Erasmus Masters Funding

Erasmus offers a range of funding options for students who want to study a Masters abroad, including support for short international placements and Joint Masters Degrees across participating European countries.

In this guide, I’ll explain the different types of Erasmus Masters funding available, how each scheme works and who’s eligible.

Erasmus funding is organised into phases, with specific budgets, objectives and initiatives. Erasmus+ is the name for the most recent phase, running from 2021 to 2027.

Many existing activities have been 'inherited' by Erasmus+. These include the Joint Masters Degrees previously offered under the Erasmus Mundus programme.

The current phase of Erasmus+ builds on the principles of the current programme and nearly doubles its budget.

Erasmus+ Joint Masters Degrees are run by consortia of universities in different countries.

Each participating institution contributes some of its expertise or facilities to the programme. Some will host you as an international student and deliver parts of your course. Others will send scholars to help teach and train you or give you access to unique academic resources.

As a result, you’ll be at the centre of an international circle of international expertise in your subject area, receiving a unique postgraduate experience that quite simply isn’t available anywhere else. And you might not even have to pay for it.

Unlike other study abroad opportunities, a Joint Masters isn’t based in any one specific country. The clue’s in the name, after all. Instead, you’ll spend time in at least two different countries - possibly more.

Most of your degree will probably be based in Europe as this is where the Erasmus Programme Countries that lead Joint Degrees are based. You may also spend time further afield however – particularly if non-European Partner Countries contribute to your programme.

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree scholarships

Each approved Joint Degree programme is allocated enough money for a set of Masters scholarships.

The amount you can apply for depends on your nationality and the expenses involved in travelling to and from different host institutions.

Erasmus Mundus funding can include:

• A tuition fee scholarship of up to €4,500 per year (for students from Programme Countries) or €9,000 per year (for students from Partner Countries). In both cases these are essentially full scholarships. Any remaining fees are to be covered by institutions.
• A maintenance allowance of up to €1,000 per month, for up to 24 months. This is designed to support periods of study mobility and will not usually be paid when a student is based in their country of origin.
• A travel grant of up to €3,000 per year, depending in a student’s home location and the costs they incur as part of their programme
• A contribution to installation costs of up to €1,000. This is only available to students from Partner Countries, to help cover the initial cost of relocating for study.

Each programme will normally have around 20 awards available per year. Some of these are reserved for applicants from Partner Countries.

Who is eligible for Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree funding?

Students from all countries are eligible to enrol on EMJMD programmes and receive funding. However, some scholarships may be reserved for students from Partner Countries – see above.

Additional eligibility criteria are as follows:

• You should be studying full-time. Joint Masters Degrees are not usually designed to be completed on a part-time basis.
• You will need to hold an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject area. The collaborative and potentially interdisciplinary nature of EMJMDs means that criteria for determining relevant disciplines may be quite broad. Your prospective programme should be able to clarify its requirements. Appropriate professional or vocational experience may be accepted in place of an undergraduate degree.
• You must not receive other EU funding. This includes other grants offered by the Erasmus programme.
• You must not have received a previous scholarship for an Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree (or Erasmus Mundus Masters Course).

Unlike Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree scholarships or Masters Degree Loans, grants for mobility support don’t fund students to complete full degree programmes.

Instead, they provide support for shorter periods of study or training in another country. You can earn credits towards an existing course of study during these placements, but they don’t award a specific qualification themselves.

An Erasmus+ Mobility placement can be a great option if you are already enrolled on a Masters in your current country of residence, but want to access specialist training, facilities or other opportunities in another country.

You can receive funding to study at a foreign institution for a short period (such as a single semester) or to undertake an international training placement.

Erasmus+ study placements last for between 3 and 12 months and must take place within recognised higher education institutions.

Your current university will usually have an existing inter-institutional agreement with these. Study placements can take place in any Erasmus Programme Country or Partner Country.

Erasmus+ traineeships last for between 2 and 12 months. They must take place within appropriate organisations offering professional training and expertise related to your field of study. You can be based in any Erasmus Programme Country.

You are allowed to complete multiple mobility placements, provided you have approval from your home institution to do so as part of your degree programme.

The only restriction on combining multiple placements concerns the total amount of time you spend studying or training abroad.

Combinations of study and / or training placements cannot exceed a total of 12 months during any one degree programme. This restriction will usually apply regardless of the length of your degree; even if your Masters lasts for two years, you cannot spend more than 12 months of it on Erasmus+ mobility placements.

Application process

You should apply for Erasmus+ mobility funding at your current university.

In most cases its international office will arrange Erasmus partnerships and handle the selection of candidates. Selection criteria will depend on the institutions in question, but will usually take into account academic performance and suitability.

You may be asked to provide a statement describing the importance of the placement to your degree programme.

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