and the amounts are generally lower than the Erasmus+ rates that UK students previously received.

How much did Erasmus+ pay UK students compared to what Turing pays now?

Under Erasmus+ before 2021, UK students received EUR 300 to EUR 700 per month for work placements (Erasmus+ Traineeship), with higher rates for high-cost countries. The Turing Scheme pays GBP 250 to GBP 435 per month (standard to disadvantaged rates). At current exchange rates, the Turing rates are broadly comparable for disadvantaged students but are lower for students who do not qualify for the uplift. Northern Ireland students accessing Erasmus+ directly receive EUR 600 to EUR 800 per month for placements in 2025/26.

Can UK students do Erasmus+ placements in Europe through a European university?

In some cases, yes. If a UK student is enrolled at a European university as a visiting or exchange student, they may be eligible for Erasmus+ funding through that institution, not through their UK home university. This is an uncommon route but it is technically open. Students studying in a dual-degree or joint degree programme with a European institution should ask that institution's Erasmus coordinator whether they qualify.

What happened to Erasmus+ UK incoming grants for European students coming to UK universities?

European students coming to UK universities no longer receive Erasmus+ grants for UK placements, as the UK is not an Erasmus+ programme country. European students studying at UK institutions on exchange typically access their home institution's Erasmus+ outgoing grant if the UK university is still listed as a bilateral partner. Many European universities maintained their partnerships with UK institutions independently, so the student experience of the exchange may look similar even though the funding mechanism changed.

Will the UK rejoin Erasmus+ in 2026 or 2027?

As of May 2026, the UK government has not confirmed plans to rejoin Erasmus+. The topic is periodically raised in policy discussions, particularly in relation to the Windsor Framework and relations with the EU. The Turing Scheme has been extended and its budget increased, which suggests the UK government intends it as a long-term programme rather than a temporary bridge. Students planning placements in 2027 or 2028 should plan around the Turing Scheme and not anticipate a return to Erasmus+.

Are there any EU-funded mobility schemes that UK students can still access in 2026?

Outside of Northern Ireland's Erasmus+ access, UK students have very limited routes to EU-funded mobility support. The EURAXESS programme supports researcher mobility and may apply to postgraduate students. Some EU member states run bilateral scholarship programmes open to UK citizens. The most accessible EU-adjacent funding route for UK students is via a European institution's own international scholarship, applied for directly.

Erasmus+ UK Successor Schemes 2026: What Replaced Erasmus and What You Can Use Now

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The UK left the Erasmus+ programme in 2021 and the scheme was replaced by the Turing Scheme for most UK students, with one significant exception: students at Northern Ireland universities retain Erasmus+ eligibility under the Windsor Framework, currently receiving EUR 600 to EUR 800 per month for international work placements (as of 2025/26).

For everyone else, the landscape has fractured into several overlapping schemes that together roughly replicate what Erasmus+ provided, though with different geographies, different amounts, and more administrative fragmentation. This guide maps every successor route available to UK students in 2026, who can access each one, and what each actually pays.

What Erasmus+ Provided (and What Changed)

Before the UK left Erasmus+ at the end of 2020, UK students going abroad for work placements received funding under the Erasmus+ Traineeship strand. Grant rates in 2019/20 ran from EUR 300 per month for placements in lower-cost European countries to EUR 700 per month for higher-cost destinations such as Switzerland, Norway and Denmark. Travel grants of EUR 180 to EUR 1,100 per student were also available based on distance.

Crucially, Erasmus+ was reciprocal: European students came to UK universities on the same scheme, bringing foreign talent, cultural exchange, and institutional collaboration. The Turing Scheme is outbound-only. UK universities now host European students through bilateral agreements rather than a single programme, which has reduced overall incoming student mobility.

The other key difference is geographic scope. Erasmus+ covered only European countries (EU member states plus Programme Countries including Norway, Iceland and Turkey). The Turing Scheme covers the entire world. For UK students targeting internships in the US, Asia, Australia or Africa, this is a genuine improvement.

Successor Scheme 1: The Turing Scheme

The Turing Scheme is the primary successor for UK students at English, Scottish and Welsh universities. It launched in 2021 and has been renewed and expanded in each subsequent academic year.

