SMACCs Erasmus Mundus 2027-2029 — Fully Funded Smart Cities Master's in Belgium
Fully funded Master scholarship in Belgium for International students 2027
A two-year Erasmus Mundus master's in smart cities and communities taught across Belgium, Greece, Finland and Spain, with fees waived and EUR 1,400 a month. Scholarship applications close on 1 February 2027 and each edition takes at most 40 students.
Eligibility
- Hold a bachelor's degree of at least 180 ECTS in engineering or in sciences such as physics, chemistry, mathematics or computer science
- Show sufficient engineering and science content, as arts, social science, business and law degrees are not eligible
- Be in your final year with the degree awarded before enrolment, if still studying
- Submit a complete application by 1 February 2027 with the scholarship box ticked
- Be available for an interview between 7 and 18 April 2027
Smart cities is one of those phrases that means everything and nothing until you see a curriculum. SMACCs makes it concrete: two years, 120 ECTS, four European universities, and a syllabus built around energy, transport, buildings, urban planning and ICT — the five systems that decide whether a city works. The third edition, for 2027-2029, is open for applications and its scholarship deadline is 1 February 2027.
The other thing worth knowing early is the scale. Each edition takes a maximum of 40 students, so this is a small programme with a small scholarship pool rather than a mass-market master's.
WHAT THE SCHOLARSHIP COVERS
Erasmus Mundus Joint Master scholarship holders receive EUR 1,400 per month of study for a maximum of 24 months, and the consortium does not charge them tuition fees. The grant is described as a contribution to travel, visa, installation and subsistence costs, calculated on a monthly unit cost pro rata to the days actually enrolled — covering study, research, placement, thesis preparation and defence.
The consortium runs other scholarship categories alongside the EMJM awards, including consortium scholarships and associated-partner scholarships that may cover part of the tuition for strong applicants who miss the main award, plus Erasmus+ mobility grants for students moving between partner universities. Those are worth knowing about because they sit behind the same application and the same February deadline.
The mobility itself is the degree. The partners are the University of Mons in Belgium, the International Hellenic University in Greece, the University of Vaasa in Finland and the University of the Basque Country in Spain, and students follow a mobility path across them rather than staying in one place.
WHO CAN APPLY — ELIGIBILITY
The academic bar is specific: at minimum a bachelor's degree in engineering — mechanical, chemical, electrical, civil, environmental, architectural, computer or energy — or in sciences such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science or operations research, corresponding to at least 180 ECTS over three years. Degrees without sufficient engineering or science content, such as arts, social science, psychology, philosophy, business or law, are treated as non-eligible. Architecture and economics are assessed case by case, and economics only counts with an engineering background.
Final-year students may be admitted on condition that the degree is awarded before enrolment. Applicants who already hold a master's in a relevant field are also considered, which makes this a legitimate second-degree option rather than a route only for fresh graduates.
Self-check questions: does my transcript show at least 180 ECTS of engineering or science? Can I name the specific courses that qualify me — thermodynamics, structures, circuits, programming, mathematics? If my degree is architecture or economics, can I evidence the engineering content? Am I applying before the scholarship deadline rather than the later self-funded dates? Can I move between two or three countries in two years, with the visa work that implies?
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THE DEADLINE AND WHAT HAPPENS AFTER IT
The scholarship deadline is 1 February 2027. Self-funded applicants who need a visa have until 30 April 2027, and self-funded applicants who do not need one until 8 June 2027. Applicants who applied for a scholarship are informed of their status by 9 May 2027, and the best admissible applicants are interviewed between 7 and 18 April 2027.
Read the sequence carefully: the interview comes before the result, and the result comes three months after the deadline. That is a long window in which to hold a place open, so plan your other applications accordingly.
HOW TO APPLY, STEP BY STEP
First, read the admission criteria and the fees page, then map your transcript onto one of the mobility paths. Second, prepare degree certificates, transcripts with a grading explanation, English proficiency evidence at the level the consortium requires, a CV and a motivation statement. Third, complete the online application before 1 February 2027 and leave the scholarship box ticked — applicants who untick it remove themselves from consideration. Fourth, prepare for an April interview, which is where shortlisted applicants are separated. Fifth, watch for the May result and confirm your place promptly.
Your materials checklist: bachelor's diploma and full transcript, grading-scale explanation, English test result, CV, motivation statement, passport identity page, certified translations, and any evidence of projects in energy, transport, buildings, planning or ICT that supports your mobility-path choice.
TIPS THAT ACTUALLY MOVE THE NEEDLE
The application is assessed on mobility path choices as well as quality, so say which path you want and why it fits your background. A civil engineer arguing for the buildings-and-energy path with coursework evidence will beat a stronger-sounding applicant who picks a path at random.
Second, write the motivation statement as an engineering argument. Reviewers are looking for people who can model, measure or design something in a city, so name the methods you have used and the system you want to work on. Third, use the interview to demonstrate that you understand the mobility: students who have thought about visas, housing and language differences across Belgium, Greece, Finland and Spain come across as lower-risk admits.
MISTAKES THAT GET APPLICATIONS DROPPED
Applying with a degree that has no engineering or science content, which the consortium lists as non-eligible.
Unticking the scholarship box and then expecting funding consideration.
Missing the 1 February date and applying in the April or June self-funded rounds instead.
Submitting a transcript without a grading explanation, which makes the 180 ECTS equivalence hard to verify.
Ignoring the interview window in April because you assumed selection was document-only.
If your degree is architecture, economics or a hybrid programme, the case-by-case assessment is where your application will be won or lost. An OEAC advisor can help you build the coursework evidence before the February deadline.
Official deadlines page: https://www.smaccs.eu/deadlines/
Source - SMACCs scholarship terms and amounts: https://www.smaccs.eu/scholarships/
Photo: Wikimedia Commons file Université de Mons-Hainaut (1).JPG — author and licence at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Universit%C3%A9_de_Mons-Hainaut_%281%29.JPG
Last updated: 23 October 2026
Always confirm the deadline and eligibility on the official page before you apply. Scholarship dates change between rounds, and this listing is a summary — the provider's own page is the authoritative source. OEAC Network lists scholarships for free and is not an agent for any university or funding body.
