Erasmus Mundus NOHA Master’s Scholarship 2026 in Europe | Fully Funded

The Erasmus Mundus NOHA scholarship for the 2026-2028 cohort closed on December 15, 2025. It pays €1,400 a month for up to 24 months, roughly €33,600 in total to study International Humanitarian Action across universities in Europe. One narrow window is still technically open right now: self-funded (non-scholarship) admission to Bochum, Warsaw, or Dublin closes August 15, 2026, just over a week away, but that’s a different thing entirely from the scholarship itself. This post separates what’s actually still open from what isn’t, and covers what to prepare for the next scholarship round.

NOHA was the first master’s programme built specifically for humanitarian studies, established in 1993 with support from the European Commission, and it’s been selected as an Erasmus Mundus programme three times since — first in 2004 as one of the original 19 Erasmus Mundus programmes, again in 2020, and again in 2025, confirming continued EU funding after some uncertainty around the previous grant agreement’s expiry. The degree runs two years across four semesters and 120 ECTS, taught primarily in English (with French at Aix-Marseille and Spanish at Deusto for specific semesters), and more than 3,500 NOHA graduates now work in humanitarian relief and international cooperation worldwide. What makes NOHA distinct from a typical joint degree is that mobility isn’t optional or occasional — every student studies at a minimum of two different countries as a structural part of the programme, not an elective feature of it.

Scholarship Summary

Erasmus Mundus NOHA Scholarship

Eligibility Requirements

You must:

• Have a Bachelor’s degree (EQF level 6, minimum 180 ECTS) in a field relevant to humanitarian action — social sciences, humanities, medical sciences, food sciences, economics and management, engineering, law, or education sciences
• Meet English language requirements at C1 level: TOEFL iBT minimum 93 (with at least 24 on the written section and no component below 20), IELTS minimum overall 6.5 (no component below 6.0), or Cambridge CAE (C1) or CPE (C2) — unless you’re a native English speaker from an English-speaking country, or your entire Bachelor’s was taught in English and this is stated on your diploma or transcripts
• Commit to compulsory mobility: a minimum of two study periods in two different countries (at least one an EU member state or associated country), each lasting at least one semester, neither matching your country of residence at enrollment — this cannot be replaced with virtual study
• Check specific national admission requirements if you’re considering Groningen, Warsaw, Deusto, or Uppsala, since these four universities have additional local requirements beyond NOHA’s general criteria

For the Erasmus Mundus scholarship specifically, there’s one requirement that catches applicants off guard: you must have already graduated before the application deadline. Current final-year students who haven’t yet received their degree can apply to the programme itself, but are not eligible for the EM scholarship in that application round.

What the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Actually Covers

The scholarship is calculated as €1,400 per month, for up to 24 months — the maximum duration of the programme — giving a total contribution of approximately €33,600. This figure is fixed regardless of your nationality, country of residence, or country of origin. It’s explicitly described as covering your travel, visa, installation, and subsistence costs. Separately, the programme’s participation cost — covering tuition, library and lab access, exams, and your final diploma — runs €4,000 per semester across four semesters, roughly €16,000 total. The source material doesn’t spell out in full detail whether the scholarship’s monthly contribution is paid in addition to a separate institutional tuition waiver, so confirm this specific breakdown directly with NOHA when you apply, rather than assuming either way.

A few conditions apply: the scholarship can only be awarded in full, to full-time students — there’s no partial or part-time version. If you don’t complete the mandatory two-country mobility requirement, your award can be reduced. And if you’ve already received an EMJM scholarship previously, you’re not eligible to receive a second one under this action.

Other Funding Routes

The Erasmus Mundus grant isn’t the only funding option:

• NOHA Network Scholarship: NOHA separately offers one network scholarship per delivering university (eight in total), covering one student at each institution.
• Self-funded enrollment: if you’re not selected for the EM scholarship, you’re given the option to switch your application to a self-funded candidature, evaluated by your first-choice university against its own national criteria.
• External funding bodies: NOHA maintains a long list of third-party scholarship databases and foundations applicants can check separately — DAAD’s grant for students from developing and emerging economies is likely the most directly relevant for African applicants specifically. NOHA is not affiliated with any of these organizations and doesn’t administer their application processes.

