The UK rejoins Erasmus+ from January 2027 and the application window opens in November 2026. For schools, colleges, youth organisations and adult education providers that have never applied before, the process can feel unfamiliar. This guide walks through every step, from checking your eligibility to submitting your application and what happens after.

This is a pillar guide in IBD’s series on Erasmus+ funding in the UK. For institution-specific eligibility guidance, see the full guide on who can apply by institution type.

Step 1: Check your eligibility

Erasmus+ is open to a wide range of UK institutions. Eligibility is based on whether your organisation is a recognised education, training or youth body, not on size, funding model or governance structure. The following institution types are all eligible:

• State, independent, and private schools
• Faith schools of any denomination
• Academy schools, free schools and multi-academy trusts
• FE colleges, sixth forms, VET providers and apprenticeship organisations
• Youth organisations, sports clubs and community organisations
• Adult education providers, ESOL providers and community learning organisations
• Universities and higher education institutions

If your organisation delivers structured education, training or youth work and is legally registered in the UK, you are almost certainly eligible. The programme is not limited to large institutions. Small community organisations apply successfully alongside large multi-academy trusts.

Step 2: Register your Organisation ID

Every organisation applying for Erasmus+ funding needs an active Organisation ID, known as an OID, registered on the EU Funding and Tenders portal. This is a one-time registration that identifies your organisation in the EU system and is required before you can submit any application.

If your organisation applied for Erasmus+ before the UK left the programme in 2021, your OID may still be active. Log in to the EU Funding and Tenders portal to check. If it has expired or if you have never registered, the process is straightforward and free. You will need your organisation’s legal name, registered address, legal form and a bank account in your organisation’s name.

Allow at least two to three weeks for OID registration to be processed before the application window opens. Do not leave this until October.

Step 3: Decide which Key Action applies to you

Erasmus+ is organised into Key Actions. For most schools, colleges and youth organisations, the relevant one is Key Action 1.

Key Action 1 — Learning mobility

KA1 funds individuals and groups going abroad for structured educational activity. This covers work placements for students, study visits for school groups, job shadowing for teachers and staff, professional training courses and short-term group exchanges. KA1 is the most accessible entry point for organisations applying for the first time.

Key Action 2 — Cooperation partnerships

KA2 funds multi-organisation projects where institutions from at least three different programme countries work together on a defined collaborative project over two to three years. This might involve joint curriculum development, shared practitioner training frameworks or transnational research. KA2 offers larger grants but requires more substantial administrative capacity and is better suited to organisations with existing international relationships.

KA1 Accreditation

For organisations planning sustained, multi-year KA1 programmes rather than one-off projects, Erasmus+ Accreditation provides a simplified application route and more predictable funding. Accredited organisations apply once for a multi-year accreditation rather than submitting a new application each year. The deadline for KA1 Accreditation for the 2027 cycle is 29 September 2026. If you are planning a long-term international programme, this deadline requires action now.

Higher education institutions only — ECHE

Universities and higher education institutions also need an Erasmus Charter for Higher Education to access HE mobility funding. The ECHE deadline for the 2027 cycle was 24 March 2026. Institutions that missed this cannot access HE mobility funding in 2027. Schools, FE colleges, VET providers and youth organisations do not need an ECHE.

If you are unsure which Key Action is right for your organisation, IBD Partnership Group can help you identify the most appropriate funding strand for your goals. Get in touch here.

Step 4: Identify a partner organisation abroad

Erasmus+ KA1 applications require a named partner organisation in the destination country. This is the school, employer, training organisation or host institution where your participants will go. The quality of the partnership is assessed as part of your application, so a confirmed, well-matched partner is significantly stronger than a planned one.

Your partner needs to be in an Erasmus+ programme country. From January 2027 this includes all 27 EU member states plus a number of associated countries. The UK is now one of those associated countries, which means European institutions can name the UK as a destination and UK institutions can send participants to Europe.

Finding the right partner takes time. For work placements, your partner is an employer in the destination country who can provide a meaningful professional experience in your students’ sector. For study visits and group mobility, your partner is a school or educational institution that can host your group and provide structured educational content. For job shadowing, your partner is a school or organisation where your staff can observe and exchange ideas.

IBD Partnership Group operates hosting destinations in Portsmouth, London, Brighton, Southampton, Cork, Limerick and Valencia, and works with a network of partner organisations across Europe. For outbound projects, we can help identify the right partner for your specific sector and objectives.

