Erasmus Mundus: there is no single application, and that is the thing to understand

What it actually is

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters are international master's programmes designed and delivered jointly by several universities. A consortium holds at least three institutions from at least three different countries.

From which the defining feature follows: you do not study at one university but move between them as the programme runs. The degree at the end is either a joint one or several separate ones, from each institution in the consortium.

They last one to two academic years, 60 to 120 ECTS credits.

Why there is nowhere to apply

The commonest misunderstanding: people look for a central Erasmus Mundus portal and a central deadline. Neither exists.

Applications go directly to the consortium running the programme you have chosen, not to the European Commission. Each programme has its own site, its own entry requirements and its own application process.

Nor is there a single deadline: every consortium sets its own. The general shape is applications between October and January for a course starting the following academic year.

So the search begins not with an application but with the catalogue of programmes: find yours first, then read its rules.

What the scholarship covers

The scholarships are full, and meant for the strongest applicants worldwide. They cover participation costs, travel, visa costs and a living allowance.

That is the important difference from most partial awards: "what will I live on" is answered by the programme rather than by your savings.

What it changes about preparing

First, you prepare not one application but several, one per programme. Their requirements differ, and a single document set only goes so far.

Second, October to January is the submitting; which puts choosing programmes and gathering documents in the summer and early autumn. The degree, the transcript, the language certificate and the references have to exist by then, not be requested in December.

Third, the motivation letter here is written for a particular consortium: a programme three universities built around a narrow subject expects to be told why that configuration suits you.

Where to start

Open the catalogue of programmes and pick three or four in your field. For each, write down three things: the deadline, the language requirement and the list of documents.

Almost certainly the deadlines will differ and the requirements will only partly overlap. That is your autumn work plan — and the main reason not to start in December.