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Erasmus Mundus NOHA Scholarship Required Documents

• A copy of your passport’s main pages
• A scanned diploma (with certified English translation if not in English), or proof of completion pending your degree, or proof of current enrollment if you’re in your final year
• Scanned academic transcripts (translated if needed) — if you haven’t finished your degree yet, submit transcripts for everything completed so far
• A CV in English, preferably in Europass format
• Proof of language ability, specific to the university and semester you’re applying for
• Two reference letters in English (or French for Aix-Marseille), signed and dated within the last year, not from family members — one academic and one professional reference is preferred, though two academic references are accepted
• Proof of residence issued within 12 months of the deadline — note that national IDs, passports, and utility bills are explicitly not accepted for this
• Publications, if you have any

How to Apply for the Erasmus Mundus NOHA Scholarship – Step by Step

1. Submit everything through NOHA’s online application form. Printed documents aren’t accepted unless NOHA specifically requests or authorizes them.
2. Complete every section and attach all compulsory documents before the deadline — incomplete applications are marked ineligible at the Secretariat review stage.
3. Wait for the Joint Admissions Board’s decision, which includes one representative from each university and is chaired by the Joint Programme Coordinator. Final results are released by the end of March, by email.
4. If you’re rejected, you can appeal within 7 days of receiving your decision notice, using NOHA’s official Appeal Form sent to [email protected]. An appeal is for providing additional context, not for submitting documents you should have included originally.

General enquiries: NOHA Master’s Secretariat, Universidad de Deusto — [email protected], +34 944 139 000 (ext. 2379), 9:00–14:00.

Application Deadline

This is worth reading carefully, because there are genuinely two different things happening right now. The Erasmus Mundus scholarship deadline for the 2026-2028 cohort was December 15, 2025, and that has closed; it isn’t available again until the next cohort opens. Self-funded (non-scholarship) admission deadlines have also passed for most universities: April 1, 2026 for ordinary self-funded applicants, and July 1, 2026 for applicants without EU citizenship or residence. Also for self-funded applicants only at Bochum, Warsaw, and Dublin, closed on August 15, 2026. If you need the Erasmus Mundus grant specifically, that door is closed until the next cohort’s call — based on this year’s pattern, expect the next opening around October 1, 2026, with a scholarship deadline in mid-December 2026, though confirm this directly with NOHA once announced.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still apply for the Erasmus Mundus scholarship right now?

No. The scholarship deadline for the 2026-2028 cohort was December 15, 2025, and it’s closed. What’s still open is a self-funded-only extended deadline at three specific universities (Bochum, Warsaw, Dublin) until August 15, 2026 — but that route doesn’t include the EU scholarship funding.

Is NOHA open to Nigerian and other African applicants?

Yes, eligibility isn’t restricted by nationality, and the scholarship amount is fixed regardless of your country of origin. NOHA also partners with Makeni University in Sierra Leone for mobility and collaboration, and DAAD’s grant for students from developing and emerging economies is worth checking separately as additional funding alongside your NOHA application.

I haven’t graduated yet — can I still apply?

You can apply to the programme itself with proof that you’re in your final year, but you won’t be eligible for the Erasmus Mundus scholarship specifically in that round, since EM scholarship applicants must have already graduated by the application deadline. If you haven’t finished your Bachelor’s at all yet, you’ll need to wait for the next call.

Does the scholarship cover my tuition, or just living costs?

The source material describes the scholarship as covering travel, visa, installation, and subsistence costs, calculated at €1,400 a month. Whether this is paid in addition to a separate tuition waiver for your €4,000-per-semester participation cost isn’t fully spelled out — confirm this directly with the NOHA Secretariat before assuming either way.

What happens if I’m not selected for the Erasmus Mundus scholarship?

You’re given the option to switch your application to a self-funded candidature, evaluated by your first-choice university under its own national criteria. If your first-choice university doesn’t select you, your application may still be considered by your second or third choice.

Disclaimer: All scholarship details, deadlines, award values, and eligibility criteria in this post were verified from official sources as of August 2026. Information is subject to change without notice. Always confirm the latest details directly on the official NOHA programme website before submitting your application. ScholarWaka is not affiliated with the NOHA consortium, the European Union, or any of its partner universities.

Official Application Portal