MARIHE Erasmus Mundus MS Scholarships 2027 With Tuition Waiver, €1,400 Stipend
A major Erasmus Mundus opportunity has opened for applicants who do not just want to study higher education — but want to understand how universities, research systems, innovation ecosystems, and education policy are being redesigned across the world.
The Master in Research and Innovation in Higher Education, widely known as MARIHE, is now accepting applications for its 2027 intake until September 21, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. CEST. The programme will begin in September 2027, and selected candidates may receive full tuition coverage, insurance, and, for Erasmus Mundus scholarship winners, a €1,400 monthly allowance.
This is not a routine master’s degree for students looking for a generic international credential. MARIHE is designed for future higher education leaders, policy thinkers, university managers, innovation specialists, researchers, consultants, and institutional reform professionals who want to work where education, research, governance, and global development intersect.
Why This MARIHE 2027 Call Matters?
Higher education is changing fast. Universities are under pressure to internationalize, digitalize, commercialize research, manage global partnerships, respond to labour market shifts, and prove their social value. MARIHE directly targets this transformation zone.
The programme describes itself as the only Erasmus Mundus Joint Master programme focused on future leaders and change-makers in higher education. It is a two-year, full-time, 120 ECTS Erasmus Mundus Joint Master delivered through an international consortium with academic partners in Austria, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, China, and India.
That means applicants are not signing up for a single-country master’s experience. They are entering a mobile international degree pathway built around higher education systems, research policy, innovation, entrepreneurship, institutional transformation, and cross-cultural academic leadership.
Funding Reveal: What Selected Students Can Receive?
The financial structure is one of the strongest reasons global applicants should pay attention to this call.
MARIHE offers tuition fee scholarships for all selected students, meaning participation costs and tuition fees are covered. The official programme also states that selected students receive worldwide health and accident insurance, and Erasmus+ student mobility funding may also be available depending on the case.
For the strongest candidates, the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship provides a wider package. It covers participation costs and tuition fees, includes worldwide health and accident insurance, and provides a €1,400 monthly allowance as a contribution toward travel, visa, installation, and living costs.
The programme also mentions an additional scholarship option for students from deprived backgrounds and/or first-in-family students, awarded by the consortium to two selected students per intake.
In plain terms, MARIHE is not only offering admission into a European-Asian master’s programme; it is offering a serious funding route for applicants who may otherwise be blocked by tuition, relocation, insurance, or living cost barriers.
What Subjects and Professional Areas Does MARIHE Cover?
MARIHE is best understood as an interdisciplinary master’s programme sitting between education, public policy, research management, innovation, institutional leadership, and international development. Its core academic and professional themes include:
- Higher education systems and policy
- Research and innovation management
- University governance and institutional transformation
- Entrepreneurship and innovation in education
- Internationalization of higher education
- Higher education leadership and administration
- Research-intensive institutions and university alliances
- Education consultancy and policy analysis
- Global academic cooperation and institutional strategy
This makes the programme especially relevant for applicants who want careers in universities, ministries, quality assurance bodies, international education organizations, research agencies, think tanks, consulting firms, start-ups, or PhD-level research in higher education studies.
Who Should Apply for MARIHE?
MARIHE is open to applicants from around the world who hold a first university degree. The official admission requirement states that applicants must have a first university degree with a minimum duration of three years of full-time study, corresponding to 180 ECTS, and the degree does not need to be in a specific subject field.
This is useful for applicants from diverse backgrounds. A candidate may come from education, economics, social sciences, public administration, business, humanities, engineering, management, international relations, development studies, or another field — as long as the applicant can show a serious motivation for higher education, research, and innovation.
Eligibility Check for Applicants
You may be a suitable candidate for MARIHE 2027 if you meet the following conditions:
- You hold a first university degree of at least three years’ duration, equivalent to 180 ECTS.
- You are interested in higher education, research systems, innovation, university leadership, policy, or institutional change.
- You have sufficient English language skills for a full English-taught international master’s programme.
- You are ready for a two-year, full-time study journey across different countries and academic cultures.
- You can demonstrate motivation for a career connected to higher education, research-intensive institutions, public agencies, consultancy, international organizations, start-ups, or doctoral research.
The key point is this: MARIHE is not only looking for applicants with a degree. It is looking for applicants who can explain why higher education matters, how institutions need to change, and how they want to contribute to that change.
MARIHE Consortium Universities
MARIHE is coordinated by the University for Continuing Education Krems in Austria and supported by a wider international consortium. Partner institutions include Tampere University in Finland, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences in Germany, Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary, University of Aveiro in Portugal, Beijing Normal University in China, and Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology in India.
This multi-country consortium is what gives MARIHE its “without borders” character. Students are exposed to different higher education systems rather than being trained from one national perspective only.
Final Deadline for MARIHE 2027
The last date to apply for the MARIHE Erasmus Mundus Joint Master 2027 intake is September 21, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. CEST. The next student intake with available Erasmus+/Erasmus Mundus scholarships is scheduled to start in September 2027.