GroundwatCh Erasmus Mundus 2027-2029 — Fully Funded Water Master's in Portugal
Fully funded Master scholarship in Portugal for International students 2027
A two-year Erasmus Mundus master's in groundwater and global change taught in Lisbon, Delft and Dresden, with participation costs and EUR 1,400 a month covered. Non-European applicants must apply by 3 January 2027.
Eligibility
- Hold a bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as hydrology, geology, environmental or civil engineering
- Meet the English language requirement for admission
- Apply by 3 January 2027 if you are a partner-country national, or 7 February 2027 if you are from a programme country
- Select the Erasmus Mundus scholarship route on the application form
- Be able to study in Portugal, the Netherlands and Germany across the two years
Groundwater is the water supply most countries actually depend on and the one most policy documents ignore. GroundwatCh is a joint master's built around that gap, taught in Lisbon, Delft and Dresden, and it carries the standard Erasmus Mundus package: participation costs covered plus EUR 1,400 a month for the full two years. Applications for the 2027-2029 edition opened on 1 October 2026.
The scholarship deadline depends on your nationality: 3 January 2027 for partner-country applicants and 7 February 2027 for programme-country applicants, both at 23:59 Dutch time.
WHAT THE SCHOLARSHIP COVERS
About 15 Erasmus Mundus scholarships are available each year, and the award covers participation costs in full, including tuition, library and laboratory costs and complete insurance, plus an allowance of EUR 1,400 a month for subsistence, travel and installation across the 24 months. Applicants with disabilities may receive an additional contribution towards individual needs. Scholarship holders do not pay a separate tuition fee.
The programme is deliberately transparent about how the money is decided. Roughly 100 eligible applicants are shortlisted, each file is scored independently by all three full partners, and the ranking weights the previous degree and university ranking at 25 points, relevant subject marks and academic trajectory at 40, the motivation letter at 25 and the two reference letters at 10.
WHO CAN APPLY
You need a bachelor's degree in a relevant field, adequate English, and a nationality that determines which deadline and which scholarship pool applies to you. Partner-country applicants, which includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and most of the world outside Europe, use the January date. Programme-country applicants, meaning EU member states plus a listed set including Norway, Turkey and North Macedonia, use the February date.
The scoring structure tells you what to prepare. Forty points sit on your transcript's relevant subjects, so a hydrology, environmental engineering, geology or water resources background scores better than an unrelated degree with good grades. The motivation letter is worth as much as your overall grade, and references are worth 10 points, which is why a generic letter is a waste of a scored item.
Ask yourself: does my transcript show relevant coursework in water, earth sciences, environmental engineering or quantitative methods? Is my English strong enough to study and write a thesis in it? Have I checked which country category my nationality falls into this cycle? Can I document two referees who know my academic work? Am I applying for the January deadline rather than assuming February applies to me?
Water, environment and engineering funding to compare: https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=65
https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=56
https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=68
THE DEADLINE AND WHAT HAPPENS AFTER IT
Non-European applicants must submit by 3 January 2027 at 23:59 Dutch time; European applicants by 7 February 2027. Applications after those dates are still considered for academic admission but not for a scholarship, and only if places remain will a reduced-tuition option be discussed. Results, including scholarship decisions, are announced in April 2027 after the joint management committee meets. Applicants who want to come with other funding must confirm that funding by 15 April 2027.
HOW TO APPLY, STEP BY STEP
Read the admission criteria and the how-to-apply page before starting, because the form asks you to select a funding route. Complete the online application, and at the financing question select Erasmus Mundus scholarship rather than self-funded. Upload degree certificate, transcripts with a grading scale, English proficiency evidence, a motivation letter, two reference letters and your passport. If you hold dual nationality, upload both passports as one PDF, since the nationality you declare determines your scholarship category. Submit before your applicable January or February date.
Materials checklist: bachelor's diploma and full transcript, official grading explanation, English certificate, motivation letter, two signed reference letters, passport, and any evidence of relevant professional or research experience that supports the 40-point academic criterion.
TIPS THAT ACTUALLY MOVE THE NEEDLE
Write the motivation letter as a technical argument. The reviewers are hydrology and water engineering faculty, so a letter that engages with aquifer depletion, groundwater modelling or transboundary water governance in your region will score where a letter about loving the environment will not. Name the methods you have used.
Second, get references that speak to specific work. The 10 points are small but they are easy points, and a referee who can describe your dissertation will beat a department head who has met you twice. Third, if your degree is in a neighbouring field, use the motivation letter to demonstrate the quantitative and earth-science foundations you actually have rather than hoping the committee infers them.
MISTAKES THAT GET APPLICATIONS DROPPED
Selecting the self-funded route on the form and then expecting scholarship consideration.
Using the February date when your nationality puts you in the partner-country pool.
Uploading a transcript without a grading scale explanation, which makes the 25-point grade assessment harder to award.
Treating the mobility as optional. Three physical moves across Portugal, the Netherlands and Germany are part of the degree.
Leaving the reference letters to the last week. Referees are a scored input, not a formality.
If your transcript's subject list does not obviously match the water and earth science expectations, have an OEAC advisor look at it with you before January. Framing the relevant coursework correctly is the cheapest improvement available to most applicants.
Official how-to-apply page: https://www.groundwatermaster.eu/how-to-apply
Source - GroundwatCh Erasmus Mundus scholarships and selection procedure: https://www.groundwatermaster.eu/scholarships
Last updated: 20 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.
