MARIHE Erasmus Mundus Scholarships 2027 to Study in Europe and Asia
Applications are now open for the 2027 intake of MARIHE – Master in Research and Innovation in Higher Education, an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master designed for students who want to build careers in higher education, research policy, university leadership and innovation.
What makes MARIHE unusual is not simply the Erasmus Mundus label. The programme is built around mobility, meaning students do not spend two years at one university. Instead, they move through an international consortium covering Austria, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, China and India, gaining exposure to very different higher-education systems along the way.
For applicants worried about cost, there is another important feature: every selected student receives a tuition-fee scholarship. A smaller number of students are then awarded the full Erasmus Mundus Scholarship, which adds a €1,400 monthly allowance toward living, travel, visa and installation costs.
That distinction matters. Admission to MARIHE does not automatically mean you receive €1,400 per month, but it does mean selected students do not normally carry the programme tuition burden themselves.
Who Should Seriously Consider MARIHE?
MARIHE is broader than many Erasmus Mundus programmes because your Bachelor’s degree does not have to be in education.
Applicants need a first university degree of at least three years, and the degree can come from any discipline.
That opens the programme to graduates from areas such as business, economics, engineering, public policy, social sciences, humanities, technology and education.
The more important question is whether you can explain why higher education matters to your future career.
Someone who wants to work in university management, international education, education policy, research administration, innovation systems, government agencies or higher-education consulting is likely to have a much more convincing case than someone applying mainly because they want an Erasmus Mundus scholarship.
Fresh graduates can also potentially apply because the published requirements do not impose a universal work-experience condition. However, applicants without professional experience should be able to point to internships, university projects, research, student leadership or other evidence showing a genuine interest in higher education.
What Does the Funding Actually Cover?
MARIHE has two funding layers. All selected students receive a tuition-fee scholarship, covering the programme’s participation costs. Worldwide health and accident insurance is also included.
A limited number of applicants receive the more competitive Erasmus Mundus Scholarship, which adds €1,400 per month as a contribution toward travel, visa costs, installation and everyday living expenses.
There may also be Erasmus+ mobility support, and the consortium provides an additional scholarship opportunity for two students per intake from deprived backgrounds and/or first-generation university families.
So the headline €1,400 figure is real, but it belongs to the full Erasmus Mundus award rather than every MARIHE admission offer.
What Will You Actually Study?
The programme lasts two years, or four semesters, and carries 120 ECTS.
Its focus is not classroom teaching in the traditional sense. MARIHE looks at the systems behind universities and research institutions: how they are managed, financed, internationalised, reformed and connected with innovation.
Students study areas such as higher-education policy, institutional management, research systems, entrepreneurship, innovation and organisational transformation.
There is also a mandatory internship of at least eight weeks, which can be completed internationally. Depending on the placement, students may gain experience in universities, government bodies, research organisations or international institutions.
This practical element is one reason MARIHE may appeal to applicants who want careers beyond a purely academic PhD route.
The International Mobility Is a Major Part of the Degree
Applicants should not treat the mobility element as a side benefit.
MARIHE is intentionally structured as an international programme. Students study across different countries and later choose from five specialisation options in Europe and two in Asia.
The consortium currently includes institutions in Krems, Tampere, Osnabrück, Budapest, Aveiro, Beijing and Patiala.
That means applicants should be comfortable with relocation, adapting to different academic systems and spending significant parts of the degree outside one home institution.
For the right candidate, that is one of the programme’s biggest strengths. For someone who wants to remain in one city for two years, it may be the wrong programme altogether.
What Kind of Applicant Is Likely to Stand Out?
MARIHE describes itself as highly selective, so meeting the minimum degree requirement is unlikely to be enough.
A strong applicant should be able to explain a clear problem or question within higher education and show why this particular programme is relevant to solving it.
For example, you might be interested in university internationalisation, digital transformation, research management, student mobility, higher-education inequality, innovation policy or institutional reform.
The strongest motivation will usually connect three things:
your previous experience, the higher-education issue you want to work on, and the career you want after graduation.
That is far more persuasive than a generic statement about wanting to study in several countries.
What Can You Do After Graduation?
MARIHE is aimed at careers across the wider higher-education and research ecosystem.
Graduates may move into universities, research-intensive institutions, government agencies, education organisations, university alliances, consultancy or start-ups.
The programme reports that 75% of graduates secure employment within six months, while 70% report significant career advancement and 20% continue into PhD programmes.
Those figures should not be read as guarantees, but they do show that MARIHE is positioned as a professional and policy-oriented degree rather than simply an academic qualification.
How to Apply for the 2027 Intake?
Applicants should first confirm that they hold a qualifying three-year university degree and meet the programme’s English-language requirement.
The application is submitted through the official MARIHE application system.
Your strongest preparation should go into explaining why you want to work in higher education and how your previous academic or professional experience connects with that goal.
Do not build the application around the scholarship alone. The funding is competitive, but the admission case must come first.
Application Deadline
The last date to apply for the MARIHE 2027 intake is 21 September 2026 at 10:00 a.m. CEST.
Should You Apply?
MARIHE is worth serious consideration if you want an international career in higher education, research management, policy or institutional innovation and are comfortable studying across several countries.
Its biggest advantage is the combination of tuition coverage for all selected students, the possibility of €1,400 monthly Erasmus Mundus funding, international mobility and a built-in internship.
Its biggest misunderstanding is also easy to avoid: not every selected student receives the €1,400 monthly allowance.
If your main goal is simply to obtain any Erasmus Mundus scholarship, there are probably better-fitting programmes. If your career interest genuinely sits inside higher education and research systems, MARIHE is a much more compelling match.