Copernicus Master in Digital Earth

Benefits & funding

• Erasmus+ EMJM scholarship: €1,400 per month for a maximum of 24 months.
• Scholarship holders pay no participation fee at any partner university.
• 83 scholarships plus 34 fee waivers for self-paying students across the 2023–2029 funding period; the earlier 2018–2024 period carried 61 scholarships.
• Selected self-funded candidates receive a participation-fee waiver that counts as a consortium scholarship and covers classes, examinations and graduation.
• Otherwise the self-funded participation fee is €2,000 per semester (€8,000 over 24 months) for Programme Country students and €2,500 per semester (€10,000) for Partner Country students.
• The fee covers every CDE class, the shared learning platform, library use, all examinations, and the final diploma with its supplement.
• Not covered: travel from home and between mobilities, travel documents and visas, accommodation, living costs, the Austrian student union fee of about €25 a semester, and study materials.
• The programme budgets roughly €1,200 a month for living in Salzburg — €600 housing, €300 food, €300 other — plus €60–100 a month for health insurance, or about €30,000–32,000 over the two years.
• No application fee.

Eligibility

• A bachelor degree of at least 180 ECTS over six semesters from an internationally recognised institution, in a geospatial discipline: geography, geoinformatics, geology, geosciences, geospatial information science, geomatics or geodetic engineering, and related fields such as remote sensing, data science, urban and regional planning, civil engineering, environmental sciences or architecture.
• Graduates of neighbouring subjects such as geology, ecology, physics or computer science may apply when they document geospatial competencies gained through courses, certificates, internships or work.
• English at C1 or B2 with a certificate no older than two years — IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL iBT 95 for C1, IELTS 6 or TOEFL iBT 78 for B2 — or proof of at least four semesters of English-taught study at a recognised post-secondary institution.
• Both specialisation tracks expect proficiency in at least one programming language, basic statistics, linear algebra and differential calculus, an introductory Earth observation or remote sensing course, and hands-on experience with GIS software.
• European applicants in their final bachelor year may apply and submit the degree certificate by 31 August.
• Open to applicants of any nationality, and no age limit is set.
• Anyone who has already held an Erasmus+ EMJM or Erasmus Mundus scholarship cannot receive a second one, and no other EU-funded scholarship may run alongside it.
• No more than 10% of the scholarships may go to candidates of one nationality; applicants holding several nationalities declare the one they apply under.
• Candidates who already hold a master’s degree are asked to apply self-funded, because scholarship priority goes to people early in their academic path.
• The degree requires study periods in two different countries, each worth at least 30 ECTS and at least one in an Erasmus Programme Country; virtual mobility cannot replace them.

Application process

1. 1
   Work through the eligibility checklist and the track prerequisites, and close any gap with the competency-building courses the programme recommends.
2. 2
   Collect the file: colour scan of the passport photo page, proof of current residency, degree awards with diploma supplement, transcript of studies, English proof, and the signed declaration of correctness; reference letters are optional and only one per institution is counted.
3. 3
   Have any document not issued in English translated by a court-certified translator; international applicants also need diplomatic accreditation or a Hague Apostille on their certificates.
4. 4
   Apply online during the November-to-January call, which is open worldwide and covers both Erasmus+ scholarships and self-funded places.
5. 5
   Applications are screened for eligibility within two weeks of the deadline, and shortlisted candidates are invited to an online interview.
6. 6
   The selection committee ranks applicants as Outstanding, Highly competent, Competent, Not yet competent or Failed; offers go to the outstanding group and the final selection status is communicated in March.
7. 7
   European candidates who missed the main call may apply between March and May on a rolling, non-scholarship basis until the places are filled.
8. 8
   Admitted students arrive in Salzburg in the third or fourth week of September, with lectures starting in October.

Program timeline

1. Edition 3 applications open, worldwide

   Nov 10, 2025

2. Webinar on the specialisation tracks and curriculum, with professors and selection committee members

   Dec 12, 2025

3. Edition 3 application deadline

   Jan 18, 2026

4. Selection status communicated to applicants

   March 2026

5. Rolling non-scholarship window for European candidates

   March–May 2026

6. September 2026

   Edition 3 students arrive in Salzburg, lectures start in October

7. November 2026

   Edition 4 call opens, for the intake starting October 2027

8. Edition 4 ends

   September 2029