Expanding Horizons: Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Program Guide for Middle East Students 2023

Erasmus Mundus scholarship program is an esteemed initiative introduced by the European Commission to help students worldwide access the best education in world-renowned universities. This scholarship program is set to open the doors toward a bright and successful future for Middle Eastern students.

The program helps foster cultural exchange opportunities among students from different parts and areas of the world, expanding the horizons for opportunities and growth.

Let’s look at the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship program, its benefits, and how to apply:

• What is the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program
• How many scholarships are awarded
• Which countries offer education and internship under the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program
• What are the eligible areas and regions
• What are the benefits granted under the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program
• How much scholarship is granted
• What is the duration of the Erasmus Mundus scholarship
• Which programs are available
• What are the benefits for the Middle Eastern Students
• Who is eligible to apply for the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program
• What are the Scholarship requirements
• How much CGPA is required to be eligible for Erasmus Mundus scholarship
• What is the age limit to apply for the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship program
• Do’s and Don’ts of the application process
• How to apply for the program

What is the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program?

The Erasmus Mundus scholarship program is an initiative started by the European Commission in 2004. It was named after the Dutch philosopher Desiderius Erasmus who was well known for his eagerness and contribution to education and cultural exchange. This program honors his efforts and his zeal.

The program aims to foster a sense of cooperation among education institutions in Europe and their counterparts in other regions of the world. It promotes understanding, intercultural dialogue and broadens the horizons for enthusiasts from all over the world.

How many scholarships are awarded

The number of scholarships granted varies depending on the course, the study program, the academic level of the candidate, and the nationality. Roughly 3000 students will be awarded scholarships under the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program in 2023-24.

Which countries offer education and internship under the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program

The program countries which offer education and internship under the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program are as follows.

• Austria
• Belgium
• France
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Estonia
• Finland
• Germany
• Denmark
• Bulgaria
• Greece
• Malta
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Hungary
• Poland
• Spain
• Croatia
• Luxembourg
• Netherlands
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Sweden

What are the eligible areas and regions

• Students from any part of the world belonging to any region can apply for the Master’s program and Ph.D. under the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Program.
• Candidates who have yet to achieve any Erasmus Mundus scholarship can apply. Candidates with scholarships from the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program cannot apply.
• The candidates who have not stayed for more than 12 months in one of the eligible European countries over the last 5 years can apply.
• When applying for the Erasmus Mundus scholarship, there are two types of countries concerned: the program countries and the partner countries. The program countries are EU member states and are associated with the program. The partner countries are not associated with the program. Most scholarships are given to students belonging to the second category.

What are the program and the partner countries

Program Countries:

Austria, United Kingdom, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech, Republic, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, France, Sweden, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Norway, Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, Iceland, Lithuania,  Portugal, Poland, Turkey, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Serbia, and Romania.

Partner Countries:

Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Tunisia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, India Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand and Vietnam.

What are the benefits granted under the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program

Under the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program following benefits are given to the candidates who are selected for scholarships:

What are the benefits granted under the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program

Under the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program following benefits are given to the candidates who are selected for scholarships:

• Full tuition fee waiver
• A monthly stipend for the international students for installation and living costs
• The scholarship doesn’t cover visa expenses. They will have to be covered by the candidate.
• Candidates will receive travel allowances to travel to other countries
• The candidates will be granted round-trip airfare
• The candidates can explore 3-4 European countries for free.
• The candidate will be provided the opportunity to study in different European countries.
• The travel and installation stipend will be given to the candidate in two installments. The living stipend will be granted every month.
• Health insurance is covered under the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program

How much scholarship is granted

The selected candidates receive up to 1000-1200 EUR  for living costs each month for their entire duration of education, which makes up 12, 18, or 24 months, depending upon the program chosen, fee waiver, and 7000€ contribution to the travel and installation cost.

What is the duration of the Erasmus Mundus scholarship

The Erasmus Mundus scholarship lasts for the entirety of the Master’s program or Ph.D. program, which lasts about 1 to 2 academic years. The graduate either gets a joint degree from multiple universities attended or multiple degrees, I.e., at least two-degree certificates offered by two high education universities.

Which programs are available

• The Erasmus Mundus scholarship catalog containing a list of all the programs is regularly updated. It contains a list of approximately 170 active programs, which are spread over about 400 different universities.
• The catalog contains courses and degrees for postgraduate student exchange programs from about 16 fields, including Chemistry, Art, Information Science, Political science, Engineering and Medicine, Health and Welfare, Humanities and Art, literature, Agriculture and Veterinary, and more.
• The candidate can select from the wide and varying list of programs which will contain information about the respective course’s structure, objectives, outcomes, and requirements.
• The candidate can do a one-year exchange program in one of the European Universities of Erasmus, which are present throughout Europe.

