Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees: Full Scholarship Guide
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Jun 28, 2026 • Education Planning, Study in Europe, Erasmus & Exchange, Scholarships & Funding
An Erasmus Mundus Joint Master scholarship pays full tuition plus a living allowance that totals 33,600 EUR over a 2 year degree taught at 3 or more universities in different countries, and you apply directly to the course consortium, not through a central EU portal.
💶 Full scholarship totals 33,600 EUR over 24 months, split as a monthly allowance plus travel and installation payments
🎓 Programmes run 1 to 2 years for 60, 90, or 120 ECTS, taught at 3 or more universities in different countries
📩 You apply on the consortium's own website, most deadlines fall between October and January
🏠 Tuition is fully waived for scholarship holders at every university in the consortium
What an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master is
An Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJM) is a single degree delivered jointly by at least 3 universities in at least 3 different countries. You study part of the programme at each partner institution and graduate with one joint degree, or a set of recognised national degrees, depending on the consortium. Programmes run for 1 to 2 academic years and carry 60, 90, or 120 ECTS credits, according to the European Commission's Erasmus+ portal .
Why the mobility structure matters
You do not choose one host university and stay there, your track is set by the consortium. Most programmes assign you to a first-year university and then let you pick among a shortlist of second-year partner universities based on your specialisation. Read the mobility scheme on each programme's page carefully before you apply, it decides where you live for 2 years, not only what you study.
What the scholarship covers
Programmes with EU funding offer a full scholarship covering tuition, a living allowance, and travel insurance. Individual programmes choose one of two payment structures, both paying out 33,600 EUR total across the 2 year degree, based on the University of Glasgow's published EMJM scholarship terms , which follow the standard EU scheme:
| Structure | Monthly payment | Extra payments |
|---|---|---|
| Option A | 1,275 EUR/month | 3 advance payments of 1,000 EUR each, for visa, travel, and installation costs |
| Option B | 1,400 EUR/month | None, higher monthly rate instead |
Tuition fees are waived in full at every partner university for scholarship holders, and the package includes travel insurance for the length of the programme. Not every EMJM programme still carries EU funding, some have used up their funded intake cycle, so check the current funding status on each programme's page before you apply.
How you apply
There is no single EU-wide application form. You apply directly on the website of the specific joint master programme you want, through its consortium. The EACEA catalogue lists every currently funded EMJM programme, and each one runs its own selection process and deadline. Most deadlines fall between October and January for a programme starting the following autumn, so start researching consortia at least a year before you want to begin.
Who can apply
You need a completed bachelor's degree, or you must finish one before the programme starts. European nationals are eligible on the same terms as applicants from any other part of the world, EMJM scholarships are not restricted to non-EU applicants. Nationals of any single country can receive a maximum of 6 EMJM scholarships across all intakes of the same programme, according to Glasgow's published terms, so popular programmes stay competitive even for well-qualified applicants.
How EMJM differs from a single-country master's
A joint degree from an EMJM consortium is recognised across every partner country automatically, since the universities design the programme together and agree on shared learning outcomes from the start. A regular master's earned in 1 country sometimes needs a separate recognition process if you want to use it professionally in another country, an EMJM degree avoids that step for the countries inside its own consortium.
Budgeting beyond the scholarship
The monthly allowance is designed to cover living costs at a moderate level, not a comfortable margin in every host city. Since your mobility track can include a semester in an expensive city and a semester in a cheaper one, budget conservatively for the most expensive leg of your track and treat any cheaper semester as where you save.
What to prepare
Academic transcripts and your degree certificate, or proof you will graduate before the programme starts
A motivation letter explaining why you want this specific joint programme, consortia read for genuine interest in the mobility structure, not only the subject
Language certificates for every language of instruction used across the consortium's universities
Academic references, usually 2, from people who taught or supervised you
After you are admitted
Scholarship decisions typically follow academic admission by a few weeks. If you are admitted but not offered a scholarship, ask the consortium about self-funded places, most EMJM programmes accept a mix of scholarship holders and students who pay tuition directly, and some offer partial scholarships.
If a programme has run out of scholarships
Some EMJM programmes reach the end of their EU-funded scholarship allocation partway through the consortium's life cycle, while remaining open to self-funded applicants. Check the funding status for the specific intake year you are applying to, not just the programme's general page, scholarship availability can change from 1 year to the next.