Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people have applied for the Turing Scheme for (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23.

The Turing Scheme is a £110 million programme providing funding for around 35,000 students and pupils in universities, colleges and schools to study and work abroad during the 2021-22 academic year.

This was a one-year Spending Review, but the government has a clear aim to use this scheme as part of our long-term ambitions for a Global Britain. The impact of the scheme will be kept under review, and future funding arrangements will be subject to the outcomes of the next Spending Review.

The application period for Turing Scheme projects taking place during the 2021-22 academic year has now closed.

We have been pleased with the response to the Turing Scheme and the applications received this year. At this point, it is too early to provide statistics. Applications received are going through a rigorous assessment process. We will provide further updates about applications to the Turing Scheme in due course.

I note that individual students do not apply to the Turing Scheme themselves, rather it is their education provider who will apply for funds. More information for participants on the scheme, including what types of participants are eligible in each educational sector can be found on the scheme's website: https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/about/information-for-participants/.

In relation to the differences between the Turing Scheme and Erasmus+:

• Unlike the Erasmus Scheme, which is mainly EU focused, the Turing Scheme aims to be a truly global programme with every country in the world eligible to partner with UK education settings.
• The Turing Scheme is targeted at all students, particularly the most disadvantaged. While the UK was part of Erasmus, the most privileged were 1.7 times more likely to benefit from studying abroad. Through the Turing Scheme we are introducing new funding for travel for disadvantaged higher education (HE) students and new funding for travel-related costs like visas, passports and related travel insurance.
• Erasmus+ only provided travel support to participants who travelled to Partner Countries, which was around only 3% of UK participants. With the Turing Scheme, we are introducing funding for travel costs for disadvantaged HE students. Additionally, we are providing funding for visas, passports and related travel insurance.
• As with Erasmus+, we expect tuition fees to be waived by host universities. UK students going abroad for the whole academic year may also continue to qualify for a large contribution made towards their UK tuition fees for the year they are away.

We want the Turing Scheme to address the barriers that prevent some students, particularly those from less advantaged backgrounds, from studying overseas and making life-changing opportunities across the world accessible to everyone studying in the UK. Any student can take part if their education setting meets the criteria, and their provider makes a successful application for funding.