Erasmus Mundus NOHA Master's 2027-2029

Very few master's degrees are built around the specific work that humanitarian organisations actually do, and fewer still fund you properly to do it. The NOHA joint master's in International Humanitarian Action does both. It is a two-year Erasmus Mundus programme delivered by a consortium of European universities, and it is arguably the most direct funded route into the humanitarian sector for a graduate from Afghanistan, Pakistan or anywhere else in the region.

The application for the 2027-2029 cohort is open now. The scholarship deadline is 15 December 2026.

WHAT THE SCHOLARSHIP ACTUALLY PAYS FOR

Erasmus Mundus scholarship holders receive €1,400 a month for 24 months — €33,600 in total — plus coverage of the participation costs, which is the Erasmus framing for tuition, library and laboratory charges and any other mandatory costs attached to the programme. Insurance is included for the duration of the programme.

The €1,400 is a flat rate and it is the same for every scholar regardless of nationality or where you live. That matters for budgeting: the figure is designed to cover mobility costs, visa fees, flights between host countries and ordinary living expenses, not just rent in one city. Because the programme moves you between countries, the monthly amount has to stretch further than a single-city stipend would.

One structural rule to note: the scholarship is awarded in full only. You cannot take a partial award, and you cannot combine it with another EU-funded scholarship for the same course.

The programme itself is a 120-ECTS joint degree recognised by a network of European universities. You study in at least two different countries, and you can add a regional training period at partner universities in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Australia or North America. There is also a supervised work placement with a humanitarian organisation, which is the part that actually gets graduates hired.

WHO CAN APPLY — AND THE QUESTIONS THAT DECIDE IT

You need a first university degree of at least 180 ECTS in a field relevant to humanitarian action — law, social sciences, medical sciences, engineering or humanities all qualify. Critically, for the scholarship your degree must be completed before the 15 December 2026 deadline. Candidates still studying can only apply as self-funded students. That single rule reshapes the timeline for anyone graduating in 2027.

Language is the second gate. You need IELTS 6.5 overall with no part below 6.0, or an accepted TOEFL iBT result. Home-edition tests are not accepted. If your entire bachelor's degree was taught in English, or you are a native speaker from an English-speaking country, you may be exempt. Programme-specific language requirements also apply depending on your first-semester destination: Spanish at B2 if you choose Deusto, French at C1 if you choose Aix-Marseille.

Now the honest self-check. Do you meet the mobility rule — will you genuinely study in two countries, for at least a semester each, neither of them your country of residence at enrolment? Physical mobility cannot be replaced by virtual study. Have you previously received an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's or Joint Doctorate scholarship? If so, you are ineligible. Are you applying for the scholarship rather than the self-funded track, and does your degree timeline allow it? And are you prepared for the fact that no more than 10 per cent of scholarships can go to students of a single nationality, which makes competition within your own country's applicant pool directly relevant?

THE DEADLINE, AND THE SECOND ONE BEHIND IT

The Erasmus Mundus grant deadline is 15 December 2026 at 23:59 GMT. Self-funded applicants have until 1 April 2027, and applicants without EU citizenship can apply until 1 July 2027 — but those later deadlines do not give you access to the scholarship. If funding is the point, 15 December is the only date that matters.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications are submitted through the online application system linked from the programme's own admissions pages. Do not submit to a central EU portal — each joint master's runs its own consortium admissions process.

Your materials checklist:

A passport copy. A curriculum vitae. A statement of purpose. Degree certificates and transcripts, showing completion of your first degree with the relevant credit volume. Language test results — IELTS or an accepted TOEFL iBT result, unless an exemption applies. An indication of your preferred first-semester destination and study track. Any additional documents listed on the programme's current admissions page.

The complete application form and all requested documents must be submitted through the online system by the deadline for your category. Incomplete files are not assessed.

https://www.nohanet.org/masters

Not sure whether your file is competitive? Take it to an OEAC advisor before you submit — a second pair of eyes on the research statement is usually the difference between shortlisted and rejected.

OTHER EUROPEAN FUNDED MASTER'S ROUTES

The wider Erasmus Mundus catalogue is the obvious next place to look — the same funding model, many more subjects:

https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=18

France's Eiffel scholarship operates on a different structure and is nominated by the institution:

https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=20

And Science@Leuven is a useful benchmark for a single-country European master's award:

https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=24

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID

Applying before your first degree is complete. For scholarship consideration the degree must be finished by the deadline.

Submitting a TOEFL or IELTS home-edition result. Both are explicitly not accepted.

Ignoring the mobility rule. You must physically study in two countries, and neither can be your country of residence at enrolment.

Assuming you can top up the award. The scholarship is awarded in full only and cannot be combined with another EU-funded grant for the same course.

Forgetting the programme-specific language requirement. If your track begins in Spain or France, a Spanish or French certificate is required on top of English.

Missing the track-choice decision. Your first-semester destination shapes both your language requirement and your regional training options, and it is chosen at application, not later.

One further point worth planning around: the programme explicitly welcomes applicants from outside Europe, and the humanitarian sector's own recruitment increasingly depends on professionals with lived experience of the contexts in question. That is an asset in this application, and it belongs in the statement of purpose.

Source — NOHA Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's Degree in International Humanitarian Action: https://www.nohanet.org/masters

Photo: Christian Camenzuli, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:University_of_Malta_Msida_campus_gateway,_in_2026.jpg)

Last updated: 13 October 2026