Key figures for 2025/26 (sourced from turing-scheme.org.uk):

Monthly living costs grant: GBP 250 (low-cost destinations) to GBP 335 (high-cost destinations, including the US, Singapore and Australia).
Disadvantaged student uplift: approximately GBP 100 per month additional, plus a travel supplement of approximately GBP 490 per return journey.
Minimum placement length: 14 days.
Maximum placement length funded: 12 months.
Scope: worldwide. Any country is eligible.

The Turing Scheme does not fund incoming mobility. It is purely for UK students going outbound. For a detailed breakdown of every Turing funding route and how to stack them, see Turing Scheme Funding Routes 2026.

Is the Turing Scheme equivalent to Erasmus+? In terms of per-student grant amounts, broadly comparable for disadvantaged students, lower for standard students. In terms of institutional collaboration, research partnership and reciprocal incoming mobility, materially weaker. The absence of incoming grants has affected UK universities' ability to attract European students, which was a secondary benefit of Erasmus+ for the UK student body overall.

Successor Scheme 2: Northern Ireland Erasmus+ Access

Northern Ireland universities retained access to Erasmus+ under the Windsor Framework, which preserves regulatory alignment between Northern Ireland and the EU in specified areas. Queen's University Belfast, Ulster University, and the South Eastern Regional College (SERC) all participate in Erasmus+ as programme institutions.

For students at these institutions, the practical experience of Erasmus+ access is largely unchanged from pre-2021:

Erasmus+ Traineeship grant rates (2025/26): EUR 600 to EUR 800 per month for work placements, depending on destination country.
Travel grants: EUR 180 to EUR 1,100 per student based on distance between home and host institution.
Coverage: EU member states plus Erasmus+ Programme Countries (31 countries in total in 2025).
Incoming mobility: European students can still come to Northern Ireland universities on Erasmus+ grants.

Northern Ireland students who want to go to destinations outside Erasmus+ coverage (the US, Asia, etc.) can apply for the Turing Scheme through their institution's Turing allocation instead.

Successor Scheme 3: Bilateral University Agreements

Even after the UK left Erasmus+ at the institutional level, many UK universities maintained or renegotiated individual exchange agreements with European partner institutions. These bilateral agreements are outside the Erasmus+ framework but can carry their own grant support.

The structure varies significantly by university. Common patterns:

Tuition fee waivers: Partner institutions may agree to waive tuition for UK exchange students, reducing the financial barrier.
University-specific mobility grants: Some UK universities pay their own bursaries for students going to bilateral exchange partners, often GBP 500 to GBP 2,000 per semester.
Host institution grants: European universities with their own Erasmus+ allocations sometimes fund UK students arriving as exchange students at the host institution's rate, even though the UK home institution cannot access Erasmus+ directly.

The practical impact for students: if your UK university has a strong bilateral relationship with a French grande ecole or a German technical university, you may access better support than the standard Turing grant through that specific partnership. Ask your international office explicitly about bilateral agreements with your target countries, not just the Turing Scheme allocation.

Successor Scheme 4: Santander Universities Mobility Awards

The Santander Universities programme operates independently of both Erasmus+ and the Turing Scheme. It awards grants of GBP 500 to GBP 1,500 per student for international professional or academic experiences, including internships. Awards are competitive and open to students at participating UK institutions.

Santander awards are stackable with the Turing Scheme and with university-specific bursaries. For many students, a Santander award bridging the gap between the Turing monthly grant and actual destination costs is the difference between a placement being financially viable or not.

See the full breakdown of deadlines, eligibility and application process in our guide: Santander Universities Mobility Awards 2026.

Successor Scheme 5: British Council Going Global

The British Council continues to run its own international mobility funding independent of Erasmus+ or the Turing Scheme. The Going Global programme focuses on specific priority sectors (creative arts, STEM, sustainability, social impact) and offers grants that have historically ranged from GBP 500 to GBP 2,500 for individual placements (as of 2025).

British Council programmes have specific cohort rounds and targeted calls, so eligibility depends on whether your sector and destination align with the current programme priorities. Applications are made directly to the British Council, not through your university. Check britishcouncil.org for current open rounds.

