Britain will rejoin the EU’s flagship Erasmus programme for studying and training exchanges in 2027, opening the way for Dutch students to study more easily across the Channel.

EU and British negotiators have agreed that Britain will become an associate country to the programme, which funds opportunities for young people to study and train abroad.

As of 2027, Dutch and EU students will be able to study in each other’s countries for up to one year, paying the usual fees to their home institutions and receiving a grant for living expenses.

The programme will be open to school pupils, students in higher or further education, apprentices, adult learners, staff working in education, youth workers and sports professionals, according to a British government statement.

The deal initially covers only one year as future participation will be discussed in the context of the next long-term EU budget up to 2034.

The agreement follows the first EU-UK summit in May and is part of the British government’s plans to ‘reset’ the relationship with the EU, after the country left the bloc in 2020.

Britain and the EU are also in negotiations on the Youth Experience Scheme, which would allow young Europeans to have work experiences in the UK (and vice versa) with facilitated visas.

Launched in 1987 for university students, the Erasmus programme is now open for work and training exchanges as well. In 2024 alone, almost 1.5 million people took part.