Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to fund undergraduates taking a third year abroad, currently funded under the Erasmus Plus programme, after 2020.

The government values international exchange and collaboration in education and training as part of its vision for a global Britain. Irrespective of the outcome of Article 50 negotiations with the European Union, the government wants UK and European countries to continue to give young people and students the chance to benefit from each other’s world-leading universities post-exit.

We are open to exploring participation in the Erasmus+ successor scheme (2021-27) though this will ultimately be subject to wider UK-EU negotiations on the future partnership. This is part of considering a wide range of options with regards to the future of international exchange and collaboration in education and training, including potential domestic alternatives.

While Erasmus+ is the largest mobility programme in which the UK participates, evidence suggests that around half of UK higher education outward mobilities take place outside of the Erasmus+ programme. It is clear other EU countries strongly value and benefit from the UK participating in Erasmus+, and we can expect our world-leading higher education providers to continue their strong track record of partnering with overseas institutions in all eventualities.