Guidance

Overview of the Turing Scheme, 2025 to 2026

Published 20 January 2025

The Turing Scheme offers education providers the opportunity to apply for funding to support their students with study and work placements around the world.

Funding is open to organisations in the UK and British overseas territories from across the education and training sector, including:

• schools
• further education (FE) providers
• higher education (HE) providers

There is more information on applying for Turing Scheme funding.

Students taking part in Turing Scheme placements must be receiving their education or training from an eligible organisation in the UK or British overseas territories.

Students do not need to be UK nationals to take part. They must be located in the UK or a British overseas territory, and studying at the organisation which receives Turing Scheme funding, or studying at an organisation which is part of a consortium application.

The scheme is managed by the Department for Education (DfE). An independent organisation will assess applications.

Purpose and aims

Funding through the Turing Scheme allows education providers to give their students the opportunity to:

• develop their skills
• gain international experience
• boost their employability

Students can also develop their language skills and a deeper understanding of other cultures.

For the 2025 to 2026 academic year, the Turing Scheme is designed to meet the aims of:

• enhancing skills
• advancing social justice
• ensuring value for money

Enhancing skills

Turing Scheme projects should offer career-building opportunities and provide strong educational outcomes. They should give students the hard and soft skills that employers look for, whether they are on an academic or technical route.

Advancing social justice

Turing Scheme projects should support social mobility and expand international opportunities for students across the UK and British overseas territories, particularly for those who might not otherwise get the chance to study and work abroad.

Additional Turing Scheme funding is available for students from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds, and those with special educational or additional needs and disabilities (SEND). Providers should show how placements will benefit those students and address the barriers faced by them in their application.

Ensuring value for money

You should ensure that your Turing Scheme projects use funding effectively to enhance students’ skills and improve their education outcomes.

The Turing Scheme’s application process rewards applicants who can show how they will ensure value for money for the UK taxpayer in the way that they manage their projects.  

To help deliver better value for money, we are giving providers more flexibility in how they use travel funding, and providing clearer guidelines on what organisational costs can be funded.

Supporting other government priorities 

The Turing Scheme is part of our long-term ambition to support student international mobility.

The scheme:

• encourages international engagement and new relationships
• enhances existing partnerships
• helps forge new relationships for the UK

Eligible providers

Schools, FE and HE providers are eligible to apply for Turing Scheme funding if they are:

• registered or recognised in the UK or British overseas territories
• responsible for delivering education or training to the students going on placements

In accordance with HM Treasury’s guidance on managing public money and the Government Functional Standard for grants, applicants must be financially viable and have the delivery capability to be approved for Turing Scheme funds.

Turing Scheme funds cannot be used towards the activities of Confucius Institutes.

Consortium partnerships

Schools and FE providers may partner with other providers from their sector and apply for funding as a consortium. A limited number of other organisation types may join the consortium if they are acting in the coordinating role.

There is more information on the role of consortiums for schools and FE providers.

Available funding

Turing Scheme funding is a contribution towards the costs of international educational placements. In most cases, it is provided on a per-student basis.

Funding is available for:

• travel costs for one return journey between the UK or British overseas territory the provider is in and the destination the placement takes place in, including transfers
• contributions to living costs
• organisational support
• passports, visa application fees, vaccines, medical certificates and travel insurance for disadvantaged students (known as readiness to travel funding)
• language learning for students on FE placements
• specialist support for students with SEND – including students with additional learning needs (ALN) in Wales and additional support needs (ASN) in Scotland
• staff accompanying students on school and FE placements

Different funding amounts are available depending on:

• whether a student is at school, in FE or HE
• whether a student is from a disadvantaged background, or has special educational or additional needs or a disability
• where the student intends to travel
• how long the placement is expected to last

Travel funding is provided at a set rate for each destination country or territory.

Where actual travel costs are below the suggested rate, providers can use the difference to pay for travel costs in other placements.

The way we allocate funding to successful schools and FE providers has changed for the 2025 to 2026 academic year.

There is more information on the funding available for schools, further education providers and higher education providers.

How Turing Scheme funding can be used

As Turing Scheme funding is intended to be a contribution towards the cost of placements, you can also give students additional funding from other sources for costs that are not met by the scheme. You will not need to report this funding to DfE.

Turing Scheme funding should not be used for activities that have already been funded by another source, such as from a local authority, student finance or devolved government.

Funding awarded for the 2025 to 2026 academic year can only be used within that academic year and you must return any unused funds to DfE. Funds cannot be rolled over to the next academic year.

You must:

• regularly report how much of this funding you spend
• retain evidence of spending
• be prepared to provide a detailed breakdown of this on request

If your application is successful you will need to submit a detailed plan before you can receive funding. The plan must include:

• how you intend to use it
• the date by which you need to have successfully delivered the placements

You will be monitored against this plan.

Successful applicants will receive detailed guidance on how they can use their funding, and what evidence they will need to collect.

There is more information on how schools, FE providers and HE providers can use funding.

Complaints

Complaints can be made by education providers, consortium coordinators, students and members of the public who have interacted with us.

You can submit formal complaints to DfE at any time in relation to any stage of the application or project lifecycle by contacting us.