In June 1998, the education ministers of France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom met at the Sorbonne University in Paris to discuss how to establish a unified and harmonious structure of European higher education and contribute to the process of European integration. During the meeting, the participants reached a consensus on issues such as promoting the mobility of teachers and students, establishing a uniform three-tier degree system [Bachelor, Master, PhD] in higher education, and removing obstacles to the mutual recognition of degrees and qualifications. They also adopted the Sorbonne Declaration.
This meeting had a wide-ranging impact on other European countries. In June 1999, the education ministers of 29 European countries, including EU member states and applicant countries, met in Bologna, Italy, and jointly signed the Bologna Declaration. Since then, European higher education reform has entered the fast lane, and the "Bologna Process" was officially launched.
To promote and implement the "Bologna Process," the European Commission proposed a higher education program called Erasmus Mundus in 2003. The program was approved by the European Parliament and the European Council in 2003 and was officially implemented from January 2004 to December 2008 with a total budget of 230 million euros.
Erasmus Mundus (EM) is a category of projects initiated by the European Union to promote and disseminate higher education centered on the EU. These projects are characterized by studying and conducting research activities at different universities, usually located in different countries within a single program, and may ultimately lead to the awarding of a degree from the universities where the student has studied, similar to a "study abroad" experience. Courses are generally taught in English. The EU offers a scholarship of 21,000 euros per year to students admitted to the Main List of the Erasmus Mundus program. Different programs have different tuition fees, which are usually deducted directly from the scholarship. However, even after deducting tuition fees, students can still live comfortably. If you are not admitted to the Main List but are placed on the Reserve List, it means that the EU will not provide you with a scholarship for the time being. But if someone ahead of you on the Main List declines the offer, you still have a chance to receive a scholarship. If you remain on the Reserve List at the end, you can still study at your own expense. Therefore, the Main List is equivalent to an offer, and the Reserve List is equivalent to an AD (admission decision) with a waiting list for a scholarship.
The Erasmus Mundus program is targeted at "master's" level higher education exchanges. By establishing 100 cross-university "European Master's Degrees" and providing nearly 10,000 scholarships and visiting scholarships, the program aims to attract more foreign teachers and students to study at European universities, strengthen academic ties between EU member state universities, improve the quality and competitiveness of European higher education, and expand its influence worldwide. The program is open to both European students and international students and visiting scholars from third countries (outside Europe).
Applying for Erasmus Mundus programs does not require an application fee. Most programs accept TOEFL scores, and there is no hard requirement for GRE scores, making it a good option for a safety net. However, it is important to note that each individual can apply to a maximum of 3 Erasmus Mundus programs per year.
