IBD Partnership Group has been delivering Erasmus+ projects since 2005 and has worked with the Turing Scheme since it launched in 2021. We have run both programmes across dozens of countries, for primary schools, FE colleges, universities and youth organisations. What follows is not a theoretical comparison. It is based on two decades of doing this work.

Where they came from

Erasmus+ has been running since 1987 under various names. The European Commission administers it, and it covers 30-plus countries across the EU and beyond. The total budget for the current programme cycle is around 26 billion euros, making it one of the largest education funding programmes anywhere in the world.

The Turing Scheme launched in September 2021 as a UK-only replacement after Brexit ended British participation in Erasmus+. It is funded directly by the UK government and administered through the British Council. Turing has delivered genuine results. We have run successful Turing projects every year since its launch and the funding has got real students into real international experiences they would not otherwise have had. But it was always designed around a more limited set of objectives than Erasmus+, and those limits show up in practice.

The core difference: direction of travel

Turing only funds outbound mobility. UK students and staff going abroad. That is the entire scope of the programme.

Erasmus+ funds both directions. UK institutions can send participants abroad and receive participants from other countries. This distinction matters more than it might appear on paper, and we can illustrate it with a specific example.

What happens when one-way exchange meets a two-way relationship

In 2024 we ran a Turing Scheme study visit for 25 students from a school in Leicester to Valencia, Spain. The project was excellent. The students had a brilliant time, the Spanish host school was genuinely engaged, and the Leicester pupils came back noticeably more confident and more curious about the world beyond their immediate experience.

But something else happened too. The Spanish students wanted to come to the UK. They had spent a week with their British peers, built real friendships, and were keen to reciprocate. Their teachers asked about it. The Leicester school was enthusiastic. And we had to explain that under the Turing Scheme, it simply was not possible. Turing has no mechanism for funding inbound visits. The Spanish students could not come.

That is the structural limitation of a one-way programme. You build a relationship, the other side wants to deepen it, and the funding framework stops you.

From January 2027, Erasmus+ changes that. The same Leicester school will be able to apply for a project that sends their students to Valencia and brings Spanish students to Leicester. Both groups gain. The partnership becomes genuinely reciprocal. The Spanish school can access Erasmus+ funding on their side to cover the inbound visit to the UK. Two institutions, two countries, one properly bilateral exchange.

We have been waiting to offer this kind of project to our partner schools since 2021. It is the single thing we are most looking forward to about the UK’s return to Erasmus+.

Funding rates

Erasmus+ funding rates per participant are generally higher than Turing, particularly for work placements and longer-duration mobilities. The exact rates for UK participants from 2027 have not yet been published, pending National Agency guidance expected in late 2026, but historical rates before Brexit were substantially above what Turing currently offers for equivalent activities.

Institutions that have found Turing grants tight, particularly for destinations outside Europe where travel costs are higher, may find Erasmus+ more workable for the same programmes.

Grant duration

Turing operates on an annual cycle. You apply in one year, run the project in the same or following academic year, and report back. The grant covers that period only.

Erasmus+ grants can run for up to two years. This means a single application can cover multiple cohorts, multiple partner visits, and a more sustained relationship with overseas institutions. For schools and colleges with the capacity to plan ahead, this is a significant advantage. You spend less time applying and more time delivering.

Partner countries

Turing has no formal country restrictions. UK institutions have used it to send students to the US, Australia, Japan, Bangladesh, and dozens of other destinations. We have run Turing projects across Asia, the Middle East and North Africa as well as Europe.

Erasmus+ has a more defined country structure. Programme Countries are full participants, mostly EU member states plus a handful of others. Partner Countries can participate in certain activities under different terms. The UK from 2027 will be a Programme Country, meaning full access to mobility activities with all other Programme Countries.

For institutions whose most valuable partnerships are outside Europe, Turing remains the better fit for those specific projects. For European partnerships, Erasmus+ will be the stronger option in almost every category.

The application process

This is where the two programmes feel most similar. Both require institutions to define learning objectives, identify partner organisations, budget the project, and report on outcomes afterwards. Both are administered through the British Council in the UK. The paperwork differs in its specifics but the underlying logic is the same: you are making a case that sending or receiving these participants will produce measurable educational outcomes.

Institutions that have successfully applied for Turing grants are well positioned for Erasmus+. The discipline of writing clear learning objectives and matching activities to outcomes transfers directly. In our experience, schools that struggled with Turing applications struggled for the same reasons they would struggle with Erasmus+: vague learning objectives and weak partner relationships. Fix those two things and both programmes become manageable.

The main adjustment is that Erasmus+ places more weight on the quality of the partnership itself. It is not enough to identify a partner school or employer abroad. The application needs to demonstrate that both sides are genuinely involved in designing the activity and that there is a basis for ongoing cooperation.

What happens to Turing

The UK government has not announced an end date for the Turing Scheme. It is likely to continue running alongside Erasmus+ for at least the first year of UK re-association. Some projects, particularly those involving destinations outside the Erasmus+ country list, will remain better suited to Turing regardless.

The practical expectation is that Erasmus+ gradually becomes the primary vehicle for European mobility while Turing covers global destinations. We expect to be running both programmes simultaneously for the foreseeable future.

What to do now

If your institution has been running Turing projects, the groundwork is already done. You understand the application process, you have experience reporting on outcomes, and you likely have at least one established overseas partner. Converting that into an Erasmus+ application is not a significant leap.

If your institution has not run any international mobility yet, November 2026 is your first realistic Erasmus+ application window. That gives you roughly five months to identify a partner, scope a project, and prepare an application. Enough time if you start now.

IBD Partnership Group can support institutions through every stage: project scoping, partner identification, application support, logistics, welfare, and final reporting. Get in touch or register for one of our upcoming free webinars where we walk through the process in detail.

FAQ

Q: Can UK schools apply for both Erasmus+ and the Turing Scheme at the same time?
A: Yes. The two programmes are not mutually exclusive. UK institutions can run Turing-funded and Erasmus+-funded projects simultaneously, provided each application meets the respective programme’s requirements.

Q: Is Erasmus+ better than the Turing Scheme for UK schools?
A: For European mobility, Erasmus+ offers higher funding rates, longer grant periods, and inbound mobility that Turing does not provide. For non-European destinations, Turing remains the more suitable programme. IBD runs both and recommends institutions consider both depending on where they want to go and what they want to achieve.

Q: When do Erasmus+ applications open for UK institutions?
A: Applications are expected to open in November 2026 for projects running in the 2027/28 academic year. The British Council is expected to act as the UK National Agency.

Q: Do I need a partner school or employer abroad to apply for Erasmus+?
A: Yes. Erasmus+ requires a partner organisation in another eligible country, and the quality of that partnership is assessed as part of the application. IBD Partnership Group can help institutions identify and establish suitable partner relationships ahead of the application window.

Q: Will Erasmus+ allow foreign students to visit UK schools?
A: Yes. Unlike the Turing Scheme, Erasmus+ funds inbound mobility. UK schools can host students, teachers and young professionals from other Erasmus+ countries, with the visiting institution accessing funding on their side to cover the trip.

Q: Will the Turing Scheme end when Erasmus+ returns?
A: The UK government has not announced an end date for Turing. Both programmes are expected to run in parallel, with Turing covering global destinations and Erasmus+ focused on European mobility.