What Erasmus+ actually funds in 2026/27 — a plain-English overview
If you've heard the words "Erasmus+" thrown around in staff meetings or club committee chats and quietly wondered what it actually pays for, you are very much not alone. The scheme has a reputation for being the preserve of universities and big colleges. The reality, in 2026/27, is broader and more useful than most UK organisations realise.
At its core, Erasmus+ — together with the UK's equivalent mobility funding — exists to pay the cost of sending people abroad to learn, train, teach or take part in structured group activity. That covers far more than just plane tickets.
Funding is built around a small number of unit costs that are paid per participant. Travel is reimbursed against distance bands. Daily subsistence is covered against country-group rates. Each participating organisation also receives an "organisational support" amount per person to cover the real cost of running the activity — administration, briefings, evaluation, the lot. There are top-ups available for inclusion (supporting participants with fewer opportunities), language preparation for longer stays, and course or registration fees where relevant.
Who can apply
In 2026/27, the door is open to UK further education colleges, schools (primary and secondary), and constituted grassroots sports clubs and youth organisations — alongside the universities you'd expect. The activities funded vary a little by sector, but the spine is the same: structured time abroad with a clear learning purpose, designed and delivered with one or more partner organisations overseas.
What it doesn't fund
Generic "holiday with a learning theme" trips don't get funded. One-week sightseeing tours dressed up as exchanges don't get funded. Activity that could equally be done at home, with no meaningful international dimension, doesn't get funded. The sharper your purpose, the easier the funding maths gets.
Three things that surprise first-time applicants
First, how much of the real cost the unit-cost system actually covers — most well-designed projects come close to full cost recovery.
Second, how much weight assessors put on partnership quality versus headline numbers. A small, well-run 12-participant project with a credible partner can score as well as a 200-participant programme.
Third, how early you need to start: the typical successful applicant begins partnership conversations four to six months before the deadline, not four to six weeks.
We've put the full picture — including indicative budgets per activity type, key 2026/27 dates, and the six myths we hear most often — into a 10-page Funding Map you can download below. If you'd rather talk through whether your organisation fits the picture before reading anything, a 30-minute discovery call is the fastest way in.