iPSRS Erasmus Mundus 2027-2029 — Fully Funded Photonics Master's in France
Fully funded Master scholarship in France for International students 2027
A two-year Erasmus Mundus master's in intelligent photonics taught in France, Finland and Lithuania, with the EUR 18,000 tuition removed and EUR 1,400 a month paid for two years. The scholarship deadline is 7 February 2027 at 11:59pm UTC.
Eligibility
- Hold a bachelor's degree in physics, optics, photonics, electrical engineering, materials science or a closely related field
- Meet the consortium's published academic prerequisites for optics and photonics coursework
- Provide English proficiency evidence at the required level, unless exempt
- Apply by 7 February 2027 at 11:59pm UTC for scholarship consideration
- Be available for a remote interview between 8 and 15 March 2027
- Send certified and translated diploma and transcript copies if selected
Photonics is the technology behind passport scanners, lidar, biomedical imaging and secure communications, and Europe trains far fewer specialists in it than industry needs. iPSRS is the Erasmus Mundus answer: a two-year master's in intelligent photonics for security, reliability, sustainability and safety, taught across France, Finland and Lithuania, with a scholarship package that removes the EUR 18,000 tuition entirely.
The 2027-2029 call opened on 16 October 2026, and the scholarship deadline is 7 February 2027. There is a second, later deadline for self-funded applicants, but it carries no funding, which makes February the only date that matters for most readers of this page.
WHAT THE SCHOLARSHIP COVERS
The EMJM scholarship removes the tuition fee entirely and pays EUR 1,400 a month for two years, EUR 33,600 in total. The consortium also lists a Manutech Scholarship, which covers tuition and pays EUR 5,500 a year for two years but applies only to a specific track at the Saint-Etienne partner, and a consortium scholarship worth EUR 750 a month for one semester, renewable for the following two, aimed at self-funded students.
That tiered structure is worth understanding before you apply. It means a strong applicant who narrowly misses the EMJM award can still be funded at a lower level, and the consortium decides which tier you land in rather than asking you to choose. All nationalities are eligible and selection is merit-based.
Who teaches you matters here: the coordinating partner is Université Jean Monnet in Saint-Etienne, with Université Paris-Est Créteil in France, the University of Eastern Finland and Vilnius University in Lithuania. The mobility is built into the degree, so you should expect to live in at least two countries and to handle two sets of residence formalities.
WHO CAN APPLY — ELIGIBILITY
The programme is aimed at graduates in physics, applied physics, optics, photonics, electrical engineering, materials science or a closely related engineering or science discipline, and the consortium publishes academic prerequisites that applicants are expected to read before applying rather than after being rejected.
Because the funding is merit-based and the cohort is small, the practical bar is higher than the formal one: a bachelor's degree that satisfies the prerequisites gets your file read, and evidence of laboratory work, an optics or photonics project, or a research internship is what gets it ranked. English proficiency is required at the level the consortium specifies on its admission pages, and applicants whose degree was taught in English may be able to evidence that instead of a test.
Self-check questions: does my degree include optics, electromagnetism, photonics or electronics coursework at a level the prerequisites describe? Can I point to a laboratory or project experience in photonics rather than only coursework? Do I have English evidence that will be valid at submission? Am I ready to study in France, Finland and Lithuania across two years, with the visa work that involves? Have I read which scholarship tier my profile is likely to be assessed for?
https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=20
https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=53
https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=21
THE DEADLINE AND WHAT HAPPENS AFTER IT
The scholarship deadline is 7 February 2027 at 11:59pm UTC. The self-funded deadline is 15 April 2027, and self-funded students pay no tuition either, though they cover their own accommodation, travel, meals and living costs. Applicants who are administratively ineligible or academically too weak are notified between January and March 2027; the shortlist is published on 4 March 2027; remote interviews run from 8 to 15 March; the selection committee meets on 17 and 18 March; and outcomes are emailed on 23 March 2027. The appeal window closes on 6 April 2027 and successful applicants confirm participation by 13 April 2027.
HOW TO APPLY, STEP BY STEP
First, read the academic prerequisites and the mobility scheme, because the programme's structure differs by entry point. Second, prepare degree certificates, transcripts with a grading explanation, English evidence, a CV and a motivation statement. Third, complete the online application and submit before 7 February 2027 at 11:59pm UTC. Fourth, prepare for a short remote interview in March — it is scheduled in a single week, so keep that window clear. Fifth, send certified and translated copies of your diploma and transcripts if you are selected, since the offer is conditional on them.
Your materials checklist: bachelor's diploma and full transcript, course descriptions for optics and photonics modules if your transcript is not self-explanatory, English test result or medium-of-instruction evidence, CV, motivation statement, passport, and any laboratory, internship or publication evidence.
TIPS THAT ACTUALLY MOVE THE NEEDLE
Photonics admissions committees read transcripts for specific modules. If your degree is in electrical engineering and your optics content is thin, add a course-description annex that shows what you actually covered: wave optics, lasers, detectors, Fourier methods, semiconductor devices. It converts a doubtful transcript into a defensible one.
Second, write about a device or a measurement, not about the field's importance. A paragraph on a spectrometer you built or a laser alignment you ran will outrank a page on the photonics industry's growth. Third, plan the mobility honestly in the interview: three countries in two years means three sets of paperwork, and candidates who have thought about it read as lower-risk.
MISTAKES THAT GET APPLICATIONS DROPPED
Applying after 7 February and expecting scholarship consideration.
Submitting a transcript with no explanation of the optics and photonics content.
Assuming the self-funded route includes a stipend. It removes tuition and nothing else.
Missing the single interview week in March.
Ignoring the requirement to send certified, translated diploma copies after selection, which can void an offer.
If your degree is in a neighbouring field such as materials science or electrical engineering, the course-description annex is the highest-leverage document you can add. An OEAC advisor can check it against the published prerequisites before you submit.
Official key dates and application: https://master-photonics4security.eu/key-dates/
Source - iPSRS tuition fees and scholarship tiers: https://master-photonics4security.eu/tuition-fees-and-scholarships-2025-2027/
Photo: Wikimedia Commons file Entrée campus Tréfilerie rue du 11 novembre.jpg — author and licence at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Entr%C3%A9e_campus_Tr%C3%A9filerie_rue_du_11_novembre.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.
