How to Apply for Erasmus Mundus Master Programs and Scholarship

Studying abroad is a grand opportunity that many youngsters aspire for. If you are looking to pursue a fully-funded master’s abroad, the Erasmus-Mundus Joint Master Degree Program is an ideal opportunity for you. Moreover, you will have the chance to pursue your degree in two or more countries (read the benefits of multi-location study abroad programs). The Erasmus Mundus program allows you to learn and develop yourself through new experiences in more than one European country. In this post, we will focus on how to apply for the Erasmus Mundus Master programs and the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship.

All You Need to Know about Erasmus Mundus Master Program

What is the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD) program?

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters are high-level and integrated study programs, at the master level. They are designed and delivered by an international partnership of higher education institutions (HEI).

They involve at least three HEI from three different countries, of which at least two must be the EU Member States and third countries associated with the Program.

List of Erasmus Mundus Master Programs

There are 146 programs on the Erasmus page and you are eligible to apply for a max of 3. Below are the new programs.

• Master Program in Advanced Materials Innovative Recycling
• Cartography – Mapping for a sustainable world
• ChEMoinformaticsplus – Artificial Intelligence in Chemistry
• Coastal Hazards – Risks, Climate Change Impacts, and Adaptation
• Master of Science in Coastal and Marine Engineering and Management
• CYBER: Joint Master in CYberspace, Behavior, and E-theRapy
• Erasmus Mundus Joint Master in Cybersecurity
• Sustainability in Agriculture, Food Production, and Food Technology in the Danube Region – Danube AgriFood Master
• European Master in Dynamics of Renewables-based Power Systems
• European Master in Law, Data and Artificial Intelligence
• Erasmus Mundus Master in Impact Entrepreneurship
• European Master in Migration and Intercultural Relations
• European Master in Advanced Structural Analysis and Design using Composite Materials
• Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies
• Governance & Administration of Leisure and Sports International Master
• International Masters in Environmental Technology and Engineering
• Masters in Islands and Sustainability
• EU-CONEXUS Joint Master Programme in Marine Biotechnology
• Master in Astrophysics and Space Science
• Erasmus Mundus Joint Master in Sustainable Mineral and Metal Processing Engineering
• Quantum Technologies and Engineering Erasmus Mundus Master
• QUAntum Research Master-level Education Network
• International Master in Sustainable Drug Discovery
• Sustainable Biomass and Bioproducts Engineering
• Transnational German Studies Erasmus Mundus Joint Master
• Techniques, Patrimoine, Territoires de l’Industrie : Histoire, Valorisation, Didactique

What is the Program Duration of the Erasmus Mundus Master Program?

1 – 2 years (60, 90, or 120 ECTS credits)

Who can Apply for the Erasmus Mundus Master Program?

Any student can apply, regardless of their country of origin, as long as they already have a Bachelor’s degree.

What is the Erasmus Mundus Master Program Fee?

€6,250 per semester (appx. INR 10 Lacs per year)

How to Apply for the Erasmus Mundus Master Program?

All students applying to the Master Course must complete the present application form in all its parts:

• The filled-in application form must be printed and signed.
• A scanned copy of the signed application form must be uploaded as a pdf file, together with all other requested accompanying documents.
• Files should be named with the applicant’s last and first name. Only electronic submissions are accepted.
• All official documents (like the Bachelor’s Diploma, the transcripts of exams, the passport, etc.) can be submitted as a scanned copy of the originals. Documents whose originals are not in the English language must be accompanied by a certified translation into English.

What are the Required Documents to Apply for Admission?

• Proof of English language proficiency
• A Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline
• CV / Resume
• Letter of Motivation (or Statement of Purpose)
• Recommendation letters
• Proving you have the financial resources to cover your costs if you do not qualify for the scholarship from EMJMD

How will your application be evaluated?

• Academic Track Record: 40 points (40% weightage)
• Overall CV (Research Experience, Relevant Work Experience, Publications, etc): 20 points (20% weightage)
• Letter of Motivation: 20 points (20% weightage)
• Recommendation Letters: 20 points (20% weightage)

The Selection Committee may decide to additionally interview some of the applicants if it deems it necessary to the selection process.

Application Evaluation – Phase 1

• Each member of the Selection Committee independently evaluates each application according to the above criteria, compiles a provisional ranking list, and transmits it to the Project Office, which will join all provisional ranking lists in a single document.
• The Selection Committee defines a score threshold, below which the quality of an application is considered insufficient for the applicant to participate in the Master’s program.

Application Evaluation – Phase 2

• The Selection Committee receives the overview document containing all provisional ranking lists and meets either in person or via video conference.
• During the meeting, the Selection Committee discusses first those cases where there are larger discrepancies in the evaluations of the individual members and those that are close to the established score threshold until a consensus evaluation is reached.
• The provisional ranking list is modified accordingly and the applications that fall above the threshold in the updated list are further discussed by the Selection Committee until the final ranking list is produced.
• In this phase, the Selection Committee may decide to proceed with an interview of some of the candidates, when deemed necessary for the compilation of the final ranking list. If this is the case, the concerned candidates will be invited by e-mail to the interview.
• The Selection Committee will choose the best-ranked students and will propose them for admission to the Master Program and to the available Erasmus Mundus scholarships, according to the Erasmus Mundus regulations.