What are the benefits for the Middle Eastern Students

Studying abroad under a scholarship program that allows students to explore different counties helps them experience new cultures and broaden their worldviews. The students can enrich their lives with knowledge of different regions of the world and adventures that shape their personalities and help them grow.

Middle Eastern students become a part of a huge community of international students, opening doors for a wide range of opportunities as the student gains familiarity with different cultures and languages of the region.

Who is eligible to apply for the Erasmus Mundus scholarship program

• Candidates with Bachelor’s degrees from a recognized institution in their country/region. The candidates with an equivalent qualification in the study area they desire to pursue further.
• The candidates who have yet to graduate can still qualify for the scholarship program if they are in the last year of their Bachelor’s program. The condition is that students must graduate before their study in the scholarship institute starts. The student must upload their diploma before January 15.

What are the Scholarship requirements

• The candidate must have a Degree and Transcripts at the ready.
• Two letters of recommendation are required, but the format differs for different programs. The candidate must check with the program instructions to check for the requirements. At least one of the letters has to be an academic reference. The second one may or may not be an academic reference from any previous employee.

• A motivation letter is required and is a must, but the requirements for the letter vary, Therefortherefore the candidate must check with the program.
• IELTS/TOEFL is also a requirement. 6.5 bands overall is the minimum requirement.
• A CV in European format is required.
• A passport
• A digital passport-sized photo
• Proof of residency is to be provided. This is essential to prove that the applicant is a permanent resident of the country the applicant is applying from. It is also required to prove that the candidate hasn’t lived in the European country he/she is applying to for one or more years.
• There is no need to contact any professor. The candidate must review the program details and apply after careful consideration.
• No work experience is required.
• Plan of Research
• Study plan
• There is no restriction on age.
• Students with relatively low CGPA must add experiences like training, job experiences, and research papers to the profile.
• The students are allowed to apply for three different programs.

How much CGPA is required to be eligible for Erasmus Mundus scholarship

There is no perfect answer to this question. Students with low GPAs starting from 2.4-2.5 can also get awarded this scholarship. Still, they must add other factors to their application, including internship experience, certifications, online courses, and work experience.

What is the age limit to apply for the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship program

There is no age limit to apply for Erasmus Mundus mobility activity. However, each candidate has to meet the eligibility criteria and requirements set by the hosting university they are applying to.

Do’s and Don’ts of the application process

Do’s:

• The candidate must carefully go through the list of programs being offered. After careful analysis, the candidate must decide on a study program so they can commit to it too.
• The candidate must highlight their qualities in the application and must state the factors that make them stand out among other applicants.
• The candidate must also add why they think they are eligible for the Erasmus Mundus program.
• The candidate must write about their inspiration and aspirations behind choosing and wanting to pursue their chosen study program.
• The candidate must write about their achievements, educational experiences, and strengths to make their application stand out.
• The candidate must write a positive motivation letter that will leave an impact.
• The motivation letter must start from and end on a positive note.

Don’ts:

• The motivation letter must only give an in-depth overview of the candidate’s educational aspirations and passion for study.
• It doesn’t matter how long the motivation letter is; its quality must impact the readers.
• The candidate must refrain from using too flowery expressions and write the letter in plain language.

How to apply for the program

The Erasmus Mundus, scholarship program applications open in October and remain open till January every year. For the current pool, the deadline for online applications is March 23. The majority of the programs start in September of that year.

Steps to choose your field and University

Step 1:

The candidate must first visit the Erasmus Mundus scholarship website.

Step 2:

The candidate must go through the Catalogue, the list of master programs.

Step 3:

The candidate must select the course they want to apply to and then select one of the universities that offer that course.

For example, the candidate selects European Master in Law and Economics.

• The candidate has to click on the link to view program details.

• The candidate must then select one of the universities offering the course.

Step 4:

The candidate must open the program and directly apply there.

How to apply for the scholarship

1^st Step:

The candidate must make a new account on the Euro Culture website and start a new application. The candidate must fill in information about their preferred partner universities. The candidate must then select the application type as “Erasmus Mundus Applicant”. This is to help ensure that the candidate gets considered for the scholarship.

2^nd Step:

The candidate must fill out their personal information like name, age, date of birth, nationality, special needs, address, marital status, etc. This information must be checked closely.

3^rd Step:

The candidate must then fill in their educational profile. The candidate should also confirm English proficiency by informing about the score from the English proficiency test.

4^th Step:

The candidate must then upload all the documents that have been listed previously. Once the candidate uploads the document, the application will be closed.

Conclusion:

The Erasmus Mundus Scholarship program is an initiative by the European Union that is set to make a high level of international education accessible to students worldwide. The program will bring about cultural exchange opportunities for students from different parts and areas of the world and help expand their horizons for opportunities and growth.