How Many Erasmus Mundus Scholarships Can You Apply For?

There is no EU-wide limit today: the European Commission's Erasmus Mundus rules don't cap how many Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM) you can apply to in one year. What is limited is the scholarship itself: you can hold an Erasmus Mundus scholarship only once, so however many programmes you apply to, you can take up only one award.

Many students, and some older guides, still repeat a "maximum of three programmes" rule. Below is where that came from and what the official pages said when we read them on 1 November 2026.

What the official rules say

• The Erasmus+ Programme Guide. The Erasmus Mundus section of the Programme Guide, for the 2026 calls, sets no rule on how many programmes a student may apply to. It does say that students who have already received an EMJM scholarship are not eligible for an additional one.
• The Commission's page for students. The Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters page (last updated 26 June 2025) says students apply directly to the institution running each programme, and that applications are generally due between October and January. It mentions no limit on the number of applications.
• The catalogue. EACEA's Erasmus Mundus catalogue sends students to each programme's own website for application steps and scholarship details, again with no cap.

Where the "three programmes" rule came from

There used to be a limit. The Erasmus Mundus Students and Alumni Association (EMA) explained in January 2022 that the Programme Guide for earlier project generations limited candidates to three joint programmes per academic year, and that EACEA told EMA the rule was dropped from the 2019 project generation because tracking applications per person raised legal problems. EMA also passed on EACEA's advice to choose programmes carefully against each one's selection criteria, and one programme coordinator's request that applicants not apply to more than three.

So "up to three" is no longer an official rule, but it is still a reasonable size for a careful shortlist. Treat it as a guide to your own time, not a limit.

Can I get two Erasmus Mundus scholarships?

No. You can receive several offers, but the Programme Guide makes anyone who has already held an EMJM scholarship ineligible for another, so you can accept only one. If two programmes offer you a scholarship, accept one and tell the other consortium promptly, so it can offer the scholarship to someone else. Our acceptance and decline emails help you word both replies politely.

Does applying to more programmes improve my chances?

It can widen your options, but each application is judged on its own. Every consortium sets its own entry rules, documents and deadline, and many ask for a programme-specific motivation letter. The Programme Guide also says no more than 10% of a programme's scholarships may go to students of one nationality, so each programme can fund only a few Pakistanis. A strong, well-matched application usually does more than a large number of rushed ones.

A practical way to decide how many is to count the work:

Can I apply to programmes in different subjects?

The EU rules don't stop you, but each consortium checks whether your degree fits its programme. Pick programmes your bachelor's genuinely prepares you for, and read each one's admission notice for the exact degree and credit requirements.

Are Erasmus Mundus applications free?

The Commission's pages don't set a single rule on fees, so check each programme's own admission notice. Our list of universities with no application fee covers single-university applications, not Erasmus Mundus consortia.

Your next step

Open our Erasmus Mundus page, shortlist the programmes your degree fits, and note each deadline in our deadlines calendar. If you are unsure whether you are too old or need the GRE, see Erasmus Mundus age limit and is GRE required for Erasmus Mundus. Rules can change with each call, so confirm everything on the programme's own page before you apply.