Key dates

• Application round opens: October
• Application deadline: December
• Supporting documentation deadline: December
• Admissions results published: March
• The late application round opens in April
• Late application deadline (including supporting documents): April

All You Need to Know about Erasmus Mundus Scholarship

The Erasmus Mundus scholarship is sponsored by the European Union to the tune of 26.2 billion euros for a 7 year period and was designed to attract the best talents from around the world to Europe to help build Europe. And that is why, unlike other scholarships, this scholarship does not mandate you to return to your home country after your studies.

What does the Scholarship Cover?

This is a scholarship that covers your participation costs in the EMJMD. The scholarship will pay for:

• Tuition fees
• A monthly allowance of €1,100 – €1,400 (INR 88,000 – 1.1 Lacs per month) will be paid directly to the student for the whole duration of the participation in the Master course (up to a maximum of 24 months).
• Insurance
• Library or laboratory costs
• Other costs that are required in order to participate in your chosen Master’s degree

Terms and Conditions:

• Not more than 10% of the available scholarships can be awarded to students of the same nationality, except for the case of nationals of targeted regions of the world, for which some additional scholarships are available.
• Selected students in excess of the number of available scholarships will go to a reserve ranking list. They may be offered a scholarship in case of withdrawal of scholarship awardees.
• Candidates from the reserve list, who wish to participate as self-funded students (or who have access to other sources of funding) may be admitted to the Master course, in order of ranking, and up to the maximum total number of 30 participants (with or without scholarship) per course edition.
• A few self-funded students may be offered a fee waiver covering the participation fees. In addition, some support is available for covering the individual needs of enrolled students (with or without scholarship) with documented long-term disabilities.

How to Qualify for the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship?

• In order to receive this financial support, you have to first be admitted to one of the courses and then be selected for a scholarship. The amount will depend on the duration of the program and your country of origin.
• For example, students from non-EU countries will receive larger scholarships.
• A number of Erasmus Mundus Joint Master (EMJM) scholarships are funded by the European Union in the framework of the 2021 – 2027 Erasmus+ program.
• You need to score a minimum of 6.5 (overall) in IELTS or equivalent in Duolingo/TOEFL.

How to Apply for the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship?

• No separate application for scholarships is necessary.
• By submitting their application for admission to the Master’s program, candidates participate at the same time in the selection for the award of an EMJM scholarship.

Advantages

• Open to all nationalities
• No bond restriction to return to your study destination
• Since the start of the program in 2004, approx. 2,500 Indians have been selected for Erasmus Mundus scholarships. So, historically, a good success rate for Indian applicants.
• You could qualify for the scholarship despite a below-average CGPA (previously, there were scholarship recipients with a 2.5 to 3.0 CGPA).

With a huge budget of over INR 2,00,000 crore for the duration of 2021 to 2027, Erasmus Mundus presently has participation from 3,00,000 students and professionals from 167 countries. For the academic year 2022 – 2023, 161 Indian students (including 88 female applicants) received the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship. Read Indians Got Highest Number Of Erasmus Mundus Scholarships in 2022. Apart from Indians, Nigerian applicants are the second-most favorable scholarship recipients.

Erasmus Mundus Application Assistance: Review by Aman Raju

Aman (a final-year BS Physics & Astronomy Student) approached us to help with his application back in May this year (May 30 to be precise)

He was applying for the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree Program in Astrophysics and Space Science (MASS); the application deadline was June 6 (2022).

Ideally, you should apply between December and March. What worked for Aman, might not work for you.

Personally, I don’t prefer working on late applications (with a 1-2 week deadline). I think this is the 2nd time in the last 5 years at Stoodnt. Last time it was working on MS Computer Science in USA application.

However, I took this case because I found Aman a very motivated candidate with genuine passion.

Besides, I have always had a soft corner for Physics; especially, Astrophysics.

Below is the feedback from Aman.

Erasmus Mundus Master Application Review Feedback

Tanmoy: What made you contact Stoodnt and sign up for the Application Review service?

Aman: I contacted Stoodnt due to the pricing being less than other companies, the good reviews as compared to other services, and also the range of expertise that the Counselors on the website had.

Tanmoy: The entire process has been done remotely (via phone, Google Meet, or Email). Did you face any problems with the online/digital process?

Aman: I faced no problems with the process. In fact, I preferred it to the counseling that I had for my undergrad where I had to travel for half an hour to visit the counseling center.

Tanmoy: What’s your feedback on the Application Review service?

Aman: The process was very good and the feedback came through very fast and was detailed. I only had a week and managed to complete two reviews. For my undergrad, it took me a week to even hear back from one round with very poor feedback.

Tanmoy: Did you find the pricing worth it?

Aman: I find the pricing better as compared to other services. However, I think that if I had gone through the entire admissions process (end-to-end guidance), the pricing would be closer to or maybe more than other consulting services.

Tanmoy: Would you recommend your friends, relatives, or colleagues for such bite-size services (University Shortlisting or SoP/Essay Services)?

Aman: I would recommend them to bite-size services if they are clear in their expectations and goals for the admissions process. If they are unclear, I would recommend a more guided and longer process.

Check out our SoP Services for MS Applications.

Tanmoy: According to you, are these bite-size services a good idea as they are in the price range of $65 – $250; whereas end-to-end guidance packages are in the range of $450 – $1,000 (by Stoodnt and other firms)?

Aman: I believe that they are as these services can serve those who do not want a long and formal process when they can research background for themselves.

The SoP review or resume review is the most important part of the application and some may just want help with that part.

Erasmus Mundus Scholarship 2023-24 application deadline

The deadline for the Erasmus Mundus scholarship application may vary according to the program that you apply to, but the last date for application submission is expected to be in March 2023.

References: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.