For partners 
In June of this year, it was finally confirmed that the United Kingdom will rejoin the European Erasmus+ program. It is expected that more than 100 000 people will once again have the opportunity to participate in international internships and other programs, including outside the EU.
However, this means the closure of two programs that have served as a kind of substitute for Erasmus+ in the meantime. These are Turing and Taith (the latter specific to Wales): both are planned to be wound down by August 2027. Also it is on this point that education experts find themselves divided.
What is Turing and what makes Taith good
Turing was launched in 2021, after Brexit, and to date more than 200 000 students have taken part in it, organizing volunteer, academic, and even work trips abroad. One of the main advantages of this scheme is its truly global reach: not only the EU, but also North America, various countries in Asia, Oceania, and other regions.
Another significant advantage is the availability of short, straightforward, and accessible programs: this made Turing accessible to a very wide range of students, with everyone able to find an option to suit them. This includes, incidentally, students from socially and economically disadvantaged groups: in 2025/26, their number reached 61% of all program participants.
Approximately £78 million has been allocated for Turing's final year of operation.
Wales's own program, Taith, was also quite good. More than 18 000 participants (both students and educators, as well as researchers), approximately 100 countries, the stable and strong partnerships that emerged, the overall flexibility of the model, and the availability of short-term programs — all of this drew participants to Taith even in the absence of the well-known Erasmus+.
Why they decided to return to Erasmus+
One of the main reasons is the opportunity of two-way exchange, reciprocity: if both countries participate in Erasmus+, not only will British students be able to study abroad, but foreign students will also be able to come and study in the United Kingdom. This is beneficial in cultural, academic, reputational, and economic terms. Turing did not have this advantage; it was more of a self-contained affair.
Scottish universities (for example, the University of St Andrews) also note that under Erasmus+ they received more funding and could more confidently plan long-term partnerships with foreign universities.
However, it is expected that the "new Erasmus+" will change to better align with the changed world and the international market. Today, student exchanges are a powerful, large-scale instrument for the strategic internationalization of higher education. The project is expected to require approximately £570 million in annual expenditure (and this is already with the 30% discount that was successfully negotiated with the EU!). But a very important and sensitive question remains open: whether a fee will be introduced for foreign students coming to English universities under the program. No final decision has been made on this yet.
The Power of Three
British university experts say they would like to see a comprehensive option combining the strengths of all three systems:
- Erasmus+: stable funding, scale, the opportunity of reciprocal exchange with European universities, and sustainable long-term partnerships with universities,
- Turing and Taith: global reach, program flexibility, the availability of short-term options, and a more diverse pool of students.
The main challenge of the transition period is to ensure that the return to Erasmus+ does not mean abandoning the achievements of Turing and Taith, but rather allows the best practices of these programs to be integrated into a new pan-European model of international mobility.
