INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP FORUM (ISF)
We are moving…
: ISF Google Drive | : +2348162942400 | :@forum_isf | :@ForumISF
TRANSCRIPT OF LECTURE:
Step-by-Step process Guide to Applying and Securing the
prestigious Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees Scholarships
(EMJMD)
LECTURER 1» SCHOLAR ORIOWO TEMITOPE TRANSMISSION CREW» Scholars: Halogen, Arawu,
Falade, Afeez, Kenny, Monsur, Oyelami, Etubi and
Bankole
OPEYEMI (Erasmus Mundus Scholar studying
Animal Breeding and Genetics at the Wageningen
University and Research, Netherlands)
Moderator: Scholar Onyeka
LECTURE AGENDA In summary, EMJMD scholarship is funded by the
European Union and it’s a life changing opportunity.
1. Introduction to the Erasmus
Mundus Joint Master Degrees HOW TO APPLY
2. How to apply
3. Basic requirements I will be addressing this based on my experience with 3 different courses that I
4. Other remarks applied for. Most times, the procedures are similar just few modifications make
5. Questions & Answers Session it different.
Generally, every course/program will take you through at least 2 to at most 4
different universities in different European countries. The program spans for
minimum of 12 months and maximum of 24 months depending on the course
INTRODUCTION TO THE ERASMUS
of one’s choice.
MUNDUS JOINT MASTER DEGREES
Instance, I’m studying a 2-year course. Here is the breakdown, 5 months in the
SCHOLARSHIP
first country, 2 weeks in the second country and 5 months in the third country
1) The European Union has various and that marks the end of the first year. More so, where I will spend the second
ways of intervening in world year depends on the country where my research supervisor is located. This is
affairs. Such as empowerment, why it is called a Joint Masters Degree. In the end, I will be receiving a Joint
donation of relief materials, Masters Degree and a single degree from the coordinating university. However,
election observations and this might be different for other courses but the idea is generally the same.
other forms of diplomatically
improving the world. The coordinating university is usually the first university you will arrive when
2) To aid education, the EMJMD you get to Europe. The date of application for each program differs but most
scholarship is simply a way of times its between August and January. You can find out from this link
contributing their own quota of [Link]
the world’s education. .The idea is for applicants to search for 3 courses related to their first degree
3) The European Union is made up and apply for it. You cannot apply for more than 3 courses/programs.
of about 28 countries, meaning Please, also note that its possible you will not find a course directly related to
the study will have to be in any your first degree. This is why you need to surf through courses of your choice
of these countries. to know the academic requirements before you begin your application.
1
BASIC REQUIREMENTS
Academic Transcripts: Except stated otherwise, you can use your student transcript but using the official one is better
if you can get it.
Degree Certificate: You will need this but should you not have it ready, attestation can suffice also depending on
program. However, you can always mail the program coordinator for clarification.
Evidence of English Proficiency: This also depends on the course but most courses waive English Language Tests for
Nigerians. However, some courses are strict with it. So, it is advised to check for your requirements prior to sending
applications.
Though, I did not write English test.
GRE: I’m not sure they ask for it in any of the courses but if you are asked to upload any other supporting documents
and you have a good GRE score. I’m not sure it’s bad to include it.
Recommendations: While some courses ask you to upload recommendation letter, others would ask you to drop the
details of your referees. The link would be sent to your referees to do the needful. Please follow the guidelines, if stated,
while dealing with this aspect.
Note: it is better you address your letter to the program coordinator. However, if you are applying for two or three and
you know your referees won’t have time to be editing the addresses, you can use “to whom it may concern” and
generalize the content.
International Passport: Compulsory except stated otherwise. Some courses accept National ID at this application stage.
But then, it is advisable to get the passport. It’s a motivation itself.
Certificate of Residence: This is a letter written by your employer, institution, Local Government, a law court, attesting
to the fact that you are living in the particular address you are claiming.
This part is very important because the allocation of the scholarship is on slots. There are specific slots for each region
of the world. They want to know you are really staying where you have put forward because that’s the slot you will be
considered for.
2
LECTURER 2» Scholar Busari Ibrahim Olayode
(Erasmus Mundus Scholar studying Water and Coastal Management
at the University of Bologna, Italy; University of Algarve, Portugal; and University of Cadiz, Spain)
Motivation Letter / Possible responses from an Erasmus application
A very well written motivation letter can give your application a much-needed kick because almost 80 percent of people
applying alongside you have competitive CGPAs. I always advise people to read a lot before picking up a pen to write a letter
of motivation (LOM) because you cannot reproduce information you have not taken in and processed.
Every Erasmus course has its own distinctive instructions as regards writing LOMs so it is of great importance to stick to the
requirements and guidelines provided by your program. Everyone wants to hurry, rush in and write a letter without adequate
information about the course and what it entails. On this note, I recommend reading the details of any program properly before,
knowing its contents and structure before writing your LOM as this gives you a peek into what they actually want. Basically,
your first draft should contain everything you have in mind then editing begins. That way, your creativity comes to fore
automatically.
