The University of Cambridge has said that it “warmly welcome[s]” plans for the UK to rejoin the Erasmus+ study scheme from 2027.

Rejoining the scheme will allow British students to study for up to a year at European universities without paying extra fees, and vice versa for European students.

Reacting to the news, a spokesperson for the University of Cambridge said: “This programme will re-establish the mutual role that British and EU students and staff play in enriching academic life, culture and community across campuses.”

They added: “Educational exchange is often the starting point for deeper collaboration. The relationships formed through study and mobility today can become the research partnerships and innovation projects of tomorrow.”

The UK withdrew from the scheme in December 2020 when it left the European Union. It was replaced by the Turing scheme, which has faced ongoing criticism. Last year, Varsity reported that some Cambridge students were unable to access Turing Scheme funding during their year abroad.

The Labour government, which negotiated the deal, argues that more than 100,000 British people could benefit from rejoining the scheme. The Cambridge students who will primarily benefit are language students looking to complete their years abroad in Europe.

Catherine, a fourth-year MML student at Trinity, told Varsity: “I’m thrilled that the UK will be rejoining Erasmus. Erasmus is best known for its study exchange programmes, which are of course amazing opportunities, but fewer students are aware that it also offers funding for shorter-term opportunities like summer language courses and work placements.”

She added: “I worked for the European Youth Press for a while on their event reporting project, and many of my colleagues were Erasmus alumni and had loved every minute of their placements. I’m really glad these opportunities will now extend to students from the UK again.”

Caspar, a fourth-year MMLL student at Corpus, said: “I think it’s certainly a step in the right direction and something worth celebrating. Opportunities for reconnecting with our European neighbours are limited in a post-Brexit world, but this announcement could take care of that.”

Rejoining the Erasmus program will likely mean that Cambridge will see a rise in European exchange students. In the final year that the UK took part in the Erasmus programme, 9,900 students and trainees went to Europe to study, while 16,100 European students came to the UK.

The new deal will cost the UK £570 million, which the shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel has described as “dragging Britain back under the control of Brussels”.

The announcement has been welcomed by the Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce, which said that the move will allow businesses to “maximise [the Erasmus+ scheme’s] full benefits for training, apprenticeships, skills, further and higher education, and exchanges.”

Lucy, a third-year MML student at Clare, also celebrated the news: “It is very encouraging to see that the government is supporting two-way cultural exchange with Europe, which is something that has recently felt undervalued. I feel that both the practical and personal benefits of studying abroad are boundless – I am glad to see that more opportunities are opening for young people in the UK to do this.”

The prospect of rejoining the scheme has been positively received by the higher education sector more widely. Dr Tim Bradshaw, Chief Executive of the Russell Group, said: “With an even greater scope than previous programmes, Erasmus+ opens up fantastic opportunities for students, adult learners and young people to all benefit from new experiences and learning.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the National Union of Students said: “From learning a new language, experiencing a new culture and making life long friends, the tales of students who were previously part of the programme and benefited so much from this programme have rung loudly in our ears.

“Since the UK left the programme, the number of UK students studying in Europe has plummeted, and as has the number of students from Europe studying in the UK. But now, the next generation of students from the UK will be able to experience it all, and campuses across the country will benefit from the perspectives of Erasmus students coming to the UK.”