The Turing Scheme replaced Erasmus+ following the UK’s exit from the European Union. According to a media release issued by the UK government, the programme offers students the remarkable opportunity to study in more than 150 countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan, Thailand and South Africa. More than 130 universities, including 116 further education providers, and 70 schools will receive a funding amount of £105 million to facilitate The Turing Scheme.
Exciting Destinations
This year, projects include digital technology students from New Bridge College in Oldham travelling to Chicago to visit the Apple Headquarters in a bid to inspire and support future career goals.
TravelEdventures have also conducted some great Turing Scheme projects in 2022 already. We have had groups visiting Australia and groups going to the Yellowstone National Park in the USA, as well as many destinations in Europe such as Valencia, Barcelona, Malta, Athens and Vienna.
Helping Disadvantaged Students
Next year, the Scheme is expected to include cultural exchanges with Japan, Mauritius, South Korea, and Nepal for a university where 83% of the students come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The reciprocal nature of Erasmus+ meant that fee differences between universities taking part were not accounted for, this helped the prospect of studying in the UK, (where fees are notoriously high) to become more “attractive” for foreign students.
The Differences Between The Turing Scheme and Erasmus+
According to Euronews, unlike Erasmus+, The Turing Scheme is not set up to create reciprocal arrangements. For British students, there also several notable differences between The Turing Scheme and its European predecessor, Erasmus+.
Firstly, unlike Erasmus+, (which was mostly centred around Europe), The Turing Scheme offers funding to students to go further. Locations are divided based on the cost of living, into high, medium and low-cost categories.
So, if you travel to a designated "high-cost" place, such as Australia, Canada or Switzerland, you will receive more money than for a "medium-cost" place, such as France or Sweden.
In concrete terms, a student visiting a high-cost country for between four and eight weeks will receive £136 (€157) per week, or£380 (€439) per month for more than eight weeks. Under Erasmus+, Sweden and Scandinavian countries were placed in the "high-cost" category.
There is also a top-up available for people from disadvantaged backgrounds. A student from a disadvantaged background visiting a high-cost country for between four and eight weeks will receive £163.50 (€189.10) per week, or £490 (€566) per month if they are to be based there for more than eight weeks.
Assistance With Visas and Passports
Universities can also apply for extra help with additional costs, such as visas and passports, however, there are restrictions upon which institutions will receive this extra funding, so not every student classed as "disadvantaged" will be able to access this help.
However, unlike Erasmus+, which sets out budgets for six or seven years at a time, Turing participants must apply for funding on an annual basis, meaning that the number of students an institution can send abroad each year will fluctuate.
Unlike before Brexit, students with a British passport must apply for a long-term visa to live in a Schengen state for more than 90 days in a 180-day period, an often-costly process requiring proof of economic solvency, which many students do not have.
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