The Erasmus Mundus Scholarship

How can you attend a European university without paying a cent for tuition? There are numerous scholarship programs available, offering students grants for living expenses and free tuition in Europe. One such program is Erasmus Mundus.

Erasmus Plus is a one-semester exchange program for undergraduate and graduate students.

Erasmus Mundus, on the other hand, is a grant that enables citizens from any country to study in Europe for free in graduate programs.

In other words, Erasmus Mundus is a comprehensive two-year master’s program abroad, with the entire cost covered by the scholarship.

Benefits of Erasmus Mundus

Erasmus Mundus offers more than just coverage of education costs. A unique feature of the program is the joint diplomas. Over the course of two years, students graduate from not just one, but several foreign universities located in different European Union countries and, in some cases, even outside the EU.

Under the Erasmus program, European universities form consortia to create educational programs that involve student rotations between multiple institutions. As a result, each student attends at least two universities, studying for a minimum of one semester at each.

Upon completing a final paper, the scholarship recipient receives a joint diploma bearing the marks of all the universities in their program. In some instances, diplomas may even include four foreign universities, depending on the number of times the graduate changed universities during their studies.

Another advantage is that all programs are taught in English. Additionally, Erasmus does not require master’s students to return to their home countries after graduation. Graduates are allowed to stay in the EU, an opportunity not provided by all major scholarship programs.

As an Erasmus Mundus student, you will travel to different countries, broaden your knowledge and cultural experiences, and meet new people from around the world, all while your expenses are covered by the scholarship.

The Erasmus Mundus program pays the student:

• Two years of graduate study – from €9000 per year for most educational programs
• Travel and transportation costs
• Visits to libraries, laboratories and other facilities
• Purchases of textbooks and supplies
• Visa costs
• Health insurance
• Accommodation in the country of study

In addition, the student receives a monthly stipend of €1000 for personal expenses. The stipend amount will be reduced if the student has studied, worked or lived in Europe for at least one year, including periods, in the 5 years prior to application.

Since 2023, there are programs that do not cover the flight to the country of study, but pay a monthly stipend of 1400 euros. 

Important: If the participant of the program does not finish his studies, he is obliged to return the full amount of the grant.

Who can apply for the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship

Applicants who wish to participate in the scholarship program undergo a single competitive selection process within the Erasmus Mundus field. The requirements for all are the same:

• Completed Bachelor’s or Master’s degree (for those graduating in the current year, it is sufficient to attach to the application a certificate from the university);
• Good academic standing, as demonstrated by a high GPA;
• Letter of Motivation;
• Letters of Recommendation;
• Resume (CV);
• Depending on the major you choose, optional requirements may include:
• Certificates confirming participation in extracurricular activities: volunteering, winning contests and sports competitions, participation in conferences, research activities, etc.;
• work in the specialty with a cumulative experience of 6 months or more;
• language certificates.

Erasmus Mundus Participating Universities

There are now 31 countries participating in the Erasmus Mundus program. Here are some of the universities that have master’s students in various majors on the scholarship:

• Technical University of Milan, Italy (Politecnico di Milano)
• Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway (NTNU)
• University of Copenhagen, Denmark
• Clermont Auvergne University, France
• TU Dortmund University, Germany
• Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, Germany (LMU Munich)
• Lund University, Sweden
• The University of Manchester, UK
• The University of Haifa, Israel
• University of Coimbra, Portugal (Universidade de Coimbra)

An online catalog of degree programs and European universities you can apply to can be found here. Programs can be filtered by country, major, length of study and keywords. 

Applying for an Erasmus Scholarship

Let’s consider the most popular question: how to apply to a European university for free on an Erasmus Scholarship? The application process can be divided into three steps.

1. Preparation of documents

The application requires:

• A diploma of higher education (bachelor’s degree);
• If the candidate is still studying at the time of application – a certificate from the university;
• 2-3 letters of recommendation;
• A free-form motivation letter explaining your choice;
• CV with information about education and previous jobs;
• transcript, i.e. information on all courses studied in the university with the number of credits and grades;
• A copy of your passport.

2. Submitting the application online

In order to participate in the first stage of the selection process, applicants must complete an online scholarship application form. It can be found on the official website of the European Commission. There you will also find detailed information about the application package with all the requirements for the application form.

The completed application form must be accompanied by digitized documents in electronic form.

3. Sending paper copies of documents by mail

After reviewing the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship applications, the Admissions Committee sends notifications to the applicants. They communicate the final decision on the grant award.

If the application is approved, the applicant must send the collected package of documents in paper form to the postal address received. It is not possible to send originals: the documents remain in the possession of the organization, so notarized copies are required.

Conclusion

Erasmus Mundus scholarship programs provide grants for both exchange study and full admission to graduate school. International students can receive full reimbursement of the cost of the educational program, a housing allowance, as well as a double degree from top foreign universities.

A huge number of students dream of entering a European university for free, but not everyone knows: this is not a dream, but a reality. And we are already living it!