Erasmus exchanges to continue in the event of a no-deal Brexit

The European Parliament has voted to continue financing all ongoing Erasmus+ schemes if Britain leaves the EU without a withdrawal agreement.

The 7,000 British students and their 14,000 EU counterparts enrolled in the student exchange programme this year will be protected from any ‘no-deal’ interruption by new legislation that ensures funding for up to 12 months after Brexit.

The Parliament reassured those currently participating in exchanges that there will be no disruption to learning activities, no danger of being obliged to repeat the academic year, and no cancellation of academic credits.

The €14.7 billion ‘Erasmus Plus’ programme, launched in 2014, also includes funding for cross-European traineeships, apprenticeships and staff. The programme will expire in 2020, and it is yet to be seen whether the UK will seek involvement in its successor scheme proposed in May, ‘Erasmus 2021-27’, which is set to double the scheme’s current budget to €30 billion.

A 2016 British Council Survey revealed that 74% of 18-24 year olds in the UK hope to retain access to student exchange programmes such as Erasmus+ after Brexit.

Last year approximately 350 UCL students took part in the Erasmus scheme.