On 22 February 2023 the APPG for International Students held an event on international student exchange, exploring the opportunities and barriers to supporting students from the UK and overseas to study or intern for short periods in another country.
Bringing together students currently on exchange in the UK, UK students who had experienced a period of mobility abroad, and representatives from the UK and European HE and FE sectors, this roundtable explored the current landscape for student exchange following the UK Government’s decision not to participate in the Erasmus successor programme and launch of the UK Turing Scheme in 2021.
The UK now has two national mobility schemes, Turing and Taith, which have created a raft of opportunities for UK students to work and study abroad, and a framework for UK Higher Education providers to continue to operate student exchange with overseas partners. In its second year, the Turing Scheme has concluded one project cycle and produced a cohort of students and education providers with experience of participating in the programme. The Taith scheme, a Welsh government initiative, allows for both UK students to study abroad and for overseas students to come to Wales.
This roundtable looked to answer the question, where do we go from here? What are the opportunities and barriers to student mobility through exchange? And how can we create more partnerships to give a wider population of students the opportunity to study abroad?
The roundtable was organised with the support of UUKi, part of Universities UK, which is a membership organisation representing 140 UK universities. Increasing opportunities for UK students to gain an international experience and ensuring the UK remains an attractive place for overseas staff and students to work and study are core policy priorities.