A plan for study exchange is essential for ‘Global Britain’

The panic button is being hit in terms of what a no deal Brexit means for the Erasmus programme. With only weeks to go until the UK leaves the European Union and with no strategy to replace the scheme, future UK students will be shut out of one of the longest running and most successful transnational education schemes in existence.

Most people I have come across in higher education see Erasmus as a good thing and do not need to be convinced of its benefits. It is a great chance for students to get a new experience somewhere different, pick up or improve a foreign language and maybe add a skill to their CV while expanding their job interview talking points. 

But, when those of us in the higher education sector argue the benefits of Erasmus to the wider public, some misconceptions usually come up.

The most common is to challenge why the UK needs to be in the whole architecture of the EU just to swap students with European universities. The simple answer is that it doesn’t. Other European countries participate fully as programme countries (such as Turkey and – this week – Serbia) and Erasmus+ (as it is now known) has taken the scheme to a global level that allows exchanges beyond Europe. 

But – and it is a big but – only EU members get a say in the key decision-making and the budget. Being outside that makes having any kind of influence more difficult.

There is nothing stopping UK universities from having exchanges with European partners. After all, this is how the UK does exchanges with non-European countries in the Americas, Asia and Australasia. But students would have to rely on other sources of funding, perhaps from their universities, which are hard to come by for those that need the most help – and study destinations further afield mean increased travel costs and complex paperwork, including visas.

As universities face uncertain finances post-Brexit, they are unlikely to be able to step in to the place that Erasmus funding occupies. What is more, non-standard exchange contracts come with a lot of red tape. The beauty of Erasmus is that it makes things much easier by working to a standard form. European partners might still be willing to continue relationships, particularly long-standing ones, but they would also need sources of financing for students to come to the UK.

Funding an alternative would fall to the government, which often provokes a second misconception: “Why should public money be used to support middle-class students going to exotic places for a year?” This misses the point: Erasmus funding is of most benefit to those students who would find the cost prohibitive otherwise. Without it, exchanges risk being the preserve of only those who can afford it. 

The UK government could, in a national strategy for exchanges, offer grants but – assuming that the UK is outside the Erasmus framework in the future – would need to ensure that other governments are willing and able to do the same for their students in exchange. Being in Erasmus opens up a range of possibilities in countries where the Erasmus grant stretches quite far. 

And there are academic benefits too. My analysis of 1,300+ graduating law students from the University of Sheffield over a five-year period where the final degree classes and averages were compared, show that students who go abroad perform better on average and are far more likely to gain a first or 2:1. The differences are particularly marked for students who are at the lower end of the scale pre-departure.

Finally, there is a danger that the conversation around Erasmus is happening in terms that are far too simplistic. Although the discussion is about the exchange of university students, in fact Erasmus is embedded in wider EU programmes designed to combat youth employment and allow other professionals valuable experience in other member states. 

The proposed Erasmus budget for 2021-2027 is €30 billion. Participating isn’t a matter of just paying into a pot of grants. Isolating solely the study exchange part of Erasmus is tricky – in both legal and budgetary terms. Even if there is political will in the UK alongside university pressure to be a part of the scheme, it might just prove difficult. In a no deal scenario, it would be near impossible for a quick fix.

If the government is serious about “Global Britain”, maintaining the international quality of our universities and ensuring that graduates have the right skills, confidence and ability to make a difference, a national strategy for study exchange is essential. 

A government-led initiative, of the type called for by Universities UK and its #supportstudyabroad campaign, would at least help alleviate fears about a lack of future mobility.

The UK could get all of these benefits from the Erasmus ready-made template, but only if it is prepared to be a part of it as an outsider with less say. That might be insurmountable, and if so, not having an alternative in place means that the next generation of UK students will lose out.

Paul James Cardwell is professor in the School of Law at the University of Strathclyde.