Successor Scheme 6: Sector-Specific and Professional Body Grants

Several UK professional bodies and sector organisations run their own international mobility grants that predate both Erasmus+ and Turing, and continue independently. Examples include:

Royal Academy of Engineering: International Internship programme for engineering students, covering travel and accommodation for placements with international partner companies.
DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service): Open to UK students wanting to study or intern in Germany. The DAAD runs its own scholarship and grant programmes independently of Erasmus+.
Rotary Foundation: Vocational Training Team grants for professional experience abroad, open to recent graduates as well as students.
Nuffield Foundation: Programmes for specific research and academic fields with international placement components.

These routes are narrow but sometimes generous. If your field has a strong professional body or a historically well-funded international exchange tradition, researching sector-specific grants is worth two hours of investigation.

Direct Comparison: Old Erasmus+ vs Current Successor Schemes

Scheme	Who Can Access It	Monthly Grant (approx)	Destinations	Incoming Mobility
Erasmus+ Traineeship (pre-2021)	All UK students (historic)	EUR 300-700	Europe only	Yes
Turing Scheme (2026)	Most UK students	GBP 250-435	Worldwide	No
Erasmus+ (NI students via Windsor)	NI university students	EUR 600-800	Europe only	Yes
Bilateral university grants	Varies by institution	GBP 500-2,000 (total)	Partner countries only	Varies
Santander Universities award	Students at partner unis	GBP 500-1,500 (total)	Worldwide	No
British Council Going Global	Sector-specific eligibility	GBP 500-2,500 (total)	Worldwide	No

What the Funding Gap Looks Like in Practice

The honest picture: UK students in 2026 generally receive less support for European internships than they would have done under Erasmus+ before 2021, unless they are at a Northern Ireland institution or qualify for the full Turing disadvantaged uplift.

Under Erasmus+ in 2019/20, a UK student doing a six-month internship in Barcelona would have received approximately EUR 2,400 to EUR 3,000 in grant funding plus a travel grant, in addition to any institutional bursaries. Under the Turing Scheme in 2026, the same student at an English university would receive approximately GBP 1,500 to GBP 2,010 (six months at the medium-cost rate, standard to disadvantaged). The gap is real, though Santander and university top-ups narrow it substantially.

For destinations outside Europe, particularly the US, Southeast Asia and Australia, the Turing Scheme is materially better than Erasmus+ was: those destinations were not eligible under Erasmus+ at all. For UK students targeting non-European internships, 2026 is actually a stronger funding environment than 2019.

The UK Rejoining Erasmus+: Current Status

The question comes up frequently and the answer as of May 2026 is straightforward: the UK government has not committed to rejoining Erasmus+, and the Turing Scheme's budget has been expanded in each successive year, which signals a long-term commitment to an independent programme rather than a bridging exercise.

The issue is periodically raised in UK-EU relations discussions, particularly in the context of the broader reset in UK-EU ties underway in 2025 and 2026. The EU has also been open in principle to UK re-association. However, any actual return to Erasmus+ would require a formal association agreement and budget commitment from both sides, and the timeline for that is unclear. Students planning placements in the 2026/27 or 2027/28 academic year should not build their plans around an Erasmus+ return.

How to Approach Funding in 2026 if You Are at an English or Welsh University

The practical strategy for 2026 is to treat the Turing Scheme as your baseline and stack supplementary funding from two or three additional sources. The sequence that works for most students:

Confirm your placement and register it with your international office to unlock Turing eligibility assessment.
Apply for your university's own mobility bursary in the same application window.
Apply for a Santander Universities award if your institution participates.
Research sector-specific grants relevant to your field.
If you are targeting a European destination, ask your international office whether any bilateral agreements with that country carry additional funding at the host institution level.

For students targeting European internships specifically, destination countries within the EU also have their own national mobility programmes that are sometimes open to non-EU students, including UK students. French government internship grants, German DAAD programmes, and Nordic mobility funds all have some form of availability for international students. These tend to be small (EUR 300 to EUR 600 total) but are genuinely accessible.

Finding the Right Placement Comes First

Funding follows a secured placement. We help UK students find and land internships across Europe and globally, from Barcelona to Singapore to Cape Town, in sectors where your credentials translate.

Start Your Application

Further reading in this series: Every Turing Scheme Funding Route in 2026 for a complete breakdown of grant amounts and stacking strategies, and Santander Universities Mobility Awards 2026 for the complementary grant programme most commonly stacked with Turing.