Step 5: Define your project and learning objectives

Before writing your application, you need a clear project definition. The application asks what you want to achieve, not just what you plan to do. Erasmus+ assessors evaluate applications on the quality of learning objectives and how well the proposed activities connect to them.

A strong project definition answers these questions specifically:

• Who is going? How many participants, from which year group or cohort, with what background?
• Where are they going and for how long?
• What will they do when they get there, day by day?
• What specific skills, knowledge or competencies will they develop?
• How does that connect to your institution’s curriculum or development priorities?
• How will you measure whether the project achieved what it set out to do?
• How will participants share what they learned with colleagues or the wider school on return?

Vague answers produce weak applications. “Students will develop cultural awareness and improve their language skills” is not a learning objective. “Students on our Level 3 Business programme will spend three weeks in a professional office environment in Valencia, developing workplace communication skills in English, gaining direct exposure to international business practice and producing a reflective portfolio assessed against their qualification framework” is.

The specificity does not need to be exhaustive at application stage, but it needs to be convincing. Assessors can tell the difference between an organisation that has thought carefully about what it wants to achieve and one that has filled in the boxes.

Step 6: Calculate your budget

Erasmus+ grants are calculated using unit costs set by the European Commission, updated annually. You do not submit invoices or receipts; you receive a grant based on the number of participants, their destination and the duration of the mobility. The main components are:

Travel costs are calculated per participant based on distance from your organisation to the destination, using the EU distance calculator. Rates range from roughly €20 for short distances up to €1,500 for the longest journeys.

Individual support covers accommodation and subsistence per participant per day. Rates vary by destination country. For destinations in the UK, Ireland and Spain, rates start from €79 per participant per day.

Organisational support is a per-participant contribution towards your coordination, preparation and documentation costs, up to €500 per participant.

Inclusion support provides additional funding for participants with fewer opportunities, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with disabilities or facing other barriers to participation. This is on top of standard rates and can add significantly to the total grant for organisations working with these groups.

Exceptional costs cover specific additional expenses that cannot be met from standard grant rates, such as specialist support for participants with disabilities or high visa costs.

The EU Funding and Tenders portal includes a grant calculator that produces an indicative budget based on your project parameters. Use this early in your planning to understand what your project will realistically attract before you build the budget.

Step 7: Submit your application

UK applications are submitted through the British Council as the UK National Agency. The British Council previously held this role from 2014 to 2020, administering around €1.1 billion in funding across more than 8,000 projects and 580,000 participants. They are expected to publish detailed guidance, application forms and supporting materials when the portal opens in autumn 2026.

The application is submitted online through the EU Funding and Tenders portal using your OID. You will need to complete the application form, attach any required supporting documents and submit before the deadline. For the 2027 cycle, the application window is expected to open in November 2026 and close in February 2027.

Key things to have ready before the portal opens:

• Active OID for your organisation
• Confirmed partner organisation with their OID
• Draft project description with clear learning objectives
• Indicative budget based on participant numbers and destination
• Any supporting documentation required by the British Council guidance

Step 8: After submission

Applications are assessed by the British Council against the programme’s quality criteria, which cover the relevance of the project, the quality of the project design, the quality of the project team and implementation arrangements, and the impact and dissemination plans.

Results are typically communicated several months after the application deadline. Successful organisations receive a grant agreement from the British Council, which sets out the terms of the funding, the reporting requirements and the payment schedule. Grant payments are usually made in instalments: an advance payment at the start of the project and a final payment on approval of the final report.

During the project, you will be expected to maintain records of activities, collect participant feedback and track outcomes against your stated objectives. At the end of the project, you submit a final report to the British Council summarising what was achieved, supported by evidence including participant testimonials and where relevant photographic documentation.

Europass Mobility certificates should be issued to every participant. These are formal European documents that record the skills and competencies developed during the mobility and are recognised by employers and institutions across Europe. IBD Partnership Group produces Europass Mobility certificates for all participants on projects we host.

Key dates for the 2027 application cycle

• 29 September 2026 — KA1 Accreditation deadline for organisations wanting sustained multi-year funding
• Autumn 2026 — British Council publishes guidance and the application portal opens
• November 2026 — Application window expected to open
• February 2027 — Application window expected to close
• January 2027 — UK participation in Erasmus+ begins
• Second half 2027 — First funded mobilities start

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