Universities urge return to UK-EU student exchanges

British universities have urged the government to reintroduce EU student exchanges which were halted after Brexit, such as the Erasmus programme. A new report from Universities UK, an organisation that advocates for 141 universities across the country, said Sir Keir Starmer's government should "strongly consider the case" to rejoin the scheme, cancelled under Boris Johnson.

- JABED AHMED

The Erasmus+ programme provided British university students with funding from the government for education, training and sport in a host EU country, in an exchange scheme with a student from a European university. More than 10,000 UK university students participated in the scheme in 2018. The government spent around £120m funding the programme that year.

Under Mr Johnson's premiership, Erasmus+ was cancelled as it wasn't considered value for money. It was replaced by the Turing Scheme, a mobility programme that encompasses the entire world - although it does not generally include money for inbound students, making exchanges more difficult.

Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, said the organisation "really regrets" the recent loss of flow of European students into the UK. However, the organisation also said it is determined not to provoke a return to the "toxic" Brexit row over migration.