The Erasmus Mundus action includes Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM) and Erasmus Mundus Design Measures (EMDM). 
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Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters are high-quality international study programmes organised by several higher education institutions. 

The programmes include studies in at least two different countries, and considerable scholarships are available for those studying in them. The programs are also open to students who have not received an Erasmus Mundus scholarship.

The Erasmus Mundus action:

  • fosters quality improvements, innovativeness and internationalisation of higher education
  • increases the quality of the European Higher Education Area
  • attracts talented degree students to Europe from across the world
  • improves the level of competence and skills of graduates and in particularly their employability through the involvement of employers.
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There are two types of Erasmus Mundus actions: Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters and Erasmus Mundus Design Measures.

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters

The Erasmus Mundus Joint Master (EMJM) programmes are required to have a jointly planned, integrated curriculum, and the programmes must be implemented jointly.

The programmes must include studies in at least two different countries that cannot be the student’s countries of origin/residence, and at least one of the countries must be a Programme Country. A joint degree or multiple degrees must be awarded to those who graduate from the Master programme.

The project period of funded EMJM programmes is six academic years, regardless of the extent and duration of the programme. Each funded project is required to host at least four student editions, the first of which must start their studies at the latest within one academic year after the funding period has started.

The EMJM grant consists of a contribution to institutional costs and to student costs. The contribution to institutional costs is intended to cover the implementation costs of the programme. In addition, there is a top-up intended to cover special needs of students with disabilities, which is part of the institutional costs.

The contribution to student costs consists of student scholarships that are available to applicants worldwide. The scholarships must be distributed evenly between different nationalities and no nationality must account for more than 10% of all of the awarded scholarships. The amount of the scholarship is the same for students from Programme and Partner Countries.

In addition, the programmes that have been awarded funding can receive additional scholarships for students from targeted geographical regions. 

The maximum financial support awarded to a programme is approximately just under 5 million euros.

Erasmus Mundus Design Measures

Erasmus Mundus Design Measures (EMDM) are targeted for higher education institutions that are interested in delivering a Joint Master programme but are not yet ready to launch it. 

The EMDM lower the threshold for participation in Erasmus Mundus action for such Partner Countries, institutions or fields that are underrepresented in projects funded so far.

EMDM funding enables the creation of connections and collaborative actions required for setting up a Joint Master programme. Higher education institutions are expected to use the funding to develop for example the following areas:

  • the content, structure and practices (administration and finances) of the joint study programme
  • joint services for students
  • joint marketing and dissemination measures
  • a draft of the consortium and student agreements
  • a joint process of awarding and recognising the degree.

The funding will be awarded for a fixed period of 15 months and the amount is 60 000 euros.

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An Erasmus Mundus Joint Master (EMJM) programme is organised by an international group of partner institutions, a consortium. The consortium consists of at least three higher education institutions which must be from at least three different countries and at least from two EU member states or third countries associated to the Programme. The coordinator of the Master programme must be a higher education institution operating either in a Programme Country or in a third country not associated to the Programme. 

In addition to the above-mentioned minimum requirements, public or private organisations from Programme and Partner Countries may also belong to the consortium.

Short-term preparatory funding (EMDM) can be applied by one higher education institution located in a EU member states or third countries associated to the Programme and aiming to form a consortium for a joint study programme.

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The application process is managed by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). The organisation coordinating the project submits the application to EACEA, which evaluates and selects the projects to be funded.

Application deadline

The 2025 application round ends on 13 February 2025 at 18:00 Finnish time (17:00 CET).

The opening of the call is announced through the EDUFI_HigherEd mailing list.

Funding is applied separately for Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM) and Erasmus Mundus Design Measures (EMDM). In 2025 call approximately 30 EMJM projects and 50 EMDM projects will be funded.

Application forms and instructions are published on the European Commission's application portal. When preparing a project proposal, it is of utmost importance to closely follow the guidance provided in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide.

Instructions for joint and double degree programmes

Information sources related to joint programmes and joint and double degrees have been compiled below. You can learn about the student point of view on EMA website.

Degrees are not accredited in Finland. Finnish applicants are recommended to attach the national attachment below to their Erasmus Mundus application. The attachment serves as proof that the Finnish degree awarded by the programme is compliant with the Finnish degree system.

The Finnish National Agency for Education has prepared a Memorandum on issues related to international joint degrees and issuing of diplomas, which should be taken into account by higher education institutions planning international joint degrees. The memorandum was updated in 2021.

National attachment to application
Memorandum on international joint degrees
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Support and guidance for the application process are provided by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Additionally, EDUFI informs about the action in Finland and advises Finnish applicants on general application questions. Contact information can be found at the bottom of the page.

Information about EACEA and EDUFI's applicant webinars, as well as their materials, can be found below.

Information and support for global co-operation

Twenty-seven partner countries in the EU’s neighbouring area have a National Erasmus+ Office (NEO). In the application stage NEOs can offer support for cooperation in the countries in question.

In addition, the Erasmus+ National Focal Points (ENFP) support participation in the Erasmus+ programme in 78 countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East and America. Following the work of EU Delegations can also support the planning of your project.

Country-specific information on participation in the Erasmus+ programme globally is available on the Erasmus+ Factsheets pages.
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Funding was granted to Finnish higher education institutions in the application rounds of 2021, 2022 and 2023.

In EACEA's project database, Erasmus Mundus projects can be found in the Topic menu under the codes EMJM-MOB and EMJM-DESIGN.

Finnish higher education institutions in Erasmus Mundus projects
Explore the projects of Finnish organisations in the Excel spreadsheet. You can find more information through the external link in the table.
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Participants' experiences of Erasmus Mundus projects.

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Contact the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) responsible for the application: EACEA-EPLUS-ERASMUS-MUNDUS [at] ec.europa.eu (EACEA-EPLUS-ERASMUS-MUNDUS[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) 

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