ACES-STAR is the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Aquaculture, Environment and Society, a 120-ECTS degree that runs over two years and four semesters. The consortium is the University of Crete, which coordinates the programme, the Scottish Association for Marine Science at the University of the Highlands and Islands, and Nantes University.
The cohort moves together: semester 1 at SAMS in Oban, semester 2 at Crete on finfish aquaculture, semester 3 at Nantes on shellfish, then a semester 4 research dissertation in Oban, Crete, Nantes or a partner institute. Semester 2 carries a 10-week industry placement, usually June to August, with hosts such as the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research.
Graduates receive a joint master degree from the University of the Highlands and Islands and the University of Crete, plus a single degree from Nantes University. The course is co-funded by the European Union and aims at aquaculture management, policy and applied environmental work; around half of alumni go into the commercial sector and many of the rest into PhDs and research posts.
Benefits & funding
- Full Erasmus Mundus scholarship: tuition fees, insurance, and €1,400 per month towards travel, relocation and living costs.
- Fee-waiver scholarships: 100% of tuition waived and full Dr Walter insurance cover for the whole programme; living, travel and visa costs stay with the student.
- Thirty fee-waiver scholarships were offered for the 2026 intake.
- Medical and travel insurance is provided to both full and fee-waiver scholarship holders, and programme field trips are funded.
- Self-funded tuition for 2026: €5,000 per academic year for international students, €2,500 per academic year for UK and EU students, subject to change.
- Not covered by any award: personal computers, textbooks, visa fees and personal travel.
- The programme publishes monthly living-cost guides of £1,000–£1,200 in Oban, about €650 in Crete and €570–€900 in Nantes.
- Reduced-rate university accommodation is set aside for ACES-STAR students in Nantes; Oban and Crete are private-rental markets.
- For the 2026 intake only, full scholarships were closed to applicants from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the Philippines because the allocation for those countries was filled; fee-waiver scholarships stayed open to them.
Eligibility
- A bachelor honours degree or equivalent, second class or higher, in a biological or environmental science, and it must include a dissertation project.
- Suitable backgrounds include aquaculture studies, marine and fisheries science or resources, aquatic biology, biology, and environmental sciences linked to marine and fisheries science.
- Final-year undergraduates may apply if the degree is finished before the course starts.
- Open to applicants of every nationality; students have so far come from 43 countries.
- English proof: an Academic IELTS at 6.5 overall with at least 6.0 in each of the four components, taken within two years of the course start.
- Nationals of, or degree holders from, Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, New Zealand, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, the UK and the USA do not sit an English test.
- Anyone who has already held an Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters scholarship cannot receive a second one.
- An applicant may hold applications to at most three Erasmus Mundus joint programmes in one academic year.
- Mature applicants and those with practical aquaculture work experience are particularly welcomed, but no minimum experience and no age limit are set.
Can you apply?
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Application process
- 1Prepare the file before the portal opens: CV, a 500–800 word professional reference, passport copy, certified degree certificate and transcript with certified English translations, and the IELTS certificate.
- 2Apply through the University of the Highlands and Islands online application form and pick the correct funding option, since the option you tick can become the offer you get.
- 3Write the two statements inside the form: a motivation statement of up to 350 words, and about 350 words on previous aquaculture experience and interest.
- 4On a fully funded application, name Erasmus Mundus as the funder and state the award as cost of tuition fees, insurance and €1,400 per month.
- 5Applications are checked for completeness against the admissions criteria; incomplete files are rejected without assessment.
- 6At least two academics from the ACES team score each eligible application independently.
- 7Shortlisted candidates take a 10–15 minute interview on Microsoft Teams covering motivation, critical thinking and understanding of aquaculture issues.
- 8Decisions are issued with individual scores; a rejected candidate may appeal in writing to the Programme Leader within 14 days, and the review is done by staff who were not involved.
Program timeline
Applications open at 9am, with the form and application pack posted on the programme site
Jan 6, 2026
Erasmus Mundus full scholarship deadline; later applications are rejected automatically
Jan 30, 2026
Full scholarship outcomes sent by the end of the month
2026-02
Interview week for full scholarship and initial fee-waiver candidates
Mar 16, 2026
Interview outcomes sent
Mar 27, 2026
Interview week for fee-waiver scholarship candidates
Apr 20, 2026
Fee-waiver interview outcomes sent that week
May 11, 2026
2026-05
Pre-arrival meetings begin, running to August
Semester 1 starts at SAMS, Oban
Aug 31, 2026
2026-10
Programme site publishes updates on the 2027 intake
Final student conference and goodbye event
2028-07