Essex University boost with UK's new EU Erasmus+ agreement

The EU’s Erasmus+ scheme finds study, training and work placements abroad.

On Wednesday, the UK and EU signed the legal text in Brussels to formally bring the UK into Erasmus+ in 2027.

The new agreement will give UK organisations access to the full range of Erasmus+ activities for education, training, youth and sport once association begins. 

It will include support for student and staff exchanges, vocational placements and youth mobility projects, with funding available through UK institutions that successfully bid into the scheme.

For Essex University, which already sends and receives students across Europe, this is a major boost.

Erasmus - The new agreement will give UK organisations access to the full range of Erasmus+ activities (Image: NQ)

One of the most international universities in the UK, the new Erasmus+ programme will allow the Essex University to build on research and education links it has with top European universities.

Vice‑Chancellor Professor Frances Bowen said: “The University of Essex already has many links with leading European universities.

“The UK’s association to Erasmus+ opens up significant opportunities for Essex students and for the university as a whole to broaden and deepen these connections, and to become a gateway to Europe in relation to education and research.” 

She added that Essex University students have benefitted hugely from being able to study at partner universities in Europe for many years, from a term through to a year.

“Essex students will now have many more opportunities open to them thanks to the new Erasmus+ agreement,” Professor Bowen said.

“Essex students also love meeting and making friends with students from Europe who might come to Essex to study – establishing friendships and networks for life.

“Developing an international outlook and understanding different cultures helps enrich people’s lives and there are lots of other benefits with the positive impact on long-term career prospects well-established.”

Education - The scheme means Essex colleges, training providers and employers could work together on placements and skills projects for apprentices and young workers (Image: Essex University)

For Essex students from less affluent backgrounds, funded placements can make a period abroad realistic for the first time, helping to level the playing field on CV‑boosting international experience.

Crucially, Erasmus+ is not only about traditional university exchanges.

The scheme also supports vocational education and training, which means Essex colleges, training providers and employers could work together on placements and skills projects for apprentices and young workers once the UK is fully associated.

Youth organisations could also tap into funding for cross‑border projects, giving local teenagers chances to join exchanges, volunteering trips and leadership programmes.