Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Age Limit: Is There One?

There is no age limit for the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's scholarship. The European Commission's rules ask for a bachelor's degree, not a particular age, so a Pakistani graduate of 24, 34 or 44 can apply on the same terms.

What does decide whether you can apply is your degree, the programme's own entry requirements, and one rule many people miss: you can only ever hold one Erasmus Mundus master's scholarship. Here is what the official pages say, checked on 22 October 2026.

What the European Commission says

The Commission's Erasmus Mundus scholarship page says students from anywhere in the world can apply. Its academic rule is that you must:

• hold a bachelor's degree, or be in the last year of one and graduate before the master's starts, or
• have learning that is officially recognised as equal to a bachelor's in the country awarding the degree

It sets no age requirement. The EACEA programme catalogue says the same: master's-level students from all over the world can apply. An EU Delegation announcement of the scheme on the EEAS website described it plainly as an EU-funded excellence scholarship with "no age limit". That notice dates from 2021, so treat the Commission page as the current source.

What individual programmes say

Each Erasmus Mundus master's is run by a group of universities, which sets its own entry requirements and picks its scholarship holders. The two programme pages we checked today set no age limit either:

• CNE (Chemical Nano-Engineering, coordinated by Aix-Marseille University): its scholarship page gives no age rule and pays scholarship holders €1,400 a month for the two years.
• MAGMa (Managing Art and Cultural Heritage in Global Markets, coordinated by the University of Glasgow): its scholarship page also gives no age rule.

Programmes do differ on the degree subject, grades, English level and documents they want. Always read the entry requirements on your programme's own site.

The rules that matter more than age

One scholarship per person. Both CNE and MAGMa say that anyone who has already held an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master scholarship cannot get a second one. If you had one before, you can't apply for another, at any age.

Proof of where you live. Your country of residence affects where you can study. MAGMa says your study periods must be in countries other than the one you live in when you enrol, so it asks for proof of residence. CNE asks for an official residence document issued within the 12 months before its deadline. For most Pakistani applicants, that means a recent document showing your address in Pakistan, translated into English if needed.

A finished degree on time. If you are in your final year, you must graduate before the master's begins.

Related questions

Can I apply for Erasmus Mundus after 30, or after years of work?

Yes. The rules have no age limit and don't require you to have graduated recently. If you have a long gap since your degree, explain it honestly in your motivation letter or CV. Our study gap explanation letter and master's motivation letter sample show how.

Is "Erasmus" the same as Erasmus Mundus?

No. Erasmus Mundus is a full master's degree with a scholarship you apply for yourself. Erasmus+ exchanges are short study periods arranged between your own university and a partner abroad. Our Erasmus Mundus vs Erasmus+ comparison explains the difference.

What does the scholarship pay, whatever your age?

The package is the same for every scholarship holder. The Commission says full scholarships cover participation costs (tuition and fees), travel, visa costs and a living allowance. On the programme pages we checked, the living allowance is €1,400 a month. MAGMa gives a choice: €1,400 a month, or €1,275 a month plus three advances of €1,000 for visa and travel costs, which come out of the same total of €33,600 over two years. Not every Erasmus Mundus programme has scholarships every year, so check that yours does before you apply.

When do applications open?

The Commission says most programmes take applications between October and January for courses starting the next academic year. Each programme sets its own dates, so check our Erasmus Mundus page, which lists every programme we track with its deadline.

Your next step

Forget your age and check three things: that your degree fits the programme, that you have never held an Erasmus Mundus scholarship, and that you can get a recent proof of residence. Then shortlist three to five programmes on our Erasmus Mundus page, read the Erasmus Mundus scholarship overview, and note each deadline in our deadline calendar. You apply directly to each programme, and you never need an agent. Each programme's official page is the final word on its rules.