Blog › Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees Explained
Study Abroad GuideAugust 6, 2026 · 6 min read
Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees (EMJMDs) are one of the more unusual scholarship structures available to international students: rather than funding a degree at a single university, they fund a single Master's programme jointly delivered by a consortium of universities across two or more European countries.
Each EMJMD programme is run by a consortium of typically three to five universities in different countries. Students admitted to the programme move between at least two of these countries over the course of the degree — commonly one semester or year per location — and graduate with either a joint degree or multiple degree certificates, one from each participating institution.
The EMJMD scholarship is genuinely full-funding: a tuition fee waiver for the entire programme, a monthly living allowance (commonly around €1,400/month for the participation months), a travel allowance of up to roughly €4,000 per year depending on the student's country of residence, and health insurance, for the full duration of the Master's, which is usually 1 to 2 years.
There's no single "Erasmus Mundus scholarship" application. Instead, each joint programme has its own admissions process and its own scholarship-linked seats, listed on the European Commission's Erasmus Mundus catalogue. You apply directly to the specific joint Master's programme you're interested in, and indicate that you'd like to be considered for the EMJMD scholarship as part of that application.
Requirements vary by programme, but generally include a relevant Bachelor's degree, English or the programme's working language proficiency, and in some fields relevant work or research experience. Because seats are limited and highly competitive, most successful applicants apply to more than one EMJMD programme in the same admissions cycle.
Most EMJMD programmes open applications in the autumn/winter for a following-autumn intake, with deadlines commonly falling between December and February — well over half a year before the programme actually starts, so early planning matters.
Erasmus Mundus is best suited to students who want genuinely international exposure built into their degree rather than a single-country study experience, and who are comfortable relocating more than once during their Master's. The funding is strong, but the application process requires researching individual joint programmes rather than a single central scholarship portal.