Leaving the EU could mean an end to Erasmus

British students may no longer have access to the Erasmus+ exchange programme if Britain votes to leave the EU.

Universities UK said access to the programme would have to be negotiated separately, and there were no guarantees participation would be possible.

A spokesperson told The Tab: “Outside the EU we would have to negotiate access to the Erasmus+ exchange programme. Even if the UK could negotiate access, the example of Switzerland whose participation in Erasmus+ has been suspended since a vote to limit freedom of movement shows that the status of an associated partner is fragile and depends on playing by EU rules.”

Sarah credits her year abroad in Spain with immensely improving her studies

Nearly 15,000 UK students use an Erasmus exchange programme every year according to a recent study. Sarah Westlake is currently in Barcelona on a year abroad. She told The Tab: “I’ve absolutely loved it. It’s such a liberal and cosmopolitan place, and the erasmus community out here is massive, as well as really diverse. Not only has it really helped my Spanish, but it’s made me a lot more independent and understanding of other cultures.

“Without the Erasmus grant, my year would have been very different. I wouldn’t have been able to experience as much as I have and gain as much from my time here. To be honest, I would have struggled to pay my rent.”

Celina Brar, a French and Italian student at Bristol, is due to go on an Erasmus placement to Paris next year and she said she’s worried about the Erasmus programme becoming limited or restricted in any way.

She said: “I’m looking at apartments in Paris now and I’m pretty much relying on the Erasmus grant to cover my rent, especially as both the countries I’ll be going to on my year abroad fall under the category of high cost of living countries.

“Speaking to students who have come back from the year abroad, the benefit of having the grant is to help cover rent and the cost of living in these places. The thought of having the grant taken away is pretty scary and it’ll be a shame because a lot of languages students won’t be able to afford to live in the cities they’re spending four years learning about.”

Should the UK have to re-negotiate their involvement in Erasmus, Universities UK said it would also potentially cost more money as well as limit Britain’s ability to influence the direction of the programme.

A spokesperson said: “It remains to be seen on what terms the UK could negotiate a different relationship with the remaining 27 member states and whether continued participation in EU funding programmes like Erasmus would, or could, be part of such an agreement.

“Any negotiated deal would mean that Britain would have to pay to participate and would have to comply with EU rules and regulations, but would lose out on influencing the shape and future of the programme.”

The EU referendum will be held on Thursday 23 June. For more information on the impact your vote could have on the university sector, click here.