In Last December, the British government led by Boris Johnson announced that it was abandoning the Erasmus Exchange Program. It has been replaced by the Alan Turing program in place since 12 March. However, this controversy holds strong: less leniency with British students who will go on to study abroad also does not help European students enrolling in a British university.
“The new Erasmus program will not cover tuition, travel or living expenses,” the daily explains. FreeFollowing the publication by the Ministry of Education of a guide for universities. The British Prime Minister however predicted “leveling at the top” for the event, thanks to the event being over £ 100 million, equivalent to over 120 million euros.
Many British media have raised this matter, particularly HeraldIn Glasgow. According to Max Fraas, a researcher at the London School of Economics, interviewed by the daily, “living expenses with the Alan Turing program would be significantly lower: £ 490 [570 euros] 630 pounds against [736 euros] With Erasmus. In addition, tuition fees will not be covered, along with the Erasmus course being free. The researcher also mentions assistance for travel costs, now reserved for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
An ambitious project, but insufficient funds
Reservations had already been expressed about the Alan Turing program. Free Explains that “Ministers were not able to convince that a program costing only £ 100 million is going to finance 35,000 students living abroad – for a total budget of £ 2,850 [3 300 euros] Per participant ”, during a presentation. This will hurt students on both sides of the channel as the UK economy. According to calculations done in 2020, European students in UK universities fetched as much as £ 243 million per year.