Another thing I have noticed that may sound a bit controversial – the person reviewing your LOM is not a “know-it-all”, a
review is just for another pair of eyes to look at it from an angle your own eyes could not see from. However, if you are
convinced what you have written is good enough and your reviewer advise you remove it, kindly follow your instincts but you
should also be ready to challenge and explain some parts of your LOM to your reviewer he/she misinterpreted. The key word
is confidence and the ability to defend whatever it is you have written. In all, your LOM should be easy to read but should also
show that you have a working knowledge of the field you are applying for.
I would like to mention that acceptance into the program doesn’t always mean you will be funded or you have won the
scholarship. The first possible response is one that says you have been accepted into the program that you have gotten the
scholarship. The second possible response is one that would say, you are on a reserve list, however, there is usually a rank
for this and your full acceptance into the scholarship program is dependent on someone else rejecting the scholarship (this
happens a lot) because usually most programs get outstanding applications but there is a limit to the number they can accept.
The third possible response – your credentials qualify you for acceptance into this program but you would have to seek
alternative means of funding. I have seen some Asians and Europeans go through this route that is, they are sponsored by other
bodies apart from the EU. The last possible response is that your application was not deemed sufficient enough for acceptance
into the program, with or without scholarship.
OTHER REMARKS
Lecturer 1 did not mention the juicy details of the scholarship, you get monthly stipend of 1000 Euros, an annual
contribution of 3000 Euros to travel and a one-time installation fee of 1000 Euros. Then, there is the pre-departure
orientation in Abuja where you would be hosted by the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and the Ambassador of all European
countries to Nigeria to exchange ideas, learn, get advice from past and present scholars. Travel and accommodation to
Abuja for this event will be fully covered by the EU. The tough part of this scholarship, however, is that unlike some other
scholarships where your tickets would be booked, visa processing, documents legislation, flight ticket to Europe and other
logistics would have you be covered by you at first. Moreover, I can assure you, once you resume for your program, your
first outright payment of 5000 Euros will offset these bills.
3
GENERIC QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Q. What is the meaning of ECTS? A. ECTS basically means the European Credit Transfer
and accumulation System and it is similar to what
we call Units in Nigeria, a 2 years master degree
would see you accumulate 120 ECTS, and a 1 year
would see you accumulate 90 ECTS. For
conversion from Nigerian from Nigeria credits to
ECTS, this depends on how many contact hours
your undergraduate university dedicates for 1
unit, then you will convert to the ECTS scale of
between 25-30 contact hours for 1 ECTS. In all,
ECTS are calculated based on the number of
hours you have learnt a course. 1ECTS is usually
between 25-30 hours. However, this calculation
may vary from University to University.
Q. What is the format for addressing the program A. The Program Coordinator,
coordinator in recommendation letter? Water and Coastal Management.
Q. What’s the impact of CGPA in winning Erasmus A. It all depends on how well you package your
and any advantage in having work experience? application but then a first-class with good
package has an edge over a lower class.
Yes, as long as its related to the field of study.
Q. Any age limits? A. I do not think there is age limit, some old
How about discrimination of any sort even with scholars we met at Abuja even got the
10 masters? scholarships when they were already married
with kids so age is not a barrier.
No discrimination, the only impediment is that
you should not have lived in the Europe for a
stipulated number of years and not have
received any previous sort of funding from the
European Union.
Q. What in your opinion gave you an edge? A. Experience, I was on reserve list previous year.
Understand what the program really
What advice will you give to someone that really entails and play by their rules.
desire this scholarship?
Q. I have a [Link] degree in Physics already but want A. The Erasmus course you want to apply for will
to change my field, can I still apply? If yes, do I state the academic requirements. If you meet the
have to include it in my LOM? requirements, feel free to change.
Is letter of residence equivalent to certificate of No, it’s not.
local government origin?
4
Q. Please elaborate further on the Certificate of A. It is one of the easiest documents to get actually,
residency? you can get an affidavit from the high court or
you can get a letter from your current employer
or even from your local government. The three
most Important pieces of information that should
be on this letter are your passport number,
current full address and how long you have
stayed in that address.
Q. What is the minimum CGPA to apply for this A. At least 70%, you can then convert to your own
scholarship? scale, either on a scale of 5 or 8 point. However,
the requirements may differ from program to
program
Q. I noticed you did not mention anything about CV, A. The accepted CV is the EUROPASS and that is very
what is the expectation of the admission easy to do online, just google Europass, edit and
committee in this regard? download.
Q. Some people said Erasmus is a scholarship for A. To be very honest, 90 percent of my course mates
excellence, I want to ask; should the CV and had first class degrees. However, even with
motivation letter be void of leadership and relatively lower grades, an outstanding LOM and a
volunteer works? great CV would definitely give you a good chance
but at the very least, you need to have at least a
GPA of 70 percent to be considered at all.
Q. What’s the world limit for the LOM? A. This varies with program but maximum is 1000
words. However, if you are not given a word limit
use your discretion and be rational.
Yusuf Jimoh
For International Scholarship Forum
