India has once again reinforced its position as a global academic powerhouse, with 75 students securing the highly competitive Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD) scholarships for the 2026–2028 academic cycle. Awarded by the European Union, the prestigious two-year scholarships place India among the top three countries worldwide for this year’s intake and reaffirm its status as the leading recipient of Erasmus Mundus scholarships since 2004.
Alongside the scholarship awards, the European Union also unveiled the EU-India Student Ambassadors’ Network, an initiative that will bring together 40 student ambassadors from 20 universities across India to promote academic exchange, research collaboration, and stronger people-to-people ties between the two regions.
To celebrate the achievements of the selected scholars, the Delegation of the European Union to India hosted a pre-departure ceremony in New Delhi. The event brought together scholarship recipients, representatives from EU Member States, Erasmus alumni, and education stakeholders, offering students an opportunity to prepare for their academic journey in Europe.
The 75 scholars will pursue postgraduate studies at leading universities across 15 European countries, including France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Poland, Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands, Greece, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Romania, and Lithuania, as well as partner institutions in other countries. Their chosen programmes reflect emerging global priorities and include cutting-edge disciplines such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, renewable energy, smart urban development, nanosystems, vaccinology, pharmaceutical sciences, and gender studies. Students will also undertake studies in literature, cultural studies, and social sciences, highlighting the diversity of academic engagement between India and Europe. Notably, the 2026 cohort continues the trend of near-equal gender representation among scholarship recipients, underlining the programme’s commitment to inclusive access to higher education.
Congratulating the students, H.E. Hervé Delphin, Ambassador of the European Union to India, emphasised the transformative value of the programme. “Erasmus+ is more than a scholarship- it’s a passport to a first-class experience. This programme opens doors for Indian students to cutting-edge European education, to the richness and diversity of cultures, and to networks that bring our two continents closer. These students won’t just earn a degree; they will develop the skills and perspectives needed to facilitate the mobility of talent, which will power the India-Europe strategic partnership,” he said.
Speaking about the newly launched EU-India Student Ambassadors’ Network, Ambassador Delphin added, “This initiative is about grounding our partnership at the people’s level and building a human bridge of knowledge and mutual understanding. Besides guiding them on opportunities to study in Europe and strengthening university collaborations, these ambassadors will be agents of positive change. They will inspire young minds across India to discover, connect, and engage with the EU, shaping a vibrant, shared future for our two regions."
The Student Ambassadors’ Network has been designed to create a peer-driven ecosystem that promotes awareness about European higher education and research opportunities. The selected ambassadors come from 20 universities spread across 14 states and union territories, representing a diverse cross-section of India’s academic landscape. The initiative aligns with the EU-India Strategic Agenda’s focus on youth engagement, innovation, and knowledge-sharing, while strengthening grassroots academic and cultural connections.
The ambassador cohort includes students from premier institutions such as the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, and the Indian Institute of Science, alongside multidisciplinary universities including Jawaharlal Nehru University, the University of Delhi, and the University of Mumbai. Students from emerging innovation centres such as the International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad and Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, as well as regional academic leaders including Panjab University, the University of Rajasthan, Gauhati University, and the University of Calicut, are also part of the initiative, ensuring nationwide representation.
The Erasmus+ programme remains one of the strongest pillars of EU-India cooperation in higher education. Since 2004, more than 7,500 Indian students and professionals have received short-term and long-term Erasmus scholarships, including over 2,500 Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees. Widely regarded as one of the most prestigious international scholarship programmes, Erasmus Mundus offers fully funded opportunities covering tuition fees, travel expenses, and living allowances through joint master's programmes delivered by international university consortia.
Beyond student mobility, Erasmus+ continues to foster institutional collaboration and academic reform. Since 2021, Indian universities have participated in 16 Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) projects aimed at modernising curricula, strengthening governance systems, enhancing university-industry partnerships, and supporting education policy reforms. During the same period, 17 Jean Monnet projects have been awarded to Indian academics, recognising excellence in teaching and research related to